They do this on the theory that disregarding short-term profits and pouring billions into long-term projects will pay off eventually. This was the philosophy that allowed Japan to create one of the two fastest railway lines in the world – the Shinkansen. Its only competitor in this field is France’s TGV. The United States, as everyone knows, has a miserable train system known as Amtrak, which hardly anyone uses and is always losing money.
This is the way that hegemonic decline builds on itself. The leading country concentrates on the short-term situation, and overinvests in unfruitful military expenditure. […]
Quelle: Japan, the United States, and the World-Economy
Eine Mahnung an alle Geister der Welt, die immerzu unmittelbar Gewinne ihrer Investitionen sehen möchten. Ich denke besonders an die neue Gotthardröhre, aber auch an Investitionen in die Nutzung erneuerbarer Energieträger …
Andererseits kann man den Irak-Krieg auch als grösstes „long term-project“ der USA sehen, welches längerfristig den Zugang zu billigem Öl sichern soll.
Nun, in 10 Jahren sind wir alle schlauer.
