They often assert that trading with authoritarian regimes that are either our enemies today or that might become foes in the future can be safely undertaken since commerce will inexorably transform them by creating a middle class imbued with capitalist impulses and, in due course, with irresistible democratic aspirations.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Trading With The ??Enemy??

"It seemed like a good idea at the time, " is about all the narrator offers for explanation, as the tug of war between selfish impulses and loftier desires gets played out over an irresistible groove.

NPR: Devastations' 'Mistakes' Simmer and Shimmer