Quote of the Day: Artificially Constructed Countries to Fall Apart

Syria – like almost all of the countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia – is an artificial construct put together, completely arbitrarily, by politicians in the boardrooms of Europe. In the case of Syria, it was assembled from some of the remnants of the Ottoman Empire by the Europeans after World War I. As in neighboring Lebanon and Iraq, it's got at least a dozen major religious/tribal/ethnic groups that are loyal mainly to themselves. The idea of a Syrian nation is a fantasy. It was inevitable that eventually Syria would fall apart – just as it was and is inevitable for most of the other artificially constructed countries to fall apart. This applies to the EU now as well, for similar reasons.

This is from investing guru and philosopher Doug Casey on Syria and US foreign policies.

I think such unfolding political dynamic fits the global trend towards decentralization. Yet the transition process will hardly be smooth considering that many entrenched power blocs benefit from the current order and will resist giving up on these privileges. However, change is not only inevitable but imminent.