Perhaps I'm just bad at economics, but it always seemed to me that the countries making all the stuff would eventually hold all the power (and I say this as someone working in tech who produces nothing tangible). The fact that it costs exorbitant amounts to construct new buildings, railways, etc. in the U.S. and how our cities almost look antiquated or frozen in time compared to Asian cities shows that we missed a ge…
Does Santa Barbara or NYC really look antiquated compared to Mumbai? Or Da Nang? Or Fukuoka?
Maybe if you're trying to compare Detroit to Shenzhen or Tokyo.