Just wanted to clear up what I meant when I used the term “shared history.” I was referring of course to participating in the same historical events. I agree wholeheartedly that sharing history does not mean sharing an identity. As you rightfully suggest, the Turkish and Greek cultures are not the same, even though occasionally they may intersect as in the case of musical traditions but they are fundamentally very different, one solidly European and the other not.

I’ll try to chose my words more carefully in the future. As always I appreciate your insights.

Thanks a lot,

Alex

To answer the question asked before, if economic growth depends on the form of government, the answer would be negative. If economic growth, or any other aspect of society, do not solely depend on a particular form of government, such government can however help or, on the contrary, hinder certain things from happening. The capitalistic economy is in many respects the continuation of the earlier mercantilist policy supported by the Western European monarchies competing with each other for supremacy, yet unable to completely achieve it. The capitalist economy eventually outgrew the state and even outgrew economy itself to become an entity of its own, but the European states originally found in it a way to extend their national power at the exense of their rival neighbors, until the entire world became Europe’s chessboard.

It is in this respect that political division helped, but did not usher, in the creation of our current world order–acting as a fuel to mercantilist, and capitalistic growth and destruction. But in order for this to be possible, there had to be in the first place certain other conditions present, as you rightly pointed out, papal tyranny and the loss of faith not the least.