Originally Posted by
Sailor
The decision was made really back then and it surely hasn't treated everyone well. Some countries have had better changes to deal with it bit longer but no single nation can handle it ok forever. Just have to live with it, as sad as it sounds.
Large unions have better changes and forces to solve the problems; be it USA, European union, China or India. Single nations get a risk to get blown away like cork in the waves. Of course they have right to try it. And everyone needs to respect their wish.
I believe building walls around your country wont much help either. They tried behind iron curtain. People escaped as soon as they could, some before, even when knowing they would be shot. It was an interesting experiment, made on humans. And while it lasted, the rest of the world had taken gigantic steps forward. I remember the times when people risked their lives, coming with rubber boats and whatever from Russia, Ingria, Estonia. I have so many friends today that once lived behind the curtain.
Walls around your country would work only if you could guarantee the same benefits and pros to your citizen as are getting those who are living outside. If you can't that is a expensive mistake. And all this time, rest of the world goes on. No one is able to pick the cherries from the cake forever either.
As ChrisL said, technical revolution will be next challenge. But that is the way it has always been. We have no more telephone central operators and such. But we have new business that might have been impossible to imagine at the times of those same operators.
Now, if any country would want to get back to phone central operators again, it surely had the right to do so. But the world economy and the reality would be hard and cruel.
Every now and then i read good news on new business. Nowadays there's more work horses than ever since war. And they are really working on lumber and forest industry. They go where engines wont go and work where huge engines break. That is no wheel turning back but using old skills for new business.