In the East African Charles Onyango-Obbo writes about an intellectual crisis:
As Africa grows richer, and becomes more interesting to the world, it shall never become powerful or truly rich, if it doesn’t produce the one thing that is more important than the oil and minerals that we are selling to China – intellectuals and specialist institutions of learningMore here
Studying the rest of the world, especially when they are not studying you back with equal zest, gives you a strategic advantage.
You are better to dominate or cajole them; to manipulate their people; to run a better propaganda war against them; you will have deeper knowledge about divisions in their societies and how to exploit them; you will know exactly which official to bribe; and you can almost be sure which of the president’s or prime minister’s mistresses you can recruit to poison his wine when he makes his weekly booty call.