You're setting the bar far too high for independence, Dick. I mean, what country on earth is truly independent of all other countries? Even if a country is not bound by formal treaties or is not part of a bloc, it still depends on trade with other countries (there may be rare cases where that doesn't apply, but I can't think of any). China can't manage without selling its goods to the west (every garment I'm currently wearing was made in China). China couldn't survive without buying millions of tons of iron ore every year from Australia. Australia's economy depends on selling, among other things, millions of bottles of wine overseas (even though Aussie red wine is actually Ribena with bollocks), as well as that iron ore. Think of all those fiercely independent countries that would collapse if they couldn't export their oil and gas. There are few countries on the planet that could truly afford to stand alone.