The country question

[Scientific_potato]

i wouldnt say this is a brain teaser or puzzle but just something to think about and discuss
If you were to pick any 5 Countries to rule the entire world what would they be (feel free to include maps of what the boundaries would look like)
Mine are the nordic countries like Sweden, Finland, Norway, Netherlands, etc

[swansont]

!

Moderator Note

moved to politics

 

[CharonY]

More details needed. Do you mean to say that which political system you want to apply to the rest of the world (i.e. they basically become one nation) or whether each of the individual countries should rule like colonizers.

[StringJunky]

54 minutes ago, CharonY said:

More details needed. Do you mean to say that which political system you want to apply to the rest of the world (i.e. they basically become one nation) or whether each of the individual countries should rule like colonizers.

Mod Note: Denigrating great discoverers with truthful labels that have such negative connotations, are banned forthwith.  

[Scientific_potato]

17 hours ago, swansont said:

!

Moderator Note

moved to politics

 

Thanks, i wasnt  quite sure where to put it.

 

17 hours ago, CharonY said:

More details needed. Do you mean to say that which political system you want to apply to the rest of the world (i.e. they basically become one nation) or whether each of the individual countries should rule like colonizers.

what i mean is if you were to choose any 5 countries today to rule the world (what i mean by that is to suddenly own/govern 1/5 of the entire worlds land) what would they be

[Phi for All]

17 hours ago, CharonY said:

Do you mean to say that which political system you want to apply to the rest of the world (i.e. they basically become one nation)

This is what I'm choosing, since it makes more sense than cultural choices.

I like the French educational system, where everyone is schooled with a public curriculum. Private schools increase class divides. 

I like the German road system. They know potholes cause too much damage to well-made cars, so they don't put up with them.

Actually, most problems I see around the world are because of too much focus on private ownership. The People in a democracy and the State should own certain sectors of the economy, especially wrt infrastructure like roads, ports, and power grids. Some things are more important that they work efficiently and sustainably than that they make a profit for the owners. 

So I'm not sure if making certain countries the leaders of the world will work. We need leadership that decides it's important to put a computer with internet hookup in every household, so everyone has a chance to participate in modern life on the planet at a cost that reasonably reflects such a massive endeavor. 

[TheVat]

2 hours ago, Scientific_potato said:

If you were to choose any 5 countries today to rule the world (what i mean by that is to suddenly own/govern 1/5 of the entire worlds land) what would they be

None, because you've just described colonialism.  Which is terrible.  Government is how societies seek to solve their particular problems on a macro scale.  Swedes, no matter how well-meaning, can't do a decent job in problem solving for people in Bhutan or Congo.  At best, if Sweden had really excellent forestry experts, say, they could offer them as technical consultants.  

There was a time when about five countries were running most of the world. (a few countries like Ethiopia managed to resist, but not many)  Without scrambling for Google, I will say at a guess they were Britain, France, Netherlands, Spain and Portugal.   This didn't turn out too well for most of the globe.

 

[swansont]

33 minutes ago, TheVat said:

 Swedes, no matter how well-meaning, can't do a decent job in problem solving for people in Bhutan or Congo.  At best, if Sweden had really excellent forestry experts, say, they could offer them as technical consultants.

I don’t accept this as true. Any group might not have an inherent feeling for some of the issues of others, but governments do have the capability of solving problems for diverse constituents. They just need to study the problems and have empathy. Some lack the desire or ability to do so, but that’s not universal.

[CharonY]

5 hours ago, Scientific_potato said:

what i mean is if you were to choose any 5 countries today to rule the world (what i mean by that is to suddenly own/govern 1/5 of the entire worlds land) what would they be

That doesn't really answer my question. What does ownership mean in this context. Administering it like a colony or incorporating it into the country? In the latter case the "original" Swedes, for example would be a minority in the resulting country.

The former is a bit problematic. Even with best intentions, a power differential and lack of self-governance will inevitably lead to issues. I mean, can you imagine Danes ruled by Swedes? The bloodshed (and alcohol poisoning) would be unfathomable.

[TheVat]

4 hours ago, swansont said:

I don’t accept this as true. Any group might not have an inherent feeling for some of the issues of others, but governments do have the capability of solving problems for diverse constituents. They just need to study the problems and have empathy. Some lack the desire or ability to do so, but that’s not universal.

I am not sure if it's true, either.  Just saying that geographic and cultural distance has, in most RW instances I'm aware of, meant ruling bodies that fail on empathy and analytical ability to discern that region's needs.  I'm pretty sure I don't want people who think lutfisk is edible to be dictating our school lunch program policies.  OK, joking, but the larger point is that many countries that are notably successful at running their own nations as Sweden is, may only be so due to having small and fairly homogeneous populations.  I am skeptical that the Scandinavians can run Congo - even if they're loads nicer than the Belgians under Leopold.  

E.g. the Swedes might say, hey, everyone needs all your cobalt and copper because electric cars are great and will help save the planet.  The Congolese citizenry, however, might have reasons to limit such production, related to important environmental and quality of life issues for millions of them.   There are thousands of examples, from history, of distant governments that just don't get the local priorities.