Many African governments are keen to attract foreign investment. But its impact hinges on what Albert Hirschman, a postwar economist, called " linkages" .
Much like the study of twins adopted into different households, the postwar division and eventual reunification of Germany could be seen as such an experiment.
During the Depression and the war, Americans had learned to live with less, and that restraint, in combination with the postwar confidence in the future, made small, efficient housing positively stylish.
And now, down those same long marble corridors where Saddam once ruled with an iron grip is the office of al-Abadi, who has been charged with creating a prosperous country out of postwar Iraq.