peripathetic

Mapping the Pentagon's hive-mind
When a state doesn't function like America says it should, it's part of The Gap. So says the ironically named Thomas "P.M." Barnett (my quote marks) who also includes a few helpful maps of the world.

These maps, here and here in PDF, chart which countries of the world are productive, 'Western' and therefore good, and which are underproductive or even (shock, horror) keeping their goods and money to themselves, part of 'The Gap' and therefore bad. No, Barnett is not saying that these countries are necessarily part of the retail chain's sweatshop ethics.

What he is saying, in sum, as far as I can see, is this: We don't understand these countries. They're so different to our own. They have these weapons, but they're different to ours, and we don't understand them, so we don't really want them to have any. And we really can't understand why they won't work with us. I mean, why wouldn't they? Who wants to go against America in today's world?

Answer: Quite a lot of people, really.