Despite this past week, the year 2008, in general, has been an excellent one for developing nations. China, Brazil, Russia, India and other historically troubled economies continue to enjoy burgeoning middle and upper classes that are spending money on purchases they could not afford in the past.
In contrast, this has not been a good year for developed nations. The United States, and now every country tied to America's radioactive financial service industry, is suffering because deluded borrowers and irresponsible lenders were circulating money they never actually had.