Now that there is discussion of censoring of information, I offer the following

[olelion]

Spotting the Losers: Seven Signs of Non-Competitive States: Nations and groups that will not be successful economically or diplomatically all share at least some of the following characteristics:

Restrictions on the free flow of information (bold and italics added by me)

Subjugation of women

Inability to accept responsibility for individual or collective failure

The extended family or clan as the basic unit of social organization

Domination by a restrictive religion

A low valuation of education

Low prestige assigned to work

 

[roswelllion]

Spotting the Losers: Seven Signs of Non-Competitive States: Nations and groups that will not be successful economically or diplomatically all share at least some of the following characteristics:

Restrictions on the free flow of information (bold and italics added by me)

Subjugation of women

Inability to accept responsibility for individual or collective failure

The extended family or clan as the basic unit of social organization

Domination by a restrictive religion

A low valuation of education

Low prestige assigned to work

Well you have some interesting points. However almost are subject to interpretation. Define "low valuation of education"

 

[olelion]

Well you have some interesting points. However almost are subject to interpretation. Define "low valuation of education"

"Any society that starves education is a loser. Cultures that do not see inherent value in education are losers. This is even true for some of our own sub-cultures--groups for whom education has little appeal as means or end--and it is true for parts of Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Arab world. A culture that cannot produce a single worldclass university is not going to conquer the world in any sphere............America's universities are triumphant. Once beyond the silly debates (or monologues) in the Liberal Arts faculties, our knowledge industry has no precedent or peer. Even Europe's most famous universities, on the Rhine or the Seine, are rotting and overcrowded. We attract the best faculty, the best researchers, and the best student minds from the entire world. This is not a trend subject to reversal; rather, it is self-reinforcing"

Source: The U.S. Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

 

[Pardlion]

How about open borders and massive inflation?

 

[roswelllion]

"Any society that starves education is a loser. Cultures that do not see inherent value in education are losers. This is even true for some of our own sub-cultures--groups for whom education has little appeal as means or end--and it is true for parts of Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Arab world. A culture that cannot produce a single worldclass university is not going to conquer the world in any sphere............America's universities are triumphant. Once beyond the silly debates (or monologues) in the Liberal Arts faculties, our knowledge industry has no precedent or peer. Even Europe's most famous universities, on the Rhine or the Seine, are rotting and overcrowded. We attract the best faculty, the best researchers, and the best student minds from the entire world. This is not a trend subject to reversal; rather, it is self-reinforcing"

Source: The U.S. Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

I am not doubting the value of a good education, i am questioning how do we measure failing schools.

$$ per student - nope we have some of if not the highest spending per pupil in the world
Test scores - apparently not. We now hear from the head of the largest teachers union in the country.
standardized testing is - inherently biased toward whites, inaccurate and leads to "teaching to the test"

My point was simply even if we all agreed on the OP's critical elements we would debate forever what criteria we should use to measure it.

Let's look at another - "The free flow of information" My freedom of speech is your mis information. While i think Facebook and Twitter and others. do a great deal of censorship they would and do hide behind the mantle of preventing mis information.

 

[The Spin Meister]

Spotting the Losers: Seven Signs of Non-Competitive States: Nations and groups that will not be successful economically or diplomatically all share at least some of the following characteristics:

Restrictions on the free flow of information (bold and italics added by me)

Subjugation of women

Inability to accept responsibility for individual or collective failure

The extended family or clan as the basic unit of social organization

Domination by a restrictive religion

A low valuation of education

Low prestige assigned to work

That list left out one of the most critical components......the right to private property. Look where people own property and where they don’t.

 

[olelion]

I am not doubting the value of a good education, i am questioning how do we measure failing schools.

$$ per student - nope we have some of if not the highest spending per pupil in the world
Test scores - apparently not. We now hear from the head of the largest teachers union in the country.
standardized testing is - inherently biased toward whites, inaccurate and leads to "teaching to the test"

My point was simply even if we all agreed on the OP's critical elements we would debate forever what criteria we should use to measure it.

Let's look at another - "The free flow of information" My freedom of speech is your mis information. While i think Facebook and Twitter and others. do a great deal of censorship they would and do hide behind the mantle of preventing mis information.

the entire discssion can be seen here:

Spotting the Losers: Seven Signs of Non-Competitive States

By Ralph Peters, Published on 02/17/98

press.armywarcollege.edu

 

[Steve G]

Spotting the Losers: Seven Signs of Non-Competitive States: Nations and groups that will not be successful economically or diplomatically all share at least some of the following characteristics:

Restrictions on the free flow of information (bold and italics added by me)

Subjugation of women

Inability to accept responsibility for individual or collective failure

The extended family or clan as the basic unit of social organization

Domination by a restrictive religion

A low valuation of education

Low prestige assigned to work

sounds like the current Republican Party..........

 

[DJ Spanky]

sounds like the Biden Administration..........

FIFY

 

[royboy]

FWIW, Ralph Peters is a 1976 PSU grad who enlisted in the Army and later retired as a Lieutenant Colonel.

He's bounced around some politically -- strongly supported Iraq war, wanted to pull out of Afghanistan more than a decade ago, worked as a Fox commentator, then became anti-Fox and a Trump hater.

Outspoken on many issues. Productive writer of historical fiction and essays on military.

 

[roswelllion]

FWIW, Ralph Peters is a 1976 PSU grad who enlisted in the Army and later retired as a Lieutenant Colonel.

He's bounced around some politically -- strongly supported Iraq war, wanted to pull out of Afghanistan more than a decade ago, worked as a Fox commentator, then became anti-Fox and a Trump hater.

Outspoken on many issues. Productive writer of historical fiction and essays on military.

sounds like a "deep state " R.
For Iraq
Against Afghan - [Obama's war]
Pro Fox
Then anti Trump [who was against all military expansion]
By default then against Fox

 

[Dzapper]

FIFY

Exactly! I thought of multiple examples for each item listed.

 

[The Spin Meister]

sounds like the current Republican Party..........

Geesh, you’re getting as bad as Jersey boy or catch at trolling stupid stuff.