Re: a to-do list for the next century

From: Michael S. Lorrey (mike@datamann.com)
Date: Fri Mar 24 2000 - 18:02:04 MST


hal@finney.org wrote:

> Rob Sweeney, <rjs@rsie.com>, writes:
> > So - how about the Revolution Foundation? A well-funded group develops
> > both a business plan - and an invasion plan - for a target country. The
> > ineffective leadership is forced out in one way or another. The group
> > comes in with sufficient resources (mostly trained staff, this isn't to
> > be another throw-money-away venture) to build up needed institutions -
> > courts, schools, etc. Our favorite sort of minimal-interference,
> > market-respecting government is instituted. It doesn't have to be
> > democratic, day one likely it can't be. >Now< buy the land. Sit
> > back and wait.
>
> Well, that's thinking outside the box, Rob, I'll grant you that...
>
> Part of the problem is that there is a reason why those governments are
> so bad. They are in a position to enrich themselves, and few people
> have the willpower to resist such temptation. You might not have such
> an easy time installing your favorite sort of government, without them
> succumbing to the lures of easy wealth.
>
> There's also the question of whether the indiginous population would
> welcome the reinstatement of imperialist external rule. Most of those
> countries worked hard to throw off the yoke of Western colonialism.
> Economically many countries are worse off, but it would be a terrible
> blow to their pride to ask for the hated rulers to come back in and
> start running things again.

Such claims are typically bogus. The only people who do not like colonial rule
are the local native aristocracy that aren't allowed to abuse their people any
way they want to any more...

Mike Lorrey



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