Hmm.*Economy-overview: Uruguay's small economy benefits from a favorable climate for agriculture and substantial hydropower production. The SANGUINETTI government's conservative monetary and fiscal policies are aimed at reducing inflation; other priorities include moving toward a more market-oriented economy, completing reform of the social security system, and increasing investment in education. Economic performance remains sensitive to conditions in Argentina and Brazil, largely because more than half of Uruguay's trade is conducted with its partners in Mercosur (the Southern Cone Common Market).
(*CIA World Factbook)
The boat people were perfectly acceptible 'collateral losses', given the wondrous benefits of the Vietnamese revolution:
*Economy-overview: Vietnam is a poor, densely populated country that has had to recover from the ravages of war, the loss of financial support from the old Soviet Bloc, and the rigidities of a centrally planned economy. Substantial progress has been achieved over the past 10 years in moving forward from an extremely low starting point, though the regional downturn is now limiting that progress. GDP growth of 8.5% in 1997 fell to 4% in 1998. These numbers masked some major difficulties that are emerging in economic performance. Many domestic industries, including coal, cement, steel, and paper, have reported large stockpiles of inventory and tough competition from more efficient foreign producers, giving Vietnam a trade deficit of $3.3 billion in 1997. While disbursements of aid and foreign direct investment have risen, they are not large enough to finance the rapid increase in imports; and it is widely believed that Vietnam may be using short-term trade credits to bridge the gap-a risky strategy that could result in a foreign exchange crunch. Meanwhile, Vietnamese authorities continue to move slowly toward implementing the structural reforms needed to revitalize the economy and produce more competitive, export-driven industries. Privatization of state enterprises remains bogged down in political controversy, while the country's dynamic private sector is denied both financing and access to markets. Reform of the banking sector is proceeding slowly, raising concerns that the country will be unable to tap sufficient domestic savings to maintain current high levels of growth. Administrative and legal barriers are also causing costly delays for foreign investors and are raising similar doubts about Vietnam's ability to maintain the inflow of foreign capital. Ideological bias in favor of state intervention and control of the economy is slowing progress toward a more liberalized investment environment.
(*ibid.)
A shame to have to give up on you, Nick. You were one of the best of them.
"Doc" Cruel
P.S.: Capitalism ends racism. The "Civil Rights" movement merely attempted to capitalize aon an already existing phenomenon. Didn't Marx predict that, after all? From The Communist Manifesto: Differences of age and sex have no longer any distinctive social validity for the working class. All are instruments of labor, more or less expensive to use, according to their age and sex. Can't you see that applying to race and ethnicity as well?
The increased value of skilled minority labor (the product of military service, and the education to be had from a G.I. Bill funded institution), and the corresponding increase in buying power that the marketing of these skills represented, made the rise of status inevitable. That it happened with violence resulted mainly from the resistance of racist extremists and the provocation of communist agitators; the most effective activists, like Dr. King and President Kennedy, needed only to preach peace and restraint in the face of an inevitable change. Capitalism would tolerate no less - the resulting competition for skill and talent has driven the salaries of a lucky few into the millions, whilst leaving the mass about where they were before. The rise in technological development fostered by capitalism, of course, has risen all Americans higher proportionally, but that is another dynamic entirely.
What passes for 'ethnic activism' in what remains of Yugoslavia is another matter entirely. Outside of capitalist paradigms, these sorts of 'movements' get rather messy ...
