A good fortune for one man, means less for some
Some of you may know the lyrics, and so to you the angle of this post is pretty evident.
I rarely dabble much in this specific corner of the SWC, but I'm going to play devil's advocate for the following question. We've recently spent time discussing the responsibility to protect, and have previously discussed advancing national interests through the strengthening of democratic principles abroad (being mindful of course to avoid hubris along the way).
We've also talked about shared prosperity, and the principles that when a state, tribe, or even a culture enjoy increased prosperity, we all stand to benefit and some of the factors that cause small wars recede. Is this general premise true though, across the long term, and where is the tipping point?
If we work to increase prosperity around the world, how can we do it in a fashion that does not increase the demand for resources to such a degree that conflict ensues? Whether it's water, arable land, oil, or access to minerals and metals, as tribes and states prosper, consumption increases and the realist in me tells me that conflict is inevitable. In logical terms, it seems counter-productive to try to reduce the number of have-nots in the world.
Brain Dumps- Intellectual Immigration
China's Rich Consider Leaving Growing Nation
by Frank Langfitt
NPR
Quote:
Yang says Chinese like U.S. real estate because they can own it in total and they can pass homes onto their children. In China, the government controls the land. People can own houses, but they can only lease the land underneath.
"We buy the house [and] we can only use it for 70 years," he says. "In America or some other country, we can get the land forever. My clients always want to buy something forever, right."
Yang says most Chinese who apply for investment immigration are legitimate, but he says 5 to 10 percent want to move money they got through corruption.
"These people want to put money outside of China. Washing, we call it washing money," he says. "So I have some clients come to my company [and say] 'I have money. I don't have any documents.' I say no, this is illegal."
Kill! Kill! Kill! (in LAR terms)
We are campaigning against AIDS on the African continent. How does increasing the lifespan of a state's or continent's population serve our national interests, assuming that the benefits of longevity only serve to increase the competition for resources across the long run.