Civilisation goes west, leaving empire on the edge of ruin

The brilliant Niall Ferguson on various things, including my own pet project: Australia's sovereign wealth fund.

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/civilisation-goes-west-leaving-empire-on-the-edge-of-ruin-20100725-10qeu.html?autostart=1

Thanks to Ben Wa for the tip.