The reason the US and EU rule the banking sectors is because of trust.
Incorrect. The reason the US is in such a dominant position in the global banking system today is because there was a period where they told the Rest of the World there currency was redeemable for a fixed quantity of gold, the Rest of the World trusted gold, and thus they trusted they could accumulate and hold these dollars in their wealth reserve accounts as if they were as good as gold. Then, on August 15, 1971, the Americans engaged in the largest default on obligations the world has ever seen by severing that link.
Business is built on trust.
Couldn't agree more. In addition, I'd think that any nation who found themself in an enviable position due to a a previous act of distrust should not expect to remain in such position in perpetuity.
I think the difference is we are trying while Russia seems content, hell happy, to be the same it has been since the 60s or even earlier.
Do you think Russians would be correct in thinking that Americans wouldn't hesitate to increase their standard of living at the expense of the Russian middle-class with no hesitation if given the opportunity? Do you think a Russian leader, who is tasked to look after his people, ought to be given a good amouont of leniency to take geopolitically strategic actions as required in order to ensure his nation isn't subject to the whims of another nation if it can be avoided?
And this is why you keep doing trade and keep negotiating and making your country more profitable through diversification.
But what if a nation is told your only options are to trade predominantly inside the system we exert an enormous amount of control over, or you're against us as a non-trader?
In some places yes, but again we are not annexing just for the sake of adding land and then telling blantant lies on why.
Do you really think it fair to label this annexation of Crimea as being simply driven by "adding land"?
Do you think the American government is always honest with its citizens on why it takes the actions it takes? Is Russian political leadership the only country that lies to its citizens on a regular basis?
We go into places trying to do good, I know you don't believe that but I truly do. We don't go in trying to steal land.
You're putting words in my mouth there. I just find that the average citizen will always label his nation "good" and then tends to label as "bad" any nation he is told is "bad" by his political leaders. I just don't think that's a very sophisticated or realistic world view.
As for the theft, did America steal much of the world's gold by breaking their agreement in August 15, 1971?