Re: CHAT: The [+foreign] attribute

Thomas Wier wrote:
>
>Quoting Andreas Johansson <and_yo@...>:
>
>  > Thomas Wier wrote:
>  > > > > What makes the US so powerful is that it is not only very
>wealthy,
>  > > > > it is wealthy with such a large population.
>  > > >
>  > > > IMHO the only reason the US are so powerful. It is after all the
>  > > > most populous country of the First World.
>  > >
>  > >I'm not sure you understand what those two facts actually mean.
>  > >Great wealth means nothing more than having access to a large amount
>  > >of material resources, and great population means having access to
>  > >a large amount of human resources (ideas, skills, beliefs, etc. in
>  > >addition to raw muscle power). "Power" for our purposes is defined
>  > >as the ability to marshall material and human resources toward a
>  > >particular goal.  So, when you say that the "only" reason is these
>  > >two facts, you are speaking tautologously.
>  >
>  > You've lost me here, I'm afraid. Since when does the possession of
>large
>  > resources, human or material, necessarily confer the ability to
>marshall
>  > such resources towards a particular goal?
>
>  I was considering the institutional apparatus, de jure or de facto,
>necessary
>  to marshall said resources part of human resources.  Perhaps it might
>  better to isolate that as a third criterion.
Now you are making sense. And yes, I definitely think the institutional
apparatus should be isolated as a separate factor.

>  (By institution, I mean
>  guidelines for acting in a given circumstance and individuals assigned
>  for that purpose that are *seen* as legitimate across a given society.
>  The US is by and large seen to be acting legitimately in a way that
>  the EU, even with its Parliament, is not.)
>
>  > F'rinstance, the EU has a greater population than the US, and, IIRC, a
>  > similar-sized economy.
>
>  Well, the EU has about 75 million greater population, but has an
>  economy about $1.5 trillion smaller: US's $9.963 trillion to the EU's
>  $8.478 trillion.
Ok, thanks.

                                                 Andreas


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