That's a tough combination. If it's powerful, how does it remain accountable. Sure, maybe a few election cycles are fine, but eventually it will degrade.

Failed states are good for VC up to a point

I want a weak government. I'd rather have warlords compete for my allegiance than be subject to one all powerful warlord who has no powerful enemies to worry about. A capitalism of polycentric governance, if you will.

Warlords typically 'compete' for your allegiance by conscripting you to fight for them, and killing you and your family when you refuse.

Or, if you and nobody in your family is of 'military age', they 'compete' for it, by rolling into your town, and stealing half of what you own. The 'competing' warlord that rolls in next week will, of course, steal the other half. If you're lucky, they won't make an example out of your town for 'supporting' the first warlord.

I'll take a strong, stable government over that horror-show any day of the week, but if you'd like to give it a try, much of Mexico has quite a bit of that sort of thing going on right now. Anyone who moves to the right parts of it can enjoy life amid 'competing' cartels.

Meh I fought alongside the YPG in Syria, under a rather weak government. They let me come in or leave as I pleased. They didn't steal from me. We fought against the other 'warlord' ISIS and all in all it was nice having a pretty diverse pick of militias to choose from.

All in all it was definitely a more freeing environment than a lot of life in the US.

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>Why do you live in the US, then? That should make you think a bit harder about failed states.

If the government wants to leave the territory I'm in, I'm all good with that. I've never demanded the government stay here.

This is such an edgy teen attitude type of comment.

Why do you live in the US, then? That should make you think a bit harder about failed states.

>Why do you live in the US, then?

Why does anyone live somewhere under a government they're not happy with? Why do women live in states with abortion laws they disagree with, is it because they're edgy teens? Why don't you personally live somewhere else that is closer to your goals of governance, surely US is not the most ideal for what you seek?

I don't really think you want to go down the road that presumes someone isn't thinking hard enough if they don't run away from where they're currently living. Personally when I did leave the US I did it to help the Kurds, not to abandon my own family, and without the permission of the mother of my child to expatriate it isn't exactly proof I'm not thinking 'harder' because I live here right now. Regardless of how fucked up the US government is I have certain obligations to my family who happen to be here more for logistical reasons than political reasons.

If it were just about me, or if I had permission from the mother to expatriate our child, sure I'd likely not be where I am right now.

> This is such an edgy teen attitude type of comment.

This ad-hominem attack on another person's beliefs is non-productive at its very core & doesn't help in the examination & introspection of ideas.