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Ross Perot knew the deal. Bush, Clinton and everyone else mocked him, critically, the media. The fourth estate; yeah, right! They don’t give a lick. They push whatever agenda is on tap. Trade Agreements, Gulf War II, etc.

You might be right, you might be wrong, but it would be nice if you could acknowledge that any argument about what people were thinking (rather than doing) is a shaky one and hard to state with any certainty. Bad outcomes can arise as easily from ill-conceived idealism as bad intent.

This. It's a pernicious temptation to infer motive, or make hostile generalizations about groups we disagree with, but this makes it impossible to cooperate or engage in good faith debate.

It was also a ploy to cement the fragmentation of the Socialist bloc and precipitate the decline of the Soviet Union.

No one with half a brain thought anything else would happen. Even if China was a liberal democracy, this would still happen.

It was just arrogant and short term thinking.