"Now tell me, why would anyone prefer the first over the second?"

I dunno. Last time I checked, Japan and Germany had pretty good economies, and both had the #$@ bombed out out of them by the USA.

And as far as other countries that have had the #$@ bombed out of them by the USA, even the right-wing Bloomberg news service had to admit that "Vietnam's Economy Is an Emerging Market Standout" and "South Korea reigns supreme: The World's Most Innovative Economy".

And interestingly enough, there is very little ill will against America by everyday Japanese, Germans, South Koreans and Vietnamese, who jump at the chance to study in the USA and emigrate there.

Not a whole lot of folks seek to emigrate to China's heavily polluted cities, except those who like to imitate Darth Vader by wearing respirator filter devices.