International relations are increasingly shaped by economic interdependence, but does that actually reduce the risk of military conflict? I look at the US-China relationship, where trade volumes are massive, yet tensions over Taiwan and the South China Sea keep escalating. Economic ties alone haven't stopped rhetoric or military posturing, so maybe the old realist view is still right: when security is at stake, countries act on fear, not profit. Relying on trade to keep the peace feels like a gamble that hasn't paid off in practice.