No one is winning economic wars. Not even the rich who get to play both sides. They’re just avoiding losses, if you’re in the position to do war profiteering you would have made money anyway.

I don’t understand why money is being funnelled into an economic war rather than, aham, attempts at speeding up the dictators transition into a different state of consciousness ( or lack there of).

I genuinely believe that would be the most effective use of money. Get someone to, you know, do the thing, blame it on one of the countless possible usual suspects and cut a deal with whoever emerges victorious from the ensuing power struggle.

People will say “you don’t know if the next one will be worse”. Sure, but, my argument would be Stalin. Stalin was repudiated after his death. People went along just because they were terrified of him. I don’t think the situation would be much different now.

I don’t know. Just my two cents. I don’t like war, economic or otherwise. The sooner it stops the better it will be for everyone.