The Impact of IQ on Immigration and the West

 In today’s increasingly complex world of technology, automation, and AI, intelligence is more important than ever, and yet we find critical thinking, logic, reasoning, and language skills, not to mention knowledge of history, geography, the sciences, and mathematics, are in serious decline, especially in the West.  

One is reminded of a Star Trek Next Generation episode, “Samaritan Snare” (Season 2: Episode 17). The plot centers around a race of seemingly advanced humanoid aliens called the “Plakleds” who scavenge, steal, or trade technology without actually understanding any of it. When it ceases to work, they are forced to scrap it or play the sympathy card to get others with the proper expertise to fix it. In this episode, they’ve become adapt at playing off the sympathy of an intellectually arrogant and bemused Enterprise crew while feigning helplessness. In doing so, they manage to kidnap Jordy, the Enterprise’s chief engineer, who had beamed over to fix a seemingly minor technical problem.

As viewers quickly learned, while the Plakleds are excellent intergalactic schemers, they aren’t particularly bright. In fact, by 24th century standards, they would be considered little better than imbeciles with photon torpedoes and phasers (when they work). Modern society faces a very similar problem in that many societies which are highly dependent on technology (especially as it relates to weaponry) lack not just the ability to build or repair their technology, they barely understand it!  At the same time, some of these societies are guilty of threatening the very nations they are dependent on for their own survival.

So, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the average intelligence (IQ) of various countries around the world, particularly those who are part of the invasion of the West and extrapolate the possible outcome for that country. After all, this is supposedly the "replacement" population, so how does it compare to the native population?

In Western Europe, practically every country has been affected by migrants. Most claim they trying to evade social or economic unrest in the home country (whether such as situation actually exists), seek employment (though economic “sanctuary” is not recognized by international law or the fact they are largely unskilled). As an aside, the majority are single, in excellent health, and are of military age. Hardly the picture of some needy immigrant.

The majority originate from Bangladesh, Egypt, Afghanistan, Sudan, Algeria, Eritrea, Morocco, Senegal, and Somalia. The majority of these migrants tend to settle in the most advanced industrial counties of the UK, France, Germany (where they completely lack either the skills or education to become self-sustaining residents), as well as Spain, Italy, the Lowlands, and Scandinavia with their famous social safety nets

According to the 2026 edition of World Population Review, the average IQ for the UK is 101.12. For Ireland, it’s 98.22. In Germany, it’s 98.32. In France the average IQ is 100.12 while the Spanish IQ is roughly 102. In Sweden and Norway, it’s about 98 and 99 in Finland. In the Lowlands, the average IQ is about 100. The same for Italy and the Balkans. So, let’s see what these migrants contribute intellectually.

For the Bangladeshi, the average IQ score is around 97.32, which is compatible with most European countries.  Egypt is 98.74. Among the Afghanis, it’s 89.31, which hardly fits. The average IQ among the Sudanese is 78.87, which would be considered functionally impaired by the educational standards of most Western nations.

Algeria’s IQ average is 97.53, especially in the northern areas which had the most influence from French colonists. The same came be said of Morocco for the same reason. It’s average IQ is 97.24. Eritrea’s estimated average IQ is just 75. As for Senegal, it’s estimated to be about 80, while Somalia’s average IQ is a mere 83.84, the lowest official score of any nation. Aside from just a couple of nations, the majority of these migrants are intellectually not compatible with European society, not to mention that in addition to their low intelligence, their social (including religious) values and standards do not fit with that of Europe’s.

What about the United States? As expected, the majority of immigrants (legal and illegal) to the U.S. are from Mexico, followed by Central America (Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala). Lastly, the U.S. receives a smaller number of immigrants from the Caribbean nations, South America (notably Venezuela), Asia, the Middle East, and various African countries.  

So, to make our comparison, what’s the average American’s IQ? According to the Review, our average is 101.04 (for Canada, it’s 102.09). How does this compare to that of or immigrants? The average Mexican has an IQ of 93.64. For Honduras and Guatemala, it’s just over 90, while El Salvador, it’s slightly better at 91. As an aside, the average IQ for Costa Rica and Nicaragua, it’s 93.80 and 87.75.

 In Panama, it’s 91.65. Excluding Cuba, the average IQ among the other Caribbean island nations is around 90. (for the record, Cuba, which has a near 100% literacy rate, the average IQ is 96.40. Venezuela’s average is 92.61 and in Columbia it’s 94.62. Interestingly, Peru’s IQ of 100.20, is nearly as high as that of the U.S., and is one of the highest in South America. 

