This article presents the 2020 version of the Shithole Country Index, memorializing Donald Trump’s famous remark from January 11, 2018: “Why do we want all these people from ‘shithole countries’ coming here?”
The Shithole Countries list combines two indexes compiled by the World Bank: GDP per capita, and ease of doing business. One list indicates economic success, the other indicates level of effort. To be classed as a shithole country you must appear in the bottom twenty on BOTH lists. In other words you are at the very same time both a world class failure, and not trying to do anything about it.
The third annual Shithole Country List follows. The rank numbers are compiled simply by adding the ranks in the GDP and ease of business indexes. For example Somalia is 20 + 19 = 39. A high number indicates you’re at the bottom of the list, which is not preferred. Italic text indicates countries that appear in each of the three annual Shithole Countries list.
Congratulations to Haiti for exiting the list; sympathy to Eritrea and Afghanistan for joining as new members.
What is it that makes some counties successful and others not? I’ve been thinking lately about The Enlightenment, the European philosophical movement that was the root of many of the ideas of the American Revolution. Countries that hosted the Enlightenment or adopted its ideas are successful. But then, what about Asian countries? Maybe the key factor is respect for property rights? Why is Singapore successful, and not Laos? Why Canada, and not Brazil?
The Bottom Line
Appearance in the Shithole Country List indicates epic cultural/civilizational failure. Note that the only non-African country to appear on the list this year is Afghanistan.
This is an epic issue. Supposedly a book called Guns Germs and Steel investigates it. It’s sitting on my shelf somewhere only half read. The Narcissist in Chief conflate s******* status with immigration policy. There’s nothing in the law or policies of the United States that does that, fortunately, which preserved for my maternal grandparents this destination as a Beacon of Hope. After all we are not inviting in whole Nations.