Somali pirates, whose oceanic depredations deter investment and trade on dry land, have been much less successful in the past year, thanks mainly to more effective protection of shipping convoys.

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It takes little more than a nod to get me started on free trade, land use controls, patent policy, employment discrimination laws, public unions, drug regulation and tort reform.

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The Bosnian government wanted to keep the land as an outlet to trade on the Drina River.

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Another idea Couper suggests: Set out on vacation and try plying your trade where you land.

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Saudis love to trade tales of royals muscling in on profitable businesses, appropriating land or flogging their grace-and-favour tickets on the national airline.

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Strategically located on major trade routes, it was easy to reach by land and water, and endowed with high quality wood, steel tools and a variety of skilled labour.

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And those who enter the NFL Promised Land stay only a few years on average without a real trade for the majority of their working lives.

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