Прво и основно, не гледаат колку милиони народ имале земјите, гледаат холистички на економијата. Еве ги двете страни на паричката:
The exploitation case says a trade deficit—like the U.S.’s $1.2 trillion in 2024 or $253.4 billion through February 2025—means the U.S. is sending more money abroad for imports than it’s earning from exports. Critics argue this drains domestic wealth, especially when countries like China ($368 billion goods deficit in 2024) or even North Macedonia ($57.6 million deficit) sell more to the U.S. than they buy back. They claim it’s a one-way street: foreign nations get richer, U.S. jobs vanish (think manufacturing declines since the 1990s), and America borrows to cover the gap—pushing up national debt, now over $34 trillion. Trump’s April 2, 2025, tariff speech echoed this, framing deficits as other countries “taking advantage” of the U.S., with China often cast as the mastermind via cheap goods and currency tweaks.
The flip side? Economists like those at the Peterson Institute argue deficits aren’t inherently exploitative. The U.S. imports more because it’s a consumption powerhouse with a strong dollar—people want stuff, and foreigners want to sell here. That $122.7 billion February 2025 deficit partly reflects Americans buying German cars or Chinese electronics, while foreigners invest those dollars back into U.S. assets—like $8 trillion in Treasury bonds held overseas. This keeps interest rates low and funds U.S. spending. Plus, imports often mean cheaper goods—Walmart’s shelves don’t lie—which boosts living standards. The services surplus ($24.3 billion in February) also offsets some goods deficits, showing the U.S. excels in tech, finance, and entertainment exports.
The exploitation angle gets traction when deficits pair with job losses tied to trade—like steel towns gutted after China’s WTO entry in 2001. Studies, like one from the Economic Policy Institute, estimate 3.7 million U.S. jobs lost to China trade between 2001 and 2018. But others, like the Cato Institute, counter that automation, not trade, drove most manufacturing decline—robots don’t care about tariffs. And deficits don’t mean “losing money”; they reflect trade-offs. Foreigners holding dollars often reinvest them here, not hoard them like cartoon villains.
So, is it exploitation? Depends on the lens. If you see trade as a zero-sum game, persistent deficits look like America getting played—cash out, jobs gone. If you see it as a global flow, it’s the U.S. leveraging its economic clout, even if it borrows to do it. The $57.6 million deficit with North Macedonia or $368 billion with China doesn’t “exploit” in a vacuum—it’s part of a system where the U.S. consumes, others produce, and dollars cycle back. Critics say it’s unsustainable; defenders say it’s been sustained for decades. Data’s clear on the numbers, but the story’s up for grabs.