[HN Gopher] Genghis Khan, trade warrior (2021)
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       Genghis Khan, trade warrior (2021)
        
       Author : WildestDreams_
       Score  : 34 points
       Date   : 2024-08-15 09:47 UTC (3 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.richmondfed.org)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.richmondfed.org)
        
       | RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote:
       | > "There is no way you could rule over that many people solely by
       | force with such a relatively small army. It's just not possible."
       | 
       | This completely undersells Genghis Khan's use of terror. Everyone
       | knew what happened if you resisted the Mongols. Khwarazm and
       | Baghdad were illustrations of their willingness for wholesale
       | slaughter. And the massacres were designed to inspire terror with
       | horrific cruelty broadcast widely.
        
         | divbzero wrote:
         | "The Wrath of Khans" by Dan Carlin is an excellent four-episode
         | series ( _Hardcore History_ 43-47) highlighting the brutal
         | effectiveness of Mongol tactics:
         | 
         | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dan-carlin-hardcore-hi...
         | 
         | https://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-wrath-of-...
        
         | 29athrowaway wrote:
         | Genghis Khan was a bit like Pablo Escobar.
         | 
         | "Plata o plomo" (silver = trade, or, lead = death)
         | 
         | In the end, "War is a racket"
         | 
         | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Is_a_Racket
        
           | wslh wrote:
           | The concept of "War is a racket" could be applied to any
           | externalities of the world, in the economy there are a lot of
           | organizations and people who are benefiting from others'
           | suffering. Beyond the ethical and/or moral factor it is what
           | it is. There could be cases where controlling those factors
           | goes against public interest (again, without putting an
           | ethical/moral side).
           | 
           | I think that when you add moral aspects your enemy takes
           | advantages. That is war, the continuation of politics.
           | 
           | Also, the recommendations put in your link [1] hasn't been
           | widely proven.
           | 
           | [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Is_a_Racket#Recommendat
           | ion...
        
       | RobotToaster wrote:
       | Reminds me of this comic: https://www.smbc-
       | comics.com/comic/neoliberal
        
       | intalentive wrote:
       | Here's more detail on the Khan's innovations in fiat currency and
       | legal tender law:
       | 
       | https://fee.org/articles/marco-polo-on-money/
       | 
       | Marco Polo concludes:
       | 
       | > in this way, nearly all the valuables in the country come into
       | the Khan's possession.
       | 
       | Weird how the Fed didn't mention that part.
       | 
       | Marco Polo's account of the Khanate helped me to understand
       | better how our own money system works. Not too different in its
       | essentials from a giant Chuck E Cheese or Disneyland where you
       | buy special tokens on entry.
        
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       (page generated 2024-08-18 23:01 UTC)