Comments on: The Idle Hands of Potential Predators http://themoderatevoice.com/17979/the-idle-hands-of-potential-predators/ An Internet hub with domestic and international news, analysis, original reporting, and popular features from the left, center, indies, centrists, moderates, and right Mon, 28 May 2012 07:24:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: pacatrue http://themoderatevoice.com/17979/the-idle-hands-of-potential-predators/comment-page-1/#comment-148644 pacatrue Mon, 25 Feb 2008 01:34:03 +0000 http://themoderatevoice.com/politics/foreign-policy/17979/the-idle-hands-of-potential-predators/#comment-148644 I agree entirely with the comments. There are at least two dilemmas to wrestle with, however. Namely, foreign investment is done for two primary reasons: humanitarian/moral responsibility and national security. And yet for the first, one quickly gets into questions of how much one should spend abroad when there are still humanitarian problems at home. For the second reason of secutiry, we typically would invest in places that are a current global risk zone, leading to possible violence against Americans, American allies, or our general interests. However, if you are investing in places to decrease violence, you could end up essentially paying more to areas that assault you and less to areas that do not.<br><br>I don't know what the practical consequences are of this, but those are some thoughts which sprang to mind. I agree entirely with the comments. There are at least two dilemmas to wrestle with, however. Namely, foreign investment is done for two primary reasons: humanitarian/moral responsibility and national security. And yet for the first, one quickly gets into questions of how much one should spend abroad when there are still humanitarian problems at home. For the second reason of secutiry, we typically would invest in places that are a current global risk zone, leading to possible violence against Americans, American allies, or our general interests. However, if you are investing in places to decrease violence, you could end up essentially paying more to areas that assault you and less to areas that do not.

I don't know what the practical consequences are of this, but those are some thoughts which sprang to mind.

]]> By: PaulSilver http://themoderatevoice.com/17979/the-idle-hands-of-potential-predators/comment-page-1/#comment-148643 PaulSilver Sun, 24 Feb 2008 18:07:14 +0000 http://themoderatevoice.com/politics/foreign-policy/17979/the-idle-hands-of-potential-predators/#comment-148643 I agree with your fondness for micro loans.<br>Hopefully progressive governments will become more shrewd about promoting infrastructure improvements on which the growth of the middle class can take hold. I agree with your fondness for micro loans.
Hopefully progressive governments will become more shrewd about promoting infrastructure improvements on which the growth of the middle class can take hold.

]]> By: mikkel http://themoderatevoice.com/17979/the-idle-hands-of-potential-predators/comment-page-1/#comment-148642 mikkel Sun, 24 Feb 2008 16:40:57 +0000 http://themoderatevoice.com/politics/foreign-policy/17979/the-idle-hands-of-potential-predators/#comment-148642 While this is true the article was disappointingly simple. The answer is not just "foreign investment" but "foreign investment that builds up the local economy." Many of the Gulf states have a labor force that is almost entirely foreign and get paid a pittance while their local populace paid off to not revolt. Investment or "free trade" that just consists of outside companies enriching the top 5% of the country and taking all the profits out of the country is counterproductive.<br><br>Investment in foreign countries needs to be done in a way that helps create a middle class and local economic entities that can eventually be self sustaining. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to argue that a microfinance institution like Kiva has done "more" through $30 million of targeted loans than a $10 billion oil project in Saudi Arabia. While this is true the article was disappointingly simple. The answer is not just “foreign investment” but “foreign investment that builds up the local economy.” Many of the Gulf states have a labor force that is almost entirely foreign and get paid a pittance while their local populace paid off to not revolt. Investment or “free trade” that just consists of outside companies enriching the top 5% of the country and taking all the profits out of the country is counterproductive.

Investment in foreign countries needs to be done in a way that helps create a middle class and local economic entities that can eventually be self sustaining. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to argue that a microfinance institution like Kiva has done “more” through $30 million of targeted loans than a $10 billion oil project in Saudi Arabia.

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