With that said, let’s take a look at some other key nations. First, top six nations with the highest IQs are all Asian. Hong Kong has the highest of any nation with an average of 107.73. South Korea’s is 106.97 while China’s is 106.48, followed closely by Macau with 106.32 and Japan with 106.30. Finally, Taiwan has an average IQ of 105.80. Is it any wonder that the West, especially the U.S., are so heavily dependent of Asian innovation?

Among Middle Eastern nations, Iran has the highest national average with an impressive 104.80 (yes, the same country we recently picked a fight with). In Israel, it’s 98.57. In Yemen, their IQ is 93.43 while in neighboring Oman, it’s 92.18. The average IQ in Saudi Arabia is 94.07 while Iraq has 93.62. Afghanistan’s is 89.31. The average in India is 98.44. In Australia, it’s 104.45, Vietnam’s Average is 102.26. Finally, Russia. The average IQ for a Russian is 103.78. For someone from Belarus, it’s 101.50. In Ukraine, it’s 95.66.

So, what does this all mean? Well, first off, here in America we tend to think of ourselves as being slightly superior intellectually to everyone else. As the intelligence test results reveal, we are far from it. Some could argue that, at least when it comes to intelligence tests, diversity hasn't proven to be our strength.

Secondly, with our national IQ of 101.04, it’s worth noting that among the nations we’ve been to war with lately, their national IQ’s have been similar to or just below ours. In two unsuccessful wars, Vietnam's IQ was significantly higher than ours, although Afghanistan was the opposite. Now we face a similar situation with Iran as we did with the Vietnamese.

In Russia's war with Ukraine, the Russians present the higher IQ, and in Europe, which has a comparable IQ to the U.S., it’s being overrun (many say conquered) by individuals with significantly lower levels of measured intelligence. It also bears mentioning that in addition to Europe’s suicidal immigration policy, the migrants are outbreeding the native populations by a 1 to 8 ratio which also would collapse any country.

Perhaps the lesson here is that accepting large numbers of individuals without the education, skillset, social (and religious) values, intellectual acumen and willingness to adapt will only bring your country down to their level, not raise them up to yours. Such thinking is as illogical as it is naive. Coupling this with suppressing your own citizens is a sure recipe for a societal collapse and an inevitable replacement.

Europe’s only solution at this point appears to totally acquiesce to the invaders and accept complete capitulation (as most of Europe’s so-called “leaders” seem to want) or face a full-on civil war against both the migrants and its governmental collaborators (ideally, it would be nice if those professionals who actually contribute to society could be saved, but at this point, that level of culling seems all but impossible.    

While the United States, given its size and huge amounts of natural resources, is more capable of absorbing incompatible migrants, it’s already found that an open immigration policy can have disastrous results ranging from education, welfare, medical care, employment, crime, the judicial system, and placed as huge burden on taxpayers who are forced to pick up the tab for all this without a second by Washington politicians. It has forced the native population to increasingly adapt to immigrants who refuse to learn English or adapt to American culture and values. We’ve already seen large pockets of the country become virtual foreign islands within the nation.

Immigration, and the exchange of ideas, cultures, and goods, is a good thing. After all, as the saying goes, we all came from somewhere. However, given today’s complexity, unrestricted or unrestrained immigration is national suicide. Nations must choose between selecting those who would be beneficial  or face a mass of locust-like destruction to their society. Eastern Europe and much of Asia seem to have taken the right approach. The question now is whether it’s too late for Europe and if the U.S, Canada, and Latin America can adjust and come up with an equitable solution. 

Immigration, in the final analysis, is about self-interest, be it that of the individual or host country. Those seeking to improve their lives and have something positive to offer the host country should be welcome, while with nothing positive to offer; who refuse to adapt, to abuse, destabilize, or destroy their host country should be aggressively rejected.  

    

World Population Review: Average IQ by Country 2026

 

EU population diversity by citizenship and country of birth

An Analysis of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United Statesby Country and Region of Birth

Average IQ by Country

IQ compared by Country

 

 

Are You Smarter Than You An Eighth Grader? Population Intelligence From Around the World

Have you ever watched a world leader and thought that they were some sort of a buffoon or wondered how on earth they managed to become a head of state? Russia’s Boris Yeltsin is a good example. Not only was he a heavy drinker, but he always acted like he didn’t have a lick of sense as we say in the South. France’s Emmanuel Marcon is another example of someone who seems to be out of his league, but he’s far from the only one. 

