Jeffrey Sachs

Because John said it exactly right, and he predicted it better than anyone in the whole world in 2001. He said, when China becomes large, we're going to have conflict because that's John's theory. And it's right as a description of American foreign policy that we are for power. They are big. Therefore, they're an enemy. They're an enemy of our aspiration to global hegemony.

It's not a bad way to say it, but I would put it in another way. I read a very good book, John's. And John described, I'm going to quote him, but he can quote himself afterwards. He said that the regional hegemons don't threaten each other, actually. Why? Because we have big ocean in between.

It's not a bad way to say it, but I would put it in another way. I read a very good book, John's. And John described, I'm going to quote him, but he can quote himself afterwards. He said that the regional hegemons don't threaten each other, actually. Why? Because we have big ocean in between.

deeply believe that China is not a threat to the United States, and I deeply believe the only threat to the United States, period, in the world, given the oceans, given our size, and given the military, is nuclear war. I deeply believe we're close to nuclear war because we have a mindset that leads us in that direction.

deeply believe that China is not a threat to the United States, and I deeply believe the only threat to the United States, period, in the world, given the oceans, given our size, and given the military, is nuclear war. I deeply believe we're close to nuclear war because we have a mindset that leads us in that direction.

have a mindset that everything is a challenge for survival and that escalation is therefore always the right approach. My view is a little bit of prudence could save the whole planet. So why I don't like Ukraine is that I don't see any reason in the world that NATO has to be on Russia's border with Ukraine. I was as I said, Gorbachev's advisor and Yeltsin's advisor.

have a mindset that everything is a challenge for survival and that escalation is therefore always the right approach. My view is a little bit of prudence could save the whole planet. So why I don't like Ukraine is that I don't see any reason in the world that NATO has to be on Russia's border with Ukraine. I was as I said, Gorbachev's advisor and Yeltsin's advisor.

And they wanted peace and they wanted cooperation. But whatever they wanted, they did not want the U.S. military on their border. So if we continued to push, as we did, we would get to war. John explained that better than anybody. We're now at war. And even this morning, there is further escalation.

And they wanted peace and they wanted cooperation. But whatever they wanted, they did not want the U.S. military on their border. So if we continued to push, as we did, we would get to war. John explained that better than anybody. We're now at war. And even this morning, there is further escalation.

Blinken has said, well, if the Iranians give these missiles, then we will give missiles to hit deep into Russia. This is a recipe. And then we had Bill Burns, the CIA director, say last week an absurdity that he knows, but CIA directors never tell the truth. If they do, they lose their job. But he said, don't worry about nuclear war. Don't worry about saber rattling.

Blinken has said, well, if the Iranians give these missiles, then we will give missiles to hit deep into Russia. This is a recipe. And then we had Bill Burns, the CIA director, say last week an absurdity that he knows, but CIA directors never tell the truth. If they do, they lose their job. But he said, don't worry about nuclear war. Don't worry about saber rattling.

My advice to you is worry a lot about nuclear war. And so be prudent. You don't have to put the US military on Russia's border. And my advice to Russia and to Mexico when I'm going to Mexico tomorrow, I'll give them a piece of advice. Don't let China or Russia build a military base on the Rio Grande. Not a good idea for Mexico. Not a good idea for Ukraine. Not a good idea for Russia.

My advice to you is worry a lot about nuclear war. And so be prudent. You don't have to put the US military on Russia's border. And my advice to Russia and to Mexico when I'm going to Mexico tomorrow, I'll give them a piece of advice. Don't let China or Russia build a military base on the Rio Grande. Not a good idea for Mexico. Not a good idea for Ukraine. Not a good idea for Russia.

Not a good idea for China. Not a good idea for the United States. We need to stay a little bit away from each other so that we don't have a nuclear war. By the way, I do recommend another good book, and that is Annie Jacobson's Nuclear War, A Scenario. It takes two hours to read. The world ends in two hours in the book. And it's a very persuasive book.

Not a good idea for China. Not a good idea for the United States. We need to stay a little bit away from each other so that we don't have a nuclear war. By the way, I do recommend another good book, and that is Annie Jacobson's Nuclear War, A Scenario. It takes two hours to read. The world ends in two hours in the book. And it's a very persuasive book.

a guide that one nuke can ruin your whole day, as they say. Jeffrey, can I... My strong advice on this, therefore, is recognize China, first of all, is not a threat to the United States' security. Big oceans, big nuclear deterrent, and so forth. Second, we don't have to be in China's face. What do I mean by that? We don't have to provoke World War III over Taiwan.

a guide that one nuke can ruin your whole day, as they say. Jeffrey, can I... My strong advice on this, therefore, is recognize China, first of all, is not a threat to the United States' security. Big oceans, big nuclear deterrent, and so forth. Second, we don't have to be in China's face. What do I mean by that? We don't have to provoke World War III over Taiwan.

That's a long, complicated issue, but this would be the stupidest thing for my grandchildren to die for imaginable. And I resent it every day when we play that game. We have three agreements with China that say we're going to stay out of that, and we should. And then China would have no reason for war either.

That's a long, complicated issue, but this would be the stupidest thing for my grandchildren to die for imaginable. And I resent it every day when we play that game. We have three agreements with China that say we're going to stay out of that, and we should. And then China would have no reason for war either.

China, and then on the economic side, let me just reiterate, because I was asked yesterday and there was some surprise, was it good to let China into the WTO? I said, of course. It enriched all of you, by the way. It enriched me. It enriched this country. It enriched the world, including enriching China. That's normal. Economics is not a zero-sum game. We all agree on that.