Doritos, Oreos, waffles, and war

Readers weigh in on yesterday’s column

I hope you are having a restful, relaxing, and reflective Sunday of Memorial Day 2024. For the first time in a while, it feels more like the Fourth of July in the Chesapeake than the end of Memorial Day although we did have a few summer thunderstorms early this morning.

I am delighted to forward the ideas responding to my ‘Oreo innovation’ piece yesterday. The author below is an erstwhile colleague and dear friend whose thought processes invariably have pushed me to think much harder over the past twelve years since I first met him at the War College. I am not asking you to accept or reject his analysis but to consider it as a method of addressing actions creating consequences appropriate to civil, measured discussion on how we view the world. I include his comments in full as I received them.

Oh, I did not know so many varieties of waffles or corn chips existed, either. I learn so much from listening to others.

‘Also check out the selection of Eggo waffles and Tostitos some time. But perhaps China is on its way? I wonder what its first Oreo-like product will be? What product will be ubiquitous on China grocer's shelves and reflect the spectrum of Chinese tastes and activities? https://wapo.st/3KffH35While China may see less and less US stuff sitting on its shelves, until I start seeing a bunch of China based food, fashion, and entertainment in the US economy I'm not too worried about ol' Thucydides Trap. Yes, products might be made in China, but they are designed for US uses and tastes. Check out the difference between a Honda minivan sold and driven around Tokyo and one in Alabama. Seems to me trade wars are won in store aisles rather than halls of government. And should government be involved in steering citizen consumption anyway? Isn't individual economic activity one of the most basic freedoms? And in today's explosion of expressing identity and individualism will national consumption ever reach the mega commercial days of the Pepsi/Coca-cola wars? Or Nike dominance? Or McDonalds, PIzza Hut, and Taco Bell fast casual saturation? Is it time for a post-national economic theory? One that understands and centralizes that consumption and purchasing power are individual decisions and that national wealth derives from citizen wealth. That wealth is produced by activity. Conservation and sustainability are certainly important but need to be balanced with consumption and revenue or economic systems fail. Lots of folks in this forum smarter than me and I'm sure are working on this and more. Back to my low skilled and repetitious work for the day.’

I most certainly agree entirely that the Thucydides Trap doesn’t address all aspects of a rising power and an existing one. I particular, it is certainly accurate that China has produced many goods not to meet its demand, thus assuring they are Chinese-centric rather than American-centric, but to meet ours. Many of the goods they produce satisfy our incredible yen for cheap products while others open our door to new tastes (literally) but they remain tastes on our terms. (I did receive two amusing responses yesterday along that line.one reader thought the photograph of all those Oreo varieties was wretched excess—but closed by asking humorously about coconut flavour because she obvious throws all rules aside for that one. The other reader chastised me mildly [in a wicked manner] for leaving out a couple of Oreo flavour she knows of but mentioned she never scouts the Oreo aisle, assumably because personal demand rises too quickly. Both readers know themselves and Oreos quite well, bringing smiles to my face).

Further thoughts on Oreos, Thucydides, Graham Allison’s Trap in the Greek guy, or anything else welcome.thank you for taking time to ponder. Thank you, dear subscribers, for your financial support which I appreciate deeply.

Stunning clouds forming this afternoon over the Bay. How about your sky?

Be well and be safe. FIN

Graham Allison, Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap? New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2017.