One or many?

We read so many glowing descriptions of China's investment and interest in Africa - they're building roads, bridges, buildings, ports; what couldnt be achieved in decades is being done in months. But if you ask people whove been to Africa, theres only one response - Dude, the Chinese so rule the place. They're just ripping it off all the resources, just like what happened to India. Roads and rails to transport raw material out, ports and freight to flood the market with Chinese goods, labor intensive work to serve as employment for the Chinese...its just like a remotely controlled SEZ!

Not that I really care about the debate but statements like China is or India is doing something are a bit sketchy, with all due respect to historians...

In Prey, one of my all-time favorite science fiction books, a cloud of nano particles that are actually independent seem co-ordinated simply because they emanate each other. 

Both are just herd-mentality right? Difference in the degree of externality aside of course...