What should the world be doing right now? I break it down (poorly, sloppily) according to what I see as the 8 major subregions of geography, culture, and/or affinity:
-China & East Asia: It seems like China is contributing to global instability by giving massive support to African dictatorships shunned by the Anglosphere and the EU. On the other hand, I think China massively contributed to global stability by agressively policing its population growth rate. I'd like China to seek competitive alternatives rather than arming and infrastructurizing shunned African states. But it's an empirical question, what's best for the world.
-India & South Asia: Seems to me to be doing fine. I love Prime Minister Singh, the type of quant-competent, elite talent technocrat that should be administering 20% of the world's population. Of course there seems to be the endless stability problem of non-India south asian states.
-EU & Former Soviet Europe: Prof. DeLong types blog that for some reason the EU leadership class has seized on austerity rather than Keynsian economic approaches, to the great loss of the EU. Also, the indication is that the euro is a bad idea, that if anything more localized currency is the direction all large states should be going. I say go with expert community recommendations and abandon zombie marches towards less wealth.
-USA & Anglosphere: Seems to me to be doing a better job at bending in the deferential direction of expert communities. I like the predator assassinations. I think we probably need more of them, and for domestic ones to be done. I suspect it awesomely passes cost benefit analysis. when far less that 1% of the American and global populations are affected by drone assassinations, I don't see much cause for fear or concern (except to the extent they may stamp our rare & useful controversial idea generators in the name of security -not a concern assasinating al quaeda and equivalent destabilizing populations).
-Africa: Hoo boy. Where to start. I'd like to see African states reorganized along homogeneous ethnic lines, but that would take a strong central continental authority and I don't see it happening. I think there's a massive cholera epidemic happening or about to happen in Sudan, other than that I'm not tracking current events in Africa as well as I should.
-Middle East and North Africa: Seems to me to be moving in a good direction. Hopefully the Arab Spring will bring a technocratic ratchet up and not just more democracy.
-Latin America and the Carribean: Haven't heard too much. Glad to see wannabe lifer Hugo Chavez dying.
I've heard a little about China's involvement in Africa, but I'm not too well informed. Are they being blamed for any wars?
ReplyDeleteIndia is doing well, and arguably so is Bangladesh. But Pakistan just seems to have thoroughly screwed itself dating back to General Zia. Perhaps I read too much Brown Pundits.
I liked the "Dune" line on assassination instead of war, but I'm much less pleased by lack of any spatial/temporal boundary (I certainly don't want this in the U.S, law enforcement can handle things there) and the erosion of a rule of law framework.
I heard some of the deposed Arab spring rulers were actually pretty competent.