Just why is it that certain countries have done better than others? A massive question that potentially brings in very awkward questions over history, power and people. I ask the reader to bear with me as I move into sensitive territory...
Using the example of Latin America, countries, generally speaking, have failed to reach their potential. This can be explained by cronyism, corruption, inefficiency and lack of culture (by which I mean a failure to inculcate a sense of national pride in the average citizen).
One person may argue that all of these problems were passed down by the colonists in the first place: thus the guilt and sin lies with colonising nations. Conquistadors, pirates and merchants of the 16th century did not set sail for the New World to establish just and prosperous societies with efficient state apparatus...they went out to get rich and to hell with the natives. From the beginning the colony was viewed as a means to enrich the metropolis, which in turn looked for increasingly useful ways to maximise financial exploitation of its dominions. Powerful elites installed themselves to run and administer the colonies with the primary goal of ensuring production continued to run smoothly. History tells us of course how the nineteenth century brought winds of change to the world and independence was gained by these hitherto vassals of empire. One by one new nations regained sovereignty of people and resources. Joyous celebration and unsurpassed predictions of success eventually gave way to economic difficulties and a concentration of the wealth in the hands of the few, to the detriment of the state. The post-independence ruling elites merely emulated the colonial style of governance.
Another person may say these winners of independence had inherited rich resources, an infrastructure to exploit them and the opportunity to make success of their new nations... and yet failed. Through greed. Through disregard of their own people. Through corruption. Seeing public office as a means by which to get rich quick and to hell with the populace.
There is the opinion that a nation is the sum of its parts. People make up a nation and the state of a nation is therefore a reflection of its people. How far this may be true is the bone of contention...are some nations more lazy than others? More prone to corruption? To what extent do we make our bed and lie in it?
