> > Anton Sherwood wrote:
> > > ... it wasn't by mere chance that Americans
> > > won the wars.
> > > Why didn't Brazil (for example), which had similar
> > > advantages of size and isolation, win them?
>
> Dwayne wrote:
> > Brazil in no way had the industrial base of the US. What a silly
> > example.
>
> Of course it's a silly example. But *why* is it a silly example, i.e.
> why isn't Brazil also an economic powerhouse?
Actually, Brazil has been in an excellent position to leap to great power
status for a long time. They have occasionally had a more powerful navy
than the Soviet Union did at the height of its power. They have an
excellent resource base, and are almost as large in area as the US (bigger
if you don't count Alaska). What has held them back is the aristocratic
plantation system that ruled for so long there (you will note that the
similar system in the Southern US likewise had a similar retardent effect
on industrial development)
-- TANSTAAFL!!! Michael Lorrey ------------------------------------------------------------ mailto:retroman@together.net Inventor of the Lorrey Drive MikeySoft: Graphic Design/Animation/Publishing/Engineering ------------------------------------------------------------ How many fnords did you see before breakfast today?