Congratulations! Czech Republic you are Developed Democracy

The Czech Republic is
Free - Freedom House
High Income - World Bank

By Richard Bruce BA, MA, and PhC in Economics

The World Bank decided that the Czech Republic has a high income or developed economy in 2005.

Freedom House has rated the Czech Republic free, in fact it has the highest possible rating, a one.

If you wish to check the stats here are the links, Freedom House and the World Bank.

Significance of Developed Democracy Status

Developed democracy status tends to be permanent. Of course a country that has just achieved First World status could suffer a recession and slip in the upper middle income category, but generally developed democracies with broad based economies like the Czech Republic do not suffer serious economic declines.

Furthermore, the richest countries ever to lose their freedom to a dictatorial take over were far poorer than the threshold for High Income countries, which was 10,726 in 2005. I believe that you are now more than twice as rich as Germany was when Hitler took over, and several thousand dollars richer than Argentina the last time the generals took over.

Finally, First World countries do not fight wars with other First World countries. So if you were planning on launching a sneak attack on the United States, France, or one of the other First World countries, forget it. I have provided a list of developed democracies so you will know who not to attack.

I am hoping everyone will join the club so that we can have permanent world peace, which seems like a good idea in a world of nuclear weapons. Exceptions can and should be made for Vatican City and other special districts.

New Responsibilities

For Third World countries one of the prime responsibilities is economic growth. Even if they are democratic and free we can not be sure that they always will be and there is some danger that a mad man, I believe you remember a guy named Hitler, may take over and be a threat to world peace and therefore the world's ecology in this era of nuclear weapons.

However, you are now beyond that. Further economic growth is good. It will allow you to import more goods from Third World nations which will help their development, and to fulfill various responsibilities. But as you grow you might also want to fulfill: scientific research, artistic achievements, common defense, and foreign aid.

I might also mention that the First World needs to reinvent the technology of high income nations so everyone is able to live in a high income nation without wreaking the ecology. To make the point more clearly, we want the people of every nation to be comfortable enough that a dictator can not take over, presently that involves a lot of energy, natural resources, and ecological damage. We need to invent a more ecologically friendly dictator proof society.

Nuclear Power

On the controversial subject of generating electricity with nuclear power, you are in my unofficial opinion now rich enough to be trusted with this technology. I believe it would be better if Third World nations did not use it, but we have every reason to believe that you will always be ruled by a reasonable government.

Olympics?

Finally, there is the matter of the coming out party. Hungary should be making it into the First World in 2007, many other Eastern European countries should make it in the next few years, perhaps you will want to host an Olympics or a World Cup together, or individually for that matter.

Making decisions on this is a little above the level of a Geocities webmaster. After all this is simply the communication of one American citizen to the Czechs who choose to read. I am not starting my own foreign policy, I will leave that to the city council. City councils in America often have their own foreign policy.

At any rate, Czechs welcome to the Developed World.