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PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   24605 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of April 8, 2024

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But Israel is also much wealthier than Iran- the cost/benefit analysis in terms of fractions of national wealth looks very different.

Only in nominal terms, in PPP Iran's economy is 3x bigger. While some have issues with purchasing power parity it does seem unreasonable to measure sanctioned countries in USD terms.

For purchasing internationally (and thus for the arms industry) nominal GDP is more important. PPP is a better indicator of domestic prosperity. International suppliers care about what you can offer them at market exchange rates, they don't care about your domestic prices. If Israel can offer me $500 for some small electronics part and Iran can offer me $400, I don't care if it's cheaper to live in Iran.

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