But Uruguay was not big enough to have built up protected industries that would wither when they faced real competition.

ECONOMIST: Watch it, that��s us you��re trampling on

New movements hoping to inject life into politics and public discourse have sprung up in the past year, only to wither within months.

ECONOMIST: Charlemagne

We can either build up and deter war, or we can allow our forces to wither and risk conflict.

CNN: Thompson's November 13, 2007, speech to The Citadel

Meanwhile, entrepreneurial vigour has sprung up around the moribund state sector, which can be left to wither on the vine or be cut back gradually by China's enlightened leaders.

ECONOMIST: The real leap forward