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A symptom, at most. Mexico and South American countries have very few assassinations, yet all of them are failed states.
by eplanit 5y ago
A symptom, at most. Mexico and South American countries have very few assassinations, yet all of them are failed states.
- dahdum 5y ago>Mexico and South American countries have very few assassinations, yet all of them are failed states. Mexico has had at least 88 political assassinations since last September. https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/30/americas/mexico-political-killings-intl/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/30/americas/mexico-political-kil...
- eplanit 5y agoWow. I stand corrected. Thank you.
- mythrwy 5y agoWhat's the definition of a failed state? I travel to Mexico somewhat frequently and although some things work differently then in the U.S by and large everything works. The power is on, the roads are decent, there are a very large number of fully stocked stores (including chains you would see in the U.S like Walmart and Home Depot). Is it corruption and crime? Well by that definition many areas of the U.S are failed states. Or is it just politicians getting killed that makes a failed state?
- bluGill 5y agoIT is an open question if Mexico will remain like that. They have been reforming, if those reforms stick and continue they are no longer a failed state. There are many who don't want the reforms to stick (it is better for them personally even though it is worse for the country as a whole), if they win the country is still a failed state. Your guess is as good as mine as to what the future will hold.
- nradov 5y agoA failed state is one which has lost an effective monopoly on violence over part of its claimed territory. Stable, functional states have occasional illegal violence but the state security forces are still fundamentally in control. But in Mexico there are large regions under de facto control of organized crime where the official government has been evicted.
- probably_wrong 5y agoWhile I understand why people tend to put all of South America under the same umbrella, saying that all South American countries are failed states is a bit too much. Uruguay in particular is doing really well.
- the_af 5y ago> While I understand why people tend to put all of South America under the same umbrella The only explanation is rampant ignorance. How could one consider that, say, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia are all "under the same umbrella" except by simply failing to pay attention in school? It's like saying that every country in North America is more or less the same.
- eplanit 5y agoYou mean the 2 North American countries? Yes, the U.S. and Canada are similar in that they have functioning economies, and citizenry that is not desperately trying to flee.
- the_af 5y agoI expect more than this kind of ignorance from an HN reader. The US and Canada are not the same just because they both have functioning economies. Even worse, "South American countries" in general don't have their populace "desperately trying to flee". Some might, many don't. The phrase "South American countries", as if Brazil and Argentina for example were a single entity, is so stupid it boggles the mind. Here's my suggestion to you: educate yourself, learn about other countries, and stop making blanket, incorrect and offensive statements.
- eplanit 5y agoI think you can use some enlightenment, as well. You should visit the US/Mexico border to see the "some". Generalizations are never 100% complete (by definition). But so much poverty and corruption, and so much desperate migration, sustained for such a long time (decades) is a picture of overall failure. Mexico has the fewest excuses. It is perfectly positioned in the middle of the earth, with coasts on both the Atlantic and Pacific, and with abundant resources. They could be an economic _powerhouse_, with trade relations with the entire world (thing manufacturing, shipping, ...) if they could get it together (and I hope they do). But, history seems to show that isn't likely for a long time, if ever.
- avaldes 5y agoThat's ignorant bullshit. Venezuela is the only SA country one can call a failed state. The rest is doing well. No first world countries nor the highest HDI but call them failed states it's just stupid.
- eplanit 5y agoThen why are so many migrants crossing Mexico (walking, spending lifes' savings on coyotes, sending children alone, ...) to come to the US?
- netr0ute 5y agoMexico could be worse, but could also be better.
- runawaybottle 5y agoEarning potential is simply better in the US. It’s not just Mexicans that figured it out, but immigrants worldwide did. People with decent lives all over the world fly here and overstay their visas because the earning potential is just greater. The truth behind the ‘all immigrants are desperate’ narrative is most are not desperate, but ambitious, and literally making a business decision.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- guythedudebro 5y agoMexico isn't in South America
- quantumBerry 5y agoAre you proposing that it is possible to travel by land from South America to USA without entering Mexico? Or perhaps the impoverished South Americans are buying yachts and tourist visas to bypass Mexico?
- SyzygistSix 5y ago
- the_af 5y agoNeither Mexico nor "South American countries" (which ones? That sounds like an incorrect blanket generalization) are "failed states".
- qshaman 5y agoMexico is literally run by narcos, and the government can't do anything about it. A failed state? depends on your definition of it, a narco state?, for sure. - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/19/mexico-amlo-el-chapo-son-release https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/19/mexico-amlo-el...
- handrous 5y agoMexico might qualify, in that the de jure government comes nowhere near having 100% de facto control of its territory, and doesn't appear to be on a path to reaching such a point, either.