Another individual was George “Dubya” Bush. He seemed to mess up nearly everything he did. Bush managed to graduate with a so-called “Gentleman’s C” which typically means a C-/D+. Barack Obama wasn’t exactly stellar either.  Not exactly what you’d expect for a U.S. President.

Congress is full of such individuals, and increasingly, we’re finding judges, governors, mayors, and local officials so lacking in intelligence that they shouldn't be out in public unsupervised or be allowed to hold sharp objects!

Are our euphemistically named “leaders” a reflection of the people they’re supposed to lead? Like me, I’m sure you’ve worked some place where those in charge were dumber than a box of rocks. Unfortunately, however, we are now living in a society where mediocrity is the norm. Anyone who excels or stands out is viewed with suspicion. 

Kids are routinely placed in sub-par schools where conformity is encouraged. Everyone is equally dumbed down so as to not “offend” lower performing students. As in sports, where everyone gets a trophy, so now in academics everyone gets a diploma whether they actually earned one or not. How else do you explain kids graduating high school with an 8^th grade reading and literacy level, a 7th grade knowledge of history, geography, or civics, or that just 37% were academically prepared for entry level college math and science?

At work, we try to do “just enough” and to keep our heads down. We just want to get through the day, collect our paycheck, and go home. If we can somehow slip through without the boss knowing our name, that’s celebrated as a personal victory. Questioning authority is seen as making waves or labeling you as a troublemaker.

Your fellow employees don’t like it because it brings unwanted attention their way and your supervisor doesn’t like it because it means they may  address yet another problem. If the average workplace had a color, it would be dull gray. Is it any wonder then that when we graduate so many underachievers we find ourselves in a milquetoast society?

The Nobel Prize was seen at the epitome of excellence (their prestige was damaged when they started focusing on political correctness over achievement as in the case of President-elect Barack Obama who was awarded the prize for…well…nothing actually). Nevertheless, the United States has the most laureates at 420. The next closest is the United Kingdom with 142 and Germany at 115. India has won 13. China has 8. Russia has 30, and Japan has 31.

The reason for America’s dominance has been well-funded research (mainly by the military and corporations), historic academic freedom, and our emphasis on mathematics and the hard sciences, the very areas where our schools are struggling today. As an aside, do you know which ethnicity has won the most Nobel awards? The answer is Jews. One in ten of all Nobel Prize recipients have been Jewish.

What nation owns the most patents? That honor goes to China according to the World Population Review. They report that China has some 798,347 patent grants. The majority of these are in the areas of digital communications, artificial intelligence, and computer technology (China has 70% of AI patent applications). Two other areas with a high number of patents filed are medical and renewable energy technology.

As for the United States, we have a distant 323,410 of all patents granted. Japan and South Korea are next at 201,420 and 135,180 respectively. India rounds out the top five with 30,490.  It bears mentioning that Asia leads the world with the number of patents filed, accounting for 68.7% of all patents filed globally.  Of that, 70% came from China. It also holds the majority of the world’s trademarks. Not shabby China. Not shabby at all.

In addition, women account for 17.7% of the inventors as indicated on the patent applications, up from 10.9% in 2009. Most of their inventions pertain to the biotechnology and food chemistry industries. It's odd then that some countries view women as third class citizens; as being inferior and therefore makes it criminal for them to be educated or try to reach their maximum potential. 

Given the aging population, especially in the West, another question of interest is which countries have the most number of medical doctors per capita. At first blush, you would think the U.S., China, or India given their population density. Well, you’d be wrong. The nation with the most doctors based on percentage of their population is Cuba which has almost 94 doctors per 10,000 residents. In fact, Cuba is very well known for sending its physicians abroad, especially to poor and developing countries.

Sweden has almost 72 doctors per 10 thousand individuals while Belgium has 64. Greece has just over 63 doctors per 10,000 people. Norway has roughly 52. By comparison, Russia has 38 physicians for every 10 thousand. In India, the world’s largest populous country, its only 7.27. It’s 25 in Canada and just slightly better in Mexico with 25.6. In the United States, the number is 35 physicians for every 10 thousand.  Lastly, in Africa it’s mostly under 10 physicians for every 10 thousand with the majority of countries having under 2 doctors per 10 thousand.

