Via avocadia, the efficiencies of social organisation: "From 1100 onwards, Europe enjoyed an efficient urban system with positive feedbacks between cities (based much more on sea and river trade) in spite of the fact that it remained politically fragmented. In the Arab world, by contrast, the neighbourhood effects disappeared. There the break up of the Abbasid Caliphate was eventually followed by a new empire, the Ottoman Empire. To some extent, this took over the role of its predecessor - but without restoring the efficient system for economic exchange that was present during the Golden Age of Islam." (reply)
The European Tribune has an
interesting article
on what Europe would look like if all the secessionists in the European Union were given their way.
(more)
