--- RulingNations@aol.com wrote: > In a message dated 11/24/03 2:02:40 AM Mountain Standard Time, > andrewdj54701@yahoo.com writes: > > >I came across this nifty essay on the Net awhile back, about the > seven > >signs of failed or failiing states. It's from the Spring '98 issue > of > >PARAMETERS, which is the journal of the U.S. Army's War College. You > can > read > >the whole thing at > http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/98spring/ > >peters.htm, > > What a load of BS. This article falls more under pro-american > propaganda > than under real scholarship. It doesn't define economic factors, it > says that > America's education system is the best in the world, and doesn't > account for > differences in population and culture. I couldn't even finish > reading this load > of garbage. Read the whole thing, before you dismiss it. Yes, the author *is* coming from a Western Cultural perspective, with all the baggage that implies. Yes, his definition of a "successful" nation-state does define success by how well a nation or culture competes on the global market. Another assumption underlying the piece is, of course, globalization & industrialization. In a world that's not undergoing globalization & industrialization, most of Lt.Col. Peters' signs of failing states aren't as relevant in the short term. But that, in my opinion, doesn't in any way invalidate his points, particularily his last two: Any society or culture that values neither education nor work will not be able to compete successfully with societies that *do* place high values on education and work. I think that he raises a hypothesis that's worthy of examination, perhaps from a less "American" perspective. One other point: The author's evaluation of cultural "success" or "failure" is not a moral judgement, it's more of a Darwinian judgement. Successful societies spread their ways of doing things around the globe, while failing societies must either change or implode. You can agree with the article's opinion or not, but *don't* do the author the disservice of dismissing him without finishing reading his work. Andrew > Jefferson > http://www.picotech.net/~jeff_wilson63/rpg/ > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, send mail to celandra-off@phoenyx.net. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard http://antispam.yahoo.com/whatsnewfree ---------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send mail to celandra-off@phoenyx.net.
