> --- Wei Dai <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > The benefits of colonization have decreased relative to the costs. > > But benefits are still greater than costs, which is why there continue to > be colonies, such as Puerto Rico, Chechnia, Tibet, and the West Bank of > Palestine. > > Fred Foldvary >
How are any of those colonies (in the same sense that, say, Africa was colonized in the 1800s)? Puerto Rico votes every decade or so to retain its current status (over statehood or independence). The West Bank is an economic drain on Israel (though perhaps it saves them the cost of a war with hypothetical state that might otherwise occupy it). Does Chechnia produce any economic benefits for Russia, or is retaining control just a 'matter of pride'? Tibet might qualify. What's the definition of a colony?