As a side note, the U.S. Northeast has the most number of active doctors with New York producing the most. The majority of doctors in the U.S. are White or Asian. The fewest number are Black. Most of the applicates to medical school are foreign born, with most coming from India, Pakistan, the Caribbean, the Philippines, and Mexico.

Finally, the overwhelming majority of doctors come from upper income families. 75% of doctors comes from families whose incomes are in the top 40%, and of those, 30% are from families in the top 5% income bracket! The high cost of a medical degree (and subsequent debt) make it nearly impossible for applicants coming from poor or working class backgrounds----just 5%---to succeed.  Maybe that explains the “God complex” some seem to have.

All of what we’ve discussed so far presupposes one thing---intelligence. So, what countries tend to have the highest IQs? It’s long been said that education is the key to success. However, that’s just one factor. Opportunity and financial means are also critical. However, none of it matters unless you have the intellectual aptitude.

The average IQ score is 100, be it an individual or a nation. These results are only “best guess” averages, extrapolated from a percentage of the population since, after all, you can’t test everyone in a nation! Secondly, since we’re dealing with entire populations, obviously no country will measure as “genius” or “gifted”, but some are certainly above average.

China has the highest overall IQ of any country with a national average of 107.19, which would be pretty decent for an individual. South Korea was second with 106.43, just beating out Japan with 106.40. Surprisingly, Iran was fourth. It’s average was 106.3. Singapore was fifth with an average national IQ of 105.14.

Russia came in sixth with an estimate national IQ of 103.16. Mongolia, Armenia, and Australia were nearly tied at 102.86, 102.58, and 102.57 respectively. Canada was 101.65 while Thailand’s average IQ was 101.52. Luxembourg had the global average IQ of 100, followed closely by Iceland at 99.99.

Vietnam’s national IQ average was 100.12. Greece was 100.07. The United States came in 30^th place with a national IQ of 99.74, just barely beating out Czechia which had an estimate national IQ of 99.73. The UK’s was 99.68. Germany’s average IQ was 99.64. As an aside, the national IQ for France was 101.42, putting them in 17^th place (yes, we got beat by the French!). Mexico's was 95.52.

The highest estimated IQ in the Middle East belongs to Lebanon with 99.39, putting them in 37^th. Israel was next, in 45^th place, with an average IQ of 99.07, tying Turkey. Other Middle Eastern countries were the UAE with an average of 96.8. India was 99.08. Egypt’s average national IQ was 97.21, Kuwait was 95.02, and Algeria had an estimated IQ of 97.01.

Among the nations of South and Central America, Uruguay’s and Ecuador’s national IQs were near identical at 95.01 and 95.00 respectively. Chile’s was 95.38. Argentina’s IQ was an estimated 94.39 and Brazil’s was 92.92 with an IQ of 93.17 for Columbia. 

In Africa, South Africa had the highest with an estimated national average of 94.11. Kenya ‘s IQ was 91.22. Zimbabwe was 90.21 compared to Ghana with 90.25. The Ivory Coast was 88.42, Senegal’s average national IQ was 88.27 and the Congo was 88.01. Angola’s estimated national IQ was 85.33, and in last place at 126 was Gabon, whose average IQ was 85.08. The average IQ for a sub-Saharan African is 80.

It should be mentioned too that overall, IQ scores worldwide have been on the decline, reversing a trend of rising scores throughout much of the 20^th century thanks to better nutrition and healthcare, more access to schools, quality education (and discipline) better qualified teachers, and generally secure environments needed to foster learning. This decline (known as the “Reverse Flynn Effect”) first started appearing in the late 1970’s and accelerated in the 1990’s.

The most notable regions of decline has been in Scandinavia, which had long been noted for producing a highly intelligent population. The UK, France, and the United States has also seen a decline in IQ scores. Latin America has remained largely stable while Africa has seen some improvements. Asia, on the other hand, has experienced stable IQ scores or in some cases, a significant rise.

Studies have shown that the decline in IQ scores have been most prevalent in the areas of mathematics, logic, and verbal reasoning. The significance of this is that these are the very areas needed for an advanced technological society as well as in medicinal research. Spatial reasoning, however, has actually improved. Could that be from playing so many video games?

