United States Compared To The Netherlands

A Comparison between the United States and the Netherlands:
Economy and Government

The United States of America and the Netherlands are the two countries that I have decided to look at for the final term paper.   After spending some time thinking and debating back and forth, I came to the conclusion that it would be the Netherlands.   One reason for this is the fact that my sister spent 3 years living in Amsterdam.   Also, my great uncle fought in the Vietnam War where he told me a story of a young kid who was a Dutch soldier giving his life to save that of an American.   As I learned, the Netherlands and the United States have one of the oldest continuous relationships and dates back to the American Revolution.   These strong ties are due to close historical and cultural ties, as well as a commitment to individual freedom and human rights.   Both countries will often have similar opinions on issues and work both bilaterally and multilaterally in institutions such as the United Nations and NATO.   And finally, these two countries have fought for freedom side by side dating back to the Korean War, and continue to work with the United States in the war on terror.
      The first sectors I want to compare are the economies of both countries.   Let me first start with the United States which we know is a capitalist mixed economy.   An economy that is fueled by an abundance of natural resources, well developed infrastructure, and high productivity.   According to the International Monetary Fund, the United States GDP of $14.3 trillion constitutes 23% of the gross world product at market exchange rates.   The largest national GDP in the world it was about $4% less than that of the combined countries that form the European Union.   The United States is the largest importer of goods and the third largest exporter, though the exports per capita were very low.   Canada, China, Mexico, Germany, and Japan are our top trading partners. The leading export commodity is electrical...