Europe

[noddy]

[Endovelico]

[Simple Minded]

Endovelico,

Thanks for posting. I thought about posting that article but didn't.

[noddy]

yes - its an interesting article, if you look at in those terms it opens up questions about much of the west and internally stability... its not like the americans are scared of a pommie takeover anymore...

[noddy]

[Endovelico]

[Endovelico]

[AzariLoveIran]

[Endovelico]

[AzariLoveIran]

[Endovelico]

[AzariLoveIran]

[Endovelico]

[AzariLoveIran]

[Endovelico]

[AzariLoveIran]

[AzariLoveIran]

[Endovelico]

[AzariLoveIran]

[Endovelico]

Excelling in technology has two aspects: inventing and applying. A nation may not have enough resources to invest in R&D but be quite capable of using technology invented elsewhere in the production of high quality and performance goods. Although I have no doubt that China will be able to generate its own indigenous technology, for the time being it is mostly using foreign inventions. Trying to push Portugal into olive oil production would be plain silly. In spite of our limitations, Portuguese laboratories have already developed new medicaments being sold worldwide. And software developing firms are supplying NASA...

[AzariLoveIran]

[Endovelico]

Trying to develop economic niches for different countries would be as wise as developing economic niches for different parts of the same country. I'm not saying that regions should not give priority to developing those resources which are present in each one, but why shouldn't a computer factory be built in Iowa, or a pasta factory be built in Boston?... Productivity, not niche building, is the key word. And you can increase productivity anywhere in the world, using a large mix of goods and services. Dependence on just a few goods is a recipe for disaster.

[AzariLoveIran]

[Endovelico]

Azari,

I'm afraid we are never going to agree on this. Specialization only makes sense when natural resources (including location) come into play. If you take natural resources out of the picture, what is left are people. And people can learn to do anything. You may have an individual specializing in some thing, but you can't force everybody in any specific country to specialize in the same thing. I'm afraid your view on this is awfully totalitarian.

[AzariLoveIran]