It should come as no surprise that Asia’s dominance in academic testing and it’s rising IQ scores correspond to its growing dominance economically, especially in the areas of AI, technology, and communications. If the West is to remain competitive, it must reverse this trend by demanding academic excellence from its schools, including restoring discipline in the classroom and an emphasis on academic rigor. Excuses will no longer cut it. Additionally, we must accept that not every job requires a college degree. Most only need individuals who had 12 years to master the basics. Trades schools are another area seriously lacking our attention despite high demand, good pay, and low debt.  

Countries like South Africa and Iran have made serious social blunders while Europe is caught in an ever tightening spiral downward thanks to political weakness (that can be said of Canada as well). Africa has the resources but it lacks the infrastructure and leadership thanks to petty graft and prejudices.  Latin America has the potential, but does it have the will? That remains to be seen. In the interim, it appears that the Sun is rising ever higher in the East.  

 

 Thank you for reading "Another Opinion", the Op/Ed blog page for the "militant middle".  Here at "A/O" we truly value our readers. At A/O we seek the facts as they exist, not partisan talking points.  We hope you find our articles informative and engaging. Comments are welcome, provided they are not vulgar, insulting or demeaning.  Another Opinion is offered without charge and is directed toward all independent and free-thinking individuals. We ask, however, that you "like" us on whatever platform you found us on in order to keep our articles available for free to others. Lastly, in order to keep costs down, we depend on passive marketing, and therefore, depend on our readers to please forward our posts along. Below you will find links to the sources we used in writing this article. Thank you. 

 

Nobel Prize by Country 2025

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/nobel-prizes-by-country

 

Patents by Country 2025

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/patents-by-country

 

 

Here’s the top 10 countries who filed the most patents globally

https://www.patentrenewal.com/post/herere-the-top-10-countries-who-filed-the-most-patents-globally

 

 

AI Patents by Country Revealed: The Top 15 Countries Dominating the 2025 Landscape

https://arapackelaw.com/patents/ai-patents-by-country/

 

Doctors per Capita by Country 2025

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/doctors-per-capita-by-country

 

 

Average IQ by Country (2025 Update)

https://www.thecaliforniacourier.com/average-iq-by-country-2025-update/

 

 

American IQ Scores Have Rapidly Dropped, Proving the ‘Reverse Flynn Effect’

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a43469569/american-iq-scores-decline-reverse-flynn-effect/

 

American IQs rose 30 points in the last century.  Now they may be falling

https://thehill.com/policy/technology/3922608-american-iqs-rose-30-points-in-the-last-century-now-they-may-be-falling/

Education in America: Sowing the Winds of Our Future

Here in the United States, Labor Day marks the “official” end of summer, although you’d hardly notice. The public pools are closed. The leaves on trees gradually turn their vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges. There’s the faint crunch of the few which have already fallen; soon to be a chorus in just a few more months. The nights are becoming a little cooler and rain is becoming a little more frequent than before. You occasionally have to pause to decide whether you need a jacket, but the warmth summer’s days remains, at least for now.

Labor Day is when states, especially in the South, have their state capstone fairs with venders hawking their wares and rides from practically everywhere. You can sign up to get your blood pressure tested, a mammogram, buy shoe inserts, and buy new gutters all within just a few feet of each other.

 It’s where you’ll find an abundance of friendly (mostly) competition for the best porch whistlers, dancers, cake bakers, quiltmakers, best quality livestock, and where hundreds will come out to watch the well-heeled bid phenomenal amounts of money for best cured ham…all for charity of course (the top ham sold for $10 million dollars this year).  Communities have the first of their local craft and art fairs. But for many Labor Day weekend means just one thing---the end of summer vacation and the start of a new school year which is the subject of this week’s article.  

Education is typically the best barometer to measure a nation’s future potential, after all, the students they graduate are the nation’s economic, technological, political, and cultural future. They are the ones who will develop the newest medicines, the next generation in technology, our new engineers, and will be the makers and enforcers of laws. Many say this represents the new battleground for global domination. So, how does America rank?

When determining where a country ranks, be in education, military spending, medical care, and so forth, they are measure against a bar  or standard. This “standard” is the average of 38 members of  the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (aka the “OECD”). The OCED, which is comprised of developed or “first tier” nations, who work together to promote economic growth and cooperation, sustainability, establish standards, and common policies.

