More precious than oil

Notice all the attention the past few years on oil as a key strategic asset in the world economy. But has anyone projected what would happen if the world supply of computers just stopped overnight? I was very surprised to read this statistic:

83% of notebooks sold in 2005 are made in Taiwan

Unlike oil, we keep no inventory of computers. What would happen if a freak event occured in which a conflict in Taiwan destroyed its capacity to produce computers? I wonder if the US would actually defend Taiwan more ferociously than it did Kuwait in 1990-91? Is this Taiwan's insurance policy against being invaded, to be a near-monopoly producer of an essential global economic "raw material"? Can I call this the "Kuwait Strategy" of sovereign self-preservation? Has anybody researched this already? Link: � 83% of notebooks sold in 2005 are made in Taiwan | IT Facts — Your Daily Research Synopsis | ZDNet.com.

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