Why does every village, city, state, country, and empire need to trade with entities external to itself to be economically viable, survive, and grow, but the Earth itself does not?
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If your economy can create every resource possibly needed within its borders, and increase production to meet any need just-in-time, then your economy may not need to trade.
But most states (as in nation-states, not US states) can’t do that, they’re either missing a copper mine, or they don’t have enough pastoral land, or construction lumber doesn’t grow in their climate, or the population isn’t big enough to meet their labor needs, etc. Whatever the resource, most countries simply can’t produce everything they need or want without asking a neighbor for a cup of sugar.
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