According to OCED, Luxembourg, Norway, and the United States spend the most money per student of any nation (in that order) along with South Korea and Switzerland (especially at the secondary school level).  In terms of percentage of their Gross National Product (“GDP”), top honors go to the Marshall Islands and the nations of Oceania, followed by the U.S., France, and Austria.

U.S. protectorate of American Samoa for instance spends 14.7% of its GDP on education.  Compare that to Cuba, which is one of the few countries with a near 100% literacy rate, which spends about 9.4% of its GDP on education or Sweden, which ranks near to top in nearly every positive measure. It spends approximately 7.6% (the same as Bolivia) while the nation of Batswana spends roughly 8.1%.

As an aside, the World Population Review, which uses a slightly different set of metrics, have some different, albeit similar numbers. According to the WPR, the United States spends 5.4% on education in general while it’s neighbors, Canada and Mexico, spend 4.1% and 4.2% respectively. America’s top economic competitor, China, spends 4% while Russia invests 4.1% on education. Germany spends 4.5% while France does a bit better at 5.4%.

Who then spends the most on the nation’s education? The African nation of Namibia spends a whooping 9% of its GDP on education. Neighboring Botswana invests 8.!%. Bolivia and Sweden both spend 7.6% on education. Iran only spend 2.9% on education, but then again, they only educate half of their population. India invests 4.1% on its future. The tiny nation of Bhutan spends 5.8%. Turkey invests just 2.9% in its future compared to 3.2% for Japan and 5.8 for the mini-nation of Tajikistan.

Pew Research posted a report in April of 2024 which showed that the U.S. was 28^th out the 37 OCED countries. Japan was the highest along with several other Asian countries placing near the top along with Finland. The lowest score went to Columbia. In science, the U.S. place 12^th out of the 37 OCED nations tested. Again, Japan ranked first while Mexico was last.

However, a more recent study from May 2025 conducted by Data Panda, indicates that the Iceland has the best educational system in the world. It’s followed by Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom. Next in line was Denmark in fifth place. New Zealand and Finland were tied for sixth. Then came Switzerland, Sweden and Australia were tied. The U.S. was 15^th,  just behind the island nation of Palau and ahead of Canada. Hong Kong was 18^th.  Ireland was 22^nd. Singapore and Austria were tied for 30^th while Japan was 35^th.

Another test from 2025, based on OCED scores, showed that in terms of literacy, the U.S. far outperformed the OCED average, 504 to 476. While that’s impressive, drilling a little deeper in the scoring indicated that while 14% of those tested outperformed the average, they were a majority of White students while the balance, mostly minority students, significantly underperformed with strong indications that they may require remedial instruction.

In terms of math and science, which are essential for medical and technological innovation and advancement (part of the “STEM” or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics curriculum), the U.S. seriously underperformed. 465 to the OCED average of 472, with several Asian and European nations far out scoring the American students. Once again, the scores reveled major failures among 15^th years, especially minorities with over 1/3 being underperformers and just 7% representing top scorers.

 Once again, Asia had the top academic performers. It was noted that this may be indictive of a potential decline in America’s leadership in the area of technology and related fields unless immediate and significant improvements in the educational system aren’t made.

In terms of science, the U.S. did a bit better. The U.S. was 16^th of the 37 national participants, scoring 499 against the OCED average of 485. Asia nations, including Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Macau, made up the majority of those outperforming nations. However, while the U.S. did well, it was due primarily to just 11% of its top scoring students while 22% did poorly.

It's also worth nothing that in terms of the best educated populations, Ireland has the highest number of individuals was a bachelor’s degree based on percentage of population at 54.4%. Switzerland and Singapore are next with 45.6% and 45% respectively. Belgium and the UK complete the top five with 44.1% and 43.5%. The United States is 12^th with 40% and just beating out Australia with 39.8%.  

Of the Middle East, Israel ranks the highest with 39.7%. Argentina, Chile, and Brazil are the top three in South America with 23.7%, 22.9%, and 21.5% respectively. China and India are among the lowest with 6.9% and 14.2%. There were no African countries out of the top 36 nations.

What does all this mean? The United States ranks third globally in what it spends per student, however, we’re toward the middle of the pack when it comes what we spend on education in general based on our GDP. In terms of what we are getting for our money is definitely no bargain. In terms of math scores, are well below average. Our collective science scores are good, but not great. With regards to literacy (reading and comprehension), we are doing well.

