Often this "win" is a huge loss for the foreign groups involved. So still a losing situation in my eyes.
If we knock the American tech giants down several pegs, as a hypothetical example, it might be beneficial in some ways. But we're also helping to clear the path for companies like Huawei to fill the void. That in turn, helps China project influence around the globe. Every nation-state in the world wants to position its resources (like corporations) as advantageously as possible, and they'll seize on any and every opportunity to do so.
We might not like wars for oil - we might like the alternatives even less.
Slowing down fellow people is also a loss, and I don't buy that our "best" purposefully takes us further from the goal.
>We might not like wars for oil - we might like the alternatives even less.
Do you think I'm arguing that the US should stop engaging in wars for oil but other countries should go for it? Everyone should find these wars to be despicable and avoided at all costs. Yes, this is difficult. It's impossible if you think that they're necessary to prevent others from doing it.
People may be the pawns on the board... corporations might be more like the knights or the rooks.