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Soviet Collapse Echoes in China’s Belt and Road

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Re: Soviet Collapse Echoes in China’s Belt and Road

#3
post #2

Anyone else learn a new meaning to the word "founder"? Thought it was a typo for "flounder" only to learn that it can also mean "to give way, collapse." Stay weird, English.

I think of it as "The ship foundered on the rocks".

Of course I suppose if a fish did the same thing we might have a foundering flounder.

Re: Soviet Collapse Echoes in China’s Belt and Road

#4
Come on, building and rebuilding other country's economies is a boon to the local economy, particularly when that other country is footing the bill. That's literally why the US was on top starting at the end of WWII. Not everything the Soviets were doing in the 70s is the reason for their downfall.

Re: Soviet Collapse Echoes in China’s Belt and Road

#5
The key quote:

>"It’s worth considering all this misdirected spending in the context of the Soviet Union’s decline. Around the middle decades of the 20th century, Moscow presided over a China-style economic miracle that caused many in the West to fear they would be overtaken."

Re: Soviet Collapse Echoes in China’s Belt and Road

#6
China's situation is entirely different.

1: The Asia Pacific is "hitting the knee on the curve" and modernizing its economy. Also, it's the most populous region on earth. It's why economic forecasters call the 2000-2100 period the Asian Century: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Century

2: The Silk and Road Project ranges far outside "economically stagnant" areas. It's adjusted investments according to projected future growth, and also hedged into already modernized economies. It's as much about supply chain and trade routes as it is about direct economic investment. It connects China to Europe.

Re: Soviet Collapse Echoes in China’s Belt and Road

#8
Whether China will come up ahead with Belt and Road is uncertain. What is certain is there's a tremendous infrastructure gap, particularly in Asia. This is a great way to turn the overcapacity in Chinese steel and cement into something useful for the world.

https://blogs.worldbank.org/ppps/forecasting-infrastructure-...

Re: Soviet Collapse Echoes in China’s Belt and Road

#9

Were the West Indies productive before the ports and sugar plantations? Was India productive before its railways were built? Something smells of anti-China propaganda in this highly speculative piece.

"Was India productive before its railways were built?"

Yes.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_history_of_India

Colonization is a terrible thing.

Re: Soviet Collapse Echoes in China’s Belt and Road

#10
post #2

Anyone else learn a new meaning to the word "founder"? Thought it was a typo for "flounder" only to learn that it can also mean "to give way, collapse." Stay weird, English.

"founder" is a fairly gruesome injury to horses' hooves. For most of my life this was the meaning that would have first come to mind. HN has fixed that...
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