Quote from achilles28:
... Otherwise the cultural change (MORALS) indispensable to lawful, free societies never materialize. ....
I think that this is an important point. Rule-of-law is an important reason why businesses have grown in the US and an important reason why so much wealth resides here.
Capitalism knows nothing of morals, ethics, dignity, or often, even of tomorrow. I know that people think that the free markets self-interest is still played on a common board game. There is no real international law (China was reported to have a total of approximately 300 license of Windows for the whole country.) The press are facing unprecedented intimidation (see Mexican PCB recycling practices.) For examples of short-sightedness look at Vietnamese workplace safety record.
Of course, China and India look like they are only shitty to their own. They wouldn't think of nationalizing anything. Why would they want to do that? We just keep sending our technology, our jobs, our business connections, and our money. They keep lending us money and selling us shares in their wonderful companies. What could go wrong there?
Is the August 1998 Russian ruble fiasco really such distant, unrelated history. How about the Asian currency crises in July 1997.
We are trusting people who have no respect for us (regardless of whether they should.) Our companies trust their foreign partners; because, it serves management's short-term interests.
If the Chinese decide to use our nationalize our companies (having been reassembled over there) and use our debt to extract political control over the largest military in the world, how does the Adam Smith grade-school economics make that sound the best for all?