Norway's Economic Success

There's an interesting article in the NYT today. This sentence just about sums it all up:

Norway is a relatively small country with a largely homogeneous population of 4.6 million and the advantages of being a major oil exporter.

The Norwegians have been great managers of their wealth, and I do not wish to take away from their hard work, but their success has much to do with factors essentially outside their control. Norway's homogeneity minimizes the effects of ethnic or religious conflict, while its small population allows for much better management. In addition, it is fortunate because:

1) It is located in a region that has not seen strife in decades.

2) Its relative isolation from the rest of the world, or rather, its relative independence, is something inconceivable for larger countries such as the US. Look at Japan, which is culturally isolationist but whose economic stature nevertheless forces it to engage with the rest of the world more aggressively.

3) It has benefited from the enormous economies of America, Europe, and Asia. Norway, with its moderately sized economy, has much more room to maneuver within the global economy, even in depressed times. Where can America turn to, when its own economy accounts for a quarter of the world's and is in tatters?