I'm curious if there is any such effect in the muslim world as well. Given that muslim culture esteems sons over daughters, it would seem to follow that similar things would be happening among muslim populations. I've heard about the Indian and Chinese issues before, but never any indication of the same among the muslim world.

I wonder why? Is the technology simply not availalbe there or is there a consensus against its use?

In the long term, will this lead to a demographic collapse in China and India of the same type as Europe?

One solution that I think is likely to arise will be something like the "mail-order-brides" of the past. Given that China and India will have higher standards of living than many of the surrounding countries, it would be an attractive proposition for many women in the less developed nations. Of course, this would require the men of China and India to get past some of their traditional racist notions about other countries.

It also appears that Adam Smith's "invisible hand" works in population control as well. Is it just coincidence that the two nations with this problem are ones will very large population pressures?

BC:

China doesn't face population pressures but population collapse.

ISLAM (not sure where someone found these #s):

Bahrain 1.3 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Djibouti 1.07 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Jordan 1.1 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Kuwait 1.5 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Oman 1.31 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Qatar 1.93 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Saudi Arabia 1.24 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
UAE 1.51 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Boy, you can just about book your seats to the war now, can't you.

Thanks!
I assume that that's the birth ratios. I wonder how many years this has been going on for? How close is the first imbalanced generation to adulthood?

Is there any sign of Egypt or Libya being similarly skewed?

If this trend carries over to the population that Europe is importing, the implications are unpleasant for any sort or peaceful transition to Eurabia.

David:

And both have nukes! The nuclear winter should nicely compensate for global warming....

With those rates, using immigration to make up for low birth rates is just delaying the inevitable. Worse, you lose your culture in the process. Which would seem to make the Japanese response-- robots instead of gai-jin-- sensible. At least until the robots get religion.

The real solution, of course, is for the governments of these countries to actively promote homosexuality for their masses.

Raoul:

What culture?

>The real solution, of course, is for the
>governments of these countries to actively
>promote homosexuality for their masses.

If your culture up to that point disapproved of homosexuality, wouldn't doing this cause you to lose your culture?

David: Since they've had a few good wars before, one hopes it's just between India and China, and not between China and us.

They weren't doing all that great under the old system either.

Being forced to have an abortion isn't the same as having "reproductive rights", it's the exact opposite !

If women weren't oppressed in China and India, then this problem wouldn't exist, since there'd be no reason to favor male children.

Chris:

Good thing America's nearly got that missile defense laser on-line.

Abortion is OK as long as it is defined as reproductive right?

The state coerces abortion with the "general welfare" in mind. If it is permitted, even encouraged, individually, on what basis would it be improper for representatives of the "general will" to impose it on all?

Tom:

Are you then of the opinion that ALL actions which are permitted for the individual should be made mandatory ?

Michael-

No. As the state assumes more and more control over the actions of free people under the spell of materialism it would seem wholly natural for things like abortion to evolve eventually into mandatory requirements under the guise of social planning. Some radical feminists have said as much. When the classically liberal view regarding the proper role of the state is adhered to as well as the idea of encouraging a "virtuous" republican attitude among the citizenry and the traditional view regarding life, the contoversy regarding abortion created through Roe v Wade would not exist.

China is an example of top down statism taken to it's logical extreme. The state is the ultimate authority dependant only on who holds the power. The US has been moving along the political continuum in that direction with occasional fits and starts for decades. Federal mandates which exist today could not have been imagined by earlier Americans.