And for a glimpse of what the future could be like, look west to Cornwall.
Just about all of the new list (even, in its agonised way, Russia) strive to look west.
From the relative peace and tranquility of their cities, which are noisy with construction, not bombs, Kurds look west for future investment.
Most Poles still look west with admiration, albeit tinged with economic suspicion.
The new-look West Cumberland Hospital, which will have a new accident and emergency unit, is due to open on the same site in 2013.
Councillor Elaine Woodburn wants an urgent meeting with the government to discuss whether there may still be a way of continuing to look at West Cumbria as a potential site for an underground store.
It is best that the West look at the Third World from the Third World perspective.
"Even now a lot of people just look to the West, " Tam admits.
Certainly things don't look good in West Papua (formerly known as Irian Jaya, and home to extensive deposits of gold and other minerals).
But as well as deciding whether we look East or West for friends and role models, the year ahead will see Britain question its relationship with itself.
However, the omens do not look good for West Ham if they are still bottom going into the new year with West Brom the only club to ever survive relegation when doing so.
"Tsar Nicholas II said that it's Russia, but not Russian, and what he meant is that this is a city that was intentionally built to embrace and look to the West of Europe, " Reid said.
Countries can suddenly look capable of moving west or slumping back east or south-east.
Third, the assumption that Paris has been displaced as the cultural capital of the world looks even more questionable if we look east rather than west.
West Indies look on course for a first-innings lead after Sarwan and captain Chris Gayle went on to dominate, finishing the second day on 160 for one, a deficit of just 158.
It has long been assumed that as China's market evolved, it would come to look more like the West with the legitimacy of Chinese companies hinging on their own accounts rather than their ties to the government.
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Fifa is to look at the deal after West Ham and United asked them to intervene.
The West should certainly look at introducing reasonable visa rules for Russian businesspeople (Britain's are absurdly tough).
ECONOMIST: Russia and the West: Living with Putin, again | The
Many of the brightest young researchers now prefer to look for jobs in the West or go into business in Poland.
More money and volunteers are needed to help a national charity look after churches in the West Midlands, the Churches Conservation Trust says.
In the company of Emma McCune, misguided though she might have seemed to some, Ms Scroggins takes the reader by the hand into the hot dust of southern Sudan and the politics of the belly, where black meets white, rich meets poor and the fat white paunch of the West gets to look upon starving Africa's distended stomach.
ECONOMIST: Africa is a continent made for��and of��storytellers
When I look at Real Simple or a West Elm catalogue, I feel a twinge of inadequacy.
If you want my wild guess on the next great world civilization, I say don't look East young man, nor West, but rather south to Africa.
If America really wants change, it's time to look for the sun in the West, 'cause it's about to rise and shine from Arizona and Alaska!
The latest gathering of the great and the good will look at the so-called West Lothian question, the right of MPs from the rest of the UK to vote on matters affecting England alone.
Yet, as you look at it, some in the West would believe, you know, what's the attraction of autocracy?
All of which suggests, if we are looking to push the creative needle in the West, perhaps we should look to India for some inspiration.
For a better understanding of the specific fields that underlie this potential, like Rumaila, Majnoon and West Qurna, take a look at our special Forbes.com report on the 10 most important oilfields of the future.
Some highlights include an audio slideshow from NPR's Howard Berkes with stunning landscape images taken by an aerial photographer and an in-depth 50th anniversary look at the development and creation of West Side Story.
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