Sam Ash on the decline

[Pilgrim]

(Dave, you can nuke this if it 's taking us down the wrong road...)

I wish it were simple. IMO the problem in most of those South American countries is the political leaders oppressing the citizens, or crime cartels that are out of control. There is indeed money in all of these countries, but their own governments aren't using it to solve their country's problems. That's an old story.

Pouring money into a country to build its economy and opportunity can't solve many problems if it goes into the pockets of a dictator or corrupt government. The alternative would seem to be using US muscle to replace the bad guy with a good buy, but the US has a really lousy record of regime-building; most of its efforts at replacing bad guys with good guys have eventually gone bad when the "good guy" turns into the next dictator.

Maybe we should try pressure from the US along with dangling some financial support? For all I know we're already doing it? I'm neither a diplomat nor a South America expert, so my ideas are nothing more than a SWAG.

[uwe]

It's not just a US/South America issue, it applies to Europe and Africa/Middle East as well.

I guess the conventional wisdom with nation building via foreign military intervention is by now that it very rarely works (and not only if Americans do it). Evolution and the natural decay of no good governments have more lasting results.

Yes, corruption and inefficiencies are huge issues, but they are facts of life. I don't think we have the time for the whole world to become text book democratic and squeaky-clean non-corrupt until we begin equalizing living standards. Plus: Higher standards of living lead to democratization in the long run. Even a place like Saudi Arabia is no longer inert.

[Ken]

Summary: People ruin everything

[uwe]

Yeah, but we're kinda stuck with them!

And I don't know whether the world would really be a better place if dinosaurs had become an intelligent species and ruled it today. OTOH, Jerry the Drac always seemed like a decent guy to get along with.



They're actually working on a remake, it certainly deserves (a good) one.

https://screenrant.com/enemy-mine-remake-confirmation-updates/

It would actually make a good series, there are parts in the original novella left unexplored in the 1985 movie (for budget reasons most likely). Like Jerry's child Zammis returning to the Drac planet, yet failing to assimilate there and getting put away in a Drac mental home until Davidge becomes the first human ambassador to the Drac planet (having before become a wealthy man by having the Dracs' Holy Scriptures translated into various human languages with the aid of priests, Rabbis, Imans and Buddhist monks whereby they become a bestseller), freeing Zammis from the asylum and helping him undergo the necessary rites you need for acceptance in Drac society which is a theocracy.  In this day and age, people should see its message more often/again.