Chapter 130 Financial crisis narrows the gap between 'winners' and 'losers'

What I want to say in this chapter is that we Japanese must face the changes in the world more frankly and humbly. In Chapter 8, I said "Don't depend on the country, but be self-reliant!" For this reason, we must question what we have considered common sense until now, and learn from the world frankly and humbly. During the Meiji period, those who founded the country were young.The government was afraid of being annexed by Western European powers, humbly learned from the world, and finally mustered up the courage to implement reforms. attitude decides everything. Therefore, I hope that everyone can clearly see the general trend of globalization and consider national reforms from the standpoint of the country.Before that, please think about the following questions with me.

The answer is simple - to become the loser of the global economy in the 21st century.If Japan continues to allow this "low IQ society", it will only be a matter of time before it becomes a "loser". So what does a country with a high collective IQ look like? Now that the whole world is in financial crisis, the superiority of countries with high collective IQs has almost disappeared.That is to say, the positions of "winner" and "loser" are highly likely to be changed.I think it is necessary for us to see clearly which countries will be able to exert their collective IQ and become the new "winners" in the next few years.

The countries mentioned so far in this book are Singapore, Germany, the United Kingdom, and a few others. In my opinion, Dubai in the UAE, Ireland, Slovenia, Finland, Denmark, etc. all have high collective IQs and are candidates for the "winner".Among them, Singapore and Dubai are the results of the reluctant creation of the rulers. They may be somewhat controversial, and it doesn't matter if they are removed. The remaining countries are worth learning from Japan. Among the winners of the 21st century, small and medium-sized countries stand out.I think this is because the country is small, so it is easy to manage, quick to move, and able to respond quickly to drastic changes in the world.Moreover, such a country generally has a high IQ, and the leader is leading the people.Conversely, the citizens and leaders of these countries are aware that small countries are more vulnerable to globalization, so if countermeasures are not found in time, the consequences will be disastrous.

In 2007, the per capita GDP ranked fourth in the world, and Iceland, a small country that should be fully sure to become a "winner", was once in trouble due to the financial crisis and the economy went bankrupt quickly. typical example of . Which other countries are among the losers? I would like to mention Romania and Ukraine first.Although these two countries were once top students among Eastern European countries, they have lost their former glory now.After the end of the Cold War, despite the continuous development of economic globalization, the economic situation of these two countries has not improved.

Romania is a country where every citizen has a high IQ, and Ukraine has a high IQ as well.For example, in the field of science and technology, when it comes to the country that can conduct metal research and development at the lowest cost, of course it is Romania, and in terms of steel, it is Ukraine.Japanese companies also set up research institutes in Romania. However, Romania's economic situation is very miserable now, even losing to neighboring Bulgaria.Over the years, about 2 million people have immigrated from Romania to seek employment abroad.Elites keep leaving the country, domestic inflation continues, and people's living standards continue to decline.This state has continued since 1989 until now. Although the economy has grown, the consumer price index has risen by more than 10% every year, and people's lives are not rich at all.Although it became a member of the European Union in January 2007, the influx of investors from overseas caused the price of land to rise sharply, and people's lives became more difficult.

So is Ukraine.Since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, although it has adopted a policy of liberalization and privatization, due to the stubborn resistance of conservatives, the reform has been interrupted, and the GDP has continued to decline. In the 10 years after independence, the decline rate was as high as 40%. hyperinflation. Around 2000, Ukraine's economy finally began to grow, but unemployment remained high, and mining production did not reach 1990 levels until 2006. In the past, Ukraine was a country with nuclear weapons and a country with a well-developed mining industry. Its steel production ranks among the top ten producers in the world.In addition, the school's education level is also very high, among the best in the Soviet Federation.Moreover, there is also the world's largest black soil belt in the country, which is considered to be the most suitable place for the development of agriculture in the world, so Ukraine is also known for its abundant grains.

However, after the end of the Cold War, Ukraine did not adapt to international changes at all, and the country was ruled by the Kuchma regime.In every election, Yanukovych, who is close to Russia, usually wins, or Yushchenko (and Tymoshenko) on the EU side, or everyone tries to make peace, this kind of turbulent situation is a little bit There is no sign of subsiding.Afterwards, everyone felt that Yushchenko might do something big, but he had no leadership at all, and the turmoil still did not subside. In 2005, I visited Ukraine for the first time, and then again in the second year. I wanted to buy a piece of land in the black soil belt.However, due to the political turmoil there, the idea of ​​buying land was put on hold for the time being.

The reason why I listed these two countries as "losers" first is that they are exactly the same as Japan. In other words, before 1990, Japan was also a top student, although it was not in the same camp as the above two countries.After the start of globalization, instead of developing, Japan gradually declined, and the country is still in chaos until now.Moreover, this recession shows no sign of stopping at all, and the country has little vision for the future.How about it?Is this "failed image" very similar to Japan?

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