A Chinese's lesson!

China has come a long way from its Maoist days when it was unable to feed its immense population and was regarded, rightfully, as a backward Nation that would never rise to challenge the Western super powers. How quickly things seem to have reversed! Now the West and the US in particular are " sneered" upon. Since September 11, the US has become an overtly militaristic empire, spending trillions of dollars on bombs and guns to fight sandals wearing terrorists across the planet. More and more people agree that the US of today is more akin to the Soviet Russian state in the 80s. It is exhausted and old, unproductive yet stubbornly unwilling to recognize its flaws.

So, while the US is bombing Afghanistan, the Chineses are building copper and rare earth mines that are providing jobs to the half starved Afghanis. While the US is threatening Iran, the Chineses are winning lucrative construction contracts and purchasing oil from that same country. Simply, the US has become a bully, while the Chinese are successfully mastering the art of making their partners an offer they cannot refuse!

Nobody likes a bully and everybody would like to be made an offer he cannot refuse! Maybe the West should learn from the Chineses and work to reverse its colonial mentality: The ingrained belief that all the other cultures of the world should bow to the wishes of westerners. Real respect come with superior ability and productivity. The west has contributed a great deal to the world progress in the past centuries; but it has become conceited and lazy. It has gradually lost its classical liberal outlook based upon free market, freedom, economic exchange, sound money, and peace. Returning to such foundation is the path that can revive the West out of its current crisis and usher a new era of cultural development.

Most importantly, the third world Nations across the globe should learn from the Chinese, the Singaporians, the Malaysians, Koreans and all the formerly " poor" who have managed to gain a place among the respectable, peaceful and productive members of the world's family. Progress does not arises through democracy as Bush would like us to believe; progress arise through productive work, innovation, and the quest of excellence aka Free market capitalism.