[Torie]

I don't mean to suggest that the Chinese are other than a hard working and determined people. But there are destined to hit a glass ceiling soon without major changes, and it will be far short of even prosperous second world status.

[mercy]

The world wants us to sit back and absorb the next attack ... likely to be exponentially more destructive. Bush's daddie's boys agree. I reackon we will. Maybe we will get serrious next time around. Maybe.

[AIG]

First things first. Authoritarian government to pass economic reforms expeditiously without the trouble of legislative gridlock, developing a majority-middle class population as a result, and then possibly adopting full-fledged democracy later. This pattern happened in Europe in the 18th century and the E. Asian "tigers" in the last 50 years.