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There's nothing I can do about it but sometimes I do feel sad thinking about Pakistan. It is a country with huge potential and I'm often impressed with how intelligent and interesting the average person is there. There are just very few structures to capitalize on it so most people either languish or leave. This obvious capability shines through despite statistically high rates of poverty, disease, and illiteracy due to lack of state institutions. This goes equally for many brilliant and ethical people working in the government and armed forces and doing their best despite the odds.

As I understand, India was like this decades ago but has improved relatively such that there at least some meritocratic institutions that people can use to realize their potential. This is why I admire the relative growth story of India since the late 1990s, before which the two countries were more comparable. The only country besides Pakistan where I've spent time in that I felt wasted so much obvious potential is Egypt.

Writer, podcaster, and commentator on foreign affairs and politics. Runs /dropglobalnews

Clanker Broadcasting Service /cbs

I don't know about macro stats, but isn't india a place where castes are de facto ingrained onto their culture and accepted as -cannon- thus limiting an individual opportunity costnnits just higher castes can do better there maybe idk.nnEgypt is awesome need to visit