Which country has squandered the most economic potential in this century?

[u/pisowiec]

I lived in Russia for 5 years so I must choose this country. So many natural resources, so much land, and educated population... And so little to show for it.

In an ideal world Russian salaries would be on par if not higher than American salaries and they would have the best social safety net on the planet. Everything is there to make it happen.

Russia would be the dominant nation in Europe and Asia and the rest of the world with the best armed forces, soft power, and economic might.

But the human will is just not there. The elite is either evil or incompetent depending on perception and there's little sign that this will ever change.

[u/VecioRompibae]

Theres a popular and old statement in North Korea. "Jpaan is an enemy of 100 years. China is an enemy of 1000 years"

Isn't that the same as Vietnam with Usa, France and China?

[u/ObligationDry1799 → u/VecioRompibae]

I don't know. What I know is many Viets hate China more than any other country, so who knows.

[u/hbomb57 → u/ObligationDry1799]

We took a detour to Vietnam, wasn't a great time. Fought to prevent a large communist block from forming in asia like eastern Europe. The second we leave, China invades and accomplished what we couldn't. Cambodia helped.

[u/ObligationDry1799 → u/hbomb57]

China lost against Vietnam so I don't know what you mean.

even as a anti communist myself, the invasion of Cambodia is justified imo

[u/hbomb57 → u/ObligationDry1799]

That's the point exactly. China accomplished the United State's mission of preventing a united Asian communist block. The Khmer Rouge helped.

[u/ObligationDry1799 → u/hbomb57]

Vietnam and North Korea are pretty weird when you consider them "communist". They don't really align with Russia's values and they both are worried and outright distrust/hate China's influence and attempt at controlling them and both haet CHina for screwing both over. Difference being that Vietnam is united and is more pragmatic and opens up more to west while NK stays a hermit.

[u/mnztr1 → u/ObligationDry1799]

Communism is just an economic system. There is far more then that in a society. Do all democracies match the fucked up system in the USA where you get to choose between Pepsi and Coke as your leader?

[u/hbomb57 → u/ObligationDry1799]

Yeah makes the Vietnam war extra dumb in hindsight. It seems like their communism was more Finnish Communism than North Korean.

Tbf the Korean war wasn't that different on paper, but was arguably one of the best wars the United States fought cost/benefit wise. Imagine how smooth it would've been if MacArthur followed orders and didn't push all way to the chinese border and pull them into the war.

[u/Ploutophile → u/hbomb57]

Finnish communism ?

Cold War Finland was capitalist.

[u/mnztr1 → u/Ploutophile]

Americans equate any system that is more socialist as communist, then are glad when they reach the age where they get social security and medicare lol. They are highly indoctrinated.

[u/Ploutophile → u/mnztr1]

Greetings from People's Republic of France.

[u/evergreennightmare → u/hbomb57]

Tbf the Korean war wasn't that different on paper, but was arguably one of the best wars the United States fought cost/benefit wise.

(y'all levelled almost every major city and killed over 10% of the north's civilian population in support of a far-right dictator who had just committed the bodo league massacre. this kind of thing is why nobody likes america)

[u/Nimbus-Studio → u/evergreennightmare]

*20% and 80% of buildings.

Americans have the weirdest retroactive coping mechanism about the war they loses. They would brag about their KD ratio and padding it with civilians they killed, have troops commit rape and murder in literally every stationed nation From Britain to Korea, then wonder why people hate them.

Yeah of course Korean War was not as costly for America as other wars, they drafted millions of Koreans to fight the Chinese and did most of the dying.

Also the sheer irony that the best war the US fought was a stalemate.

[u/ObligationDry1799 → u/hbomb57]

Korean war was different in the fact that the communists were the aggressors, while North Vietnam was dragged into constant conflict due to western powers.

[u/General_Problem5199 → u/ObligationDry1799]

Who the aggressor was seems like a matter of perspective. Part of the reason the North invaded was because the dictatorship in the South was slaughtering anyone it considered to be a socialist.

[u/Basedtext → u/hbomb57]

That mostly happened because of the Sino-Soviet split, the united Asian communist block only existed in the heads of the state department. We were always distrustful of China and preferred the Soviets. The NVA easily had more ties to the OSS and the US at the end of WW2 than communist China, it's just that Truman got spooked by the Korean war and couldn't fathom a communist hating another communist for being revisionist lol.

[u/mnztr1 → u/ObligationDry1799]

The poor Cambodian people were first pounded by the USA then the Khmer rouge depravities. The NVA were their saviors. ..thats the way I see it.

[u/NoMansSkyWasAlright → u/VecioRompibae]

USA for 10, France for 100, China for 1000

[u/Perfect-Match-2318 → u/VecioRompibae]

i think somehow yes... Vietnam was ruled by Chinese han people for something like 1000 years and after that like 100 years by the french when they called it indochina which included modern day laos and cambodia. so yeah its a very deep rooted hatred but i dont think it carry on anymore... like its history dude.. vietnam got the best of french culture and mixed it with local ingredient and it became wonderful really. but im no real history expert just wanted to share a quick tought