The problem, however, is that our achievements overall aren’t evenly distributed. It seems that where we we’re doing well is reliant on primarily private schools and a white student population. Meanwhile, public schools are generally underperforming, especially in schools where the majority student population are comprised of minorities.   

This is particularly a problem in terms of the future as the high achieving White student population continues to shrink and America heads for “majority minority” status. Our current immigration is only making matters worse more quickly with new immigrates coming from countries with a history of underperforming academics. 46% of arriving adults have no education beyond high school---if that! Only around 41% have a bachelor’s degree while few are certified in the trades.

Additionally, those from Latin America and Africa are less likely to possess a high school degree or equivalent whereas those from Europe, Asia, and Oceania are more likely to possess at least a bachelor’s degree. Those entering with a technical or trade certification face stringent hurdles to get their credentials approved which, given the critical shortage of plumbers, electricians, and so forth, needs to change.

Lastly, unless something is done now, such as changing our focus on immigration and focus our school curriculums more on STEM courses and less on “sports” and low/no demand degrees, we are likely to lose our lead in the sciences, medicine, and technology, making increasingly dependent on other nations, particularly in Asia, or to put it another way, we will reap what we’ve sown.

 

Thank you for reading "Another Opinion", the Op/Ed blog page for the "militant middle".  Here at "A/O" we truly value our readers. At A/O we seek the facts as they exist, not partisan talking points.  We hope you find our articles informative and engaging. Comments are welcome, provided they are not vulgar, insulting or demeaning.  Another Opinion is offered without charge and is directed toward all independent and free-thinking individuals. We ask, however, that you "like" us on whatever platform you found us on in order to keep our articles available for free to others. Lastly, in order to keep costs down, we depend on passive marketing, and therefore, depend on our readers to please forward our posts along. Below you will find links to the sources we used in writing this article. Thank you. 

 

OCED

WPR: Education Spending By Country 2025

Data Panda: Education Rankings By Country

U.S. Education Rankings: Global Comparison Performance

 

Charted: The World’s Educated Countries

 

 

 

America: A Nation of Exiles, Misfits, and Second Chances. But has it gone too far?

America. There has always been something truly unique about this country. People of all sorts have been coming here almost ever since its discovery, and they keep coming despite all our faults and failures (and there are many).  Nations, far older than us, are constantly comparing themselves to us. We’ve become the world’s yardstick for practically everything, but who are we really?

We don’t tend to think about it much, but most of those who came here to settle were misfits and exiles. They were people who didn’t fit into society any longer. They came to escape the restrictions their native country had placed on them. For many, they were locked into an economic and social caste system irrespective of their intelligence, ability, or motivation.  

Many were just one slippery step from debtor’s prison. Others had already fell victim to the harsh judicial system, often for petty crimes committed in the name of survival. The lucky one’s found themselves “transported”. This was a way to be rid of petty criminals, social deviants, and malcontents while emptying out their overcrowded prisons and relieving a marginal social safety net based largely on charity.  They were typically sent abroad as “indentured servants” to work off their sentences in places which were often difficult and dangerous (Georgia and the swamplands of South Carolina were often a key destinations).

Meanwhile, others simply wanted to chance to start life over again and a chance to show the world (and themselves) what they could do if given the opportunity, and so they came by the tens of thousands.  Many bore  the same title of “indentured servant” as the felons, though under slightly better circumstances in most cases.

These individuals were mostly young, poor, marginally educated, with very limited opportunities. Many were orphaned. They voluntarily leased themselves out for a set period of time. This usually covered their passage (typically in steerage) as well as their labor with the hopes that, in the end, they would get their chance at a new life. It was a difficult and often risky choice, with many never seeing the end of their bondage, but it was better than what awaited them if they had remained.

A surprisingly large segment of immigrants also came to avoid religious persecution. It was commonplace for each country to have an official religion, often headed by a monarch,  to which everyone was expected to participate, if not in person, then financially. It wasn’t uncommon for so-called “dissenters” to find themselves harassed by authorities, fined, imprisoned, or stripped of everything they owned in order to pay the mandatory tithes. This new country demanded none of that. There would be no state mandated religion.  It’s easy to understand why, to believers, this was seen as the “promised land”.

Not much has really changed in all those centuries since the first Europeans set foot on this continent. We still attract the world’s misfits, exiles, and those looking to start over. America is a different sort of country. It is not a nation which evolved organically over time like Europe or Asia. We came about in less than a blink of an eye in terms of history. We were created as an experiment, born out of a sense of justice, fair play, and individual sovereignty.

 In lieu of having a long history to shape our nation, ours was based a heritage of ideas stemming from the Enlightenment, Judeo-Christian morals, and the philosophies of the Near East, Ancient Greece and Rome.  Even our government was modelled on the Roman Republic. All of which is nicely summed up in our traditional national motto---"E pluribus Unum” (“Out of Many, One”) along with our official national motto, “In God We Trust”, which reflects the desire of many to come here to seeking their religious freedom.   

The Statue of Liberty, which graces the entry into New York, reminds us that we are still a nation of second chances. It’s often the first thing arriving immigrants see. The plaque at its base bears the  famous poem by Emma Lazarus entitled “The New Colossus” which speaks of America as the “Mother of Exiles”. It urges the world to “…Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breath free. The wretched refuse of teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift up my lamp beside the golden door!”

Marvelous words expressing the aim of America to welcome all those seeking to be free, but something has changed since those words were pinned in 1883. America was conceived of as a welcoming melting pot, where all would leave behind the worthless hatreds and prejudices from wherever they came. Here they would become a new people---“Americans”--- sharing a common language with a shared set of values, laws, and uniquely American traditions.

Somewhere along the way something changed. We no longer concerned ourselves with those who come here in defiance of our laws. We stopped being proud to be Americans. Today, we have some 13+ million illegals living here with millions using taxpayer based social services they never paid for. They have no interest in adopting our language, laws, traditions or values. Worse, we have politicians, cities and groups which are fine with that. What happened?

According to a U.S. government budget committee report on the costs of illegal immigrants to taxpayers dated January 11, 2024, 69% of illegal immigrants don’t have an education beyond high school (compared to 35% of Americans) which impacts their work skills and employability. Each individual cost taxpayers approximately $68,000 each over their lifetime or about $42 billion.  In addition, the children of illegal immigrates (including children born in the U.S. of parents here illegally) received roughly $68.1 billion dollars (as of 2019) in taxpayers funded services. Taxpayers also picked emergency care and other medical costs to the tune of $7 billion dollars annually.

Some hid behind the 14^th Amendment, which was intended to provide citizenship for recently freed slaves following the Civil War, in order to claim legal status, thanks “anchor babies” as noted above. More recently, others have claimed asylum status when they’re only seeking employment without applying for a work permit (employment isn’t recognized as a legitimate reason for asylum status under international law).  Still others send their children with strangers and then come seeking to be reunited with them.

Even certain religious institutions blatantly choose to ignore immigrations laws, believing that somehow they are exempt from following the law, and going as far as not just encouraging them to migrate, but providing them with shelter, housing, job contacts, and even how to manipulate the system to access taxpayer based services. Of course, these immigrants fill pews and church coffers, as well as improve their political clout.

We became fixated on the “right” of these individuals to enter our country undeterred while other nations, ever anxious to rid themselves of hungry mouths they can’t afford thanks to antiquated societal norms, openly proclaim that we had no legal right to protect and secure our border.

Somehow, our right of national sovereignty had come under attack while their sovereignty remained securely intact. Immigrants now come, not to be Americans, but to transplant their country, language, values, traditions, and all! Some intend to even transplant their religious values despite not being compatible with ours. We’re the ones expected to conform and adopt, not the immigrant. What went wrong?

Our  English language is treated as unimportant. The government now caters to “diversity” instead of promoting emersion. Immigrants view the taxpayer funded social security net as an entitlement just for being here. They regularly send money home to support their families and community, which is perfectly fine. But why do they refuse to apply for work permits and pay their fair share of taxes to the country which makes it all possible?

At about the same time, we started to see more and more people no longer identifying as Americans. They had become hyphenated Americans, be it cultural, racial, ethnic, or whatever. In addition, the very notion of “American” increasingly became as a form of slander. The “ugly American” of the 1960’s had suddenly returned home.

We were increasingly taught to be ashamed of our collective history. Entire chapters of our history have become distorted and rewritten. Critical thinking skills have been replaced, and with it, the quality of education. Discipline is now seen as a form of suppression. In colleges and universities, students aren’t expected to take responsibility for the debts they willingly incurred despite many earning majors where there is no demand in the job market.

Even the Pledge of Allegiance is no longer publicly acceