Infant mortality, and mortality from infectious diseases, had always been higher in Russia than in the West, but they had usually been decreasing and, very gradually, converging towards the levels of developed Western countries.

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However, given the proliferation of computers, at least in developed Western countries, the researchers speculated that it would be challenging for other studies to produce similar results.

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Entrepreneurs in developed countries like the United States and Western Europe typically start with a brilliant idea.

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The real question, it seems, is whether that backlash is going to begin in the rich, developed countries of North America and Western Europe.

ECONOMIST: The real losers

Russian mortality is still quite high compared to developed Western countries, but is significantly lower than it was in the very recent past.

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As for the western states' mineral and farm exports, they will surely grow over time as less developed Asian countries such as China, Vietnam and Indonesia increasingly industrialise and switch to more meat and grain in their diets.

ECONOMIST: The West: Shudders from Asia | The