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03-23-2007, 04:51 AM | #1 (permalink) | |||
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Location: Germany
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The main source of the problems with countries like Iran, Iraq, or Afghanistan
Please excuse my bad english skills, but I'm working on it ^^. What I want to flesh out at this point is thy youth bulge hypothesis.
But first I start with a citation from John Maynard Keynes from his great work "THE ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF PEACE" (first published in 1920): Quote:
My conclusion is: what the USA tried in Vietnam or Iraq was nearly impossibile to realize, because both states had a enormus increase in population. A few examples: population Iraq (2003): 24 millions thereof <15 years old: 41% = 10 millions population Afghanistan (2003): 27.8 millions thereof <15 years old: 42% = 11.6 millions population Iran (2003): 67 millions thereof <15 years old: 32% = 21 millions population China (2003): 1285 millions thereof <15 years old: 24% = 310 millions population USA (2003): 285 millions thereof <15 years old: 21% = 59 millions Ok, everybody knows today, that the Bush administration made so many avoidable mistakes, but even if a well designed plan for the democratization of the Iraq had existed, I think it had be a very difficult and dangerous way to democratize Iraq, because a country with a very high increase in population has a tendency to radicalize itself. the best example is the democracy of Iran. The problem ist not the enourmus increase in growth of a puplation; the problem is the high percentage of young men without a perspective. If the population of a country has a high increase, it is very difficult to provide all the new young men with jobs and a perspective. The population of the Iraq doubled in the last fifty years more than two times! In 1950 the Iraq had 5 million inhabitants, in 1980 13 millions and in 1991 19 millions. Today 25 millions! That is an annual increase of: 5mio*(1 + p/100)^56years = 0 p = ca. 2.916% proof: 5mio*1.02916^56 years = 25 mio I think that are dramatic numbers and if you now look at the unemployment rate of the iraq, which is today at ~ 28% and if you also take the high percantage of young men into account you understand the demographic boiling pot of Iraq. The demographic situation in Afghanistan is similar to that of Iraq. But now the youth bulge hypothesis: Quote:
Quote:
If you want to know more about the youth bulge hypothesis, so read the following study: "The Devil in the Demographics: The Effect of Youth Bulges on Domestic Armed Conflict, 1950-2000" Link: http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet.../PDF/29740.pdf I hope I could establish a lively discussion about the international strategy of the USA and Europe for the next decades. EDIT my calculation was wrong... now it is correct Sources: Heinsohn: Söhne und Weltmacht Spiegel Online, Länderlexikon Keynes: THE ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF PEACE Urdal: The Devil in the Demographics: The Effect of Youth Bulges on Domestic Armed Conflict, 1950-2000
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03-23-2007, 05:10 AM | #2 (permalink) |
Human
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Location: Chicago
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Very interesting thoughts here. I hope I can find the time to look into some of your links with more depth in the near future.
For now, I'll just say that I think there may be something to this. One need only look at America's own history and the effects the baby boomer generation had on culture (and, more precisely, counter-culture) during their youth years.
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afghanistan, countries, iran, iraq, main, problems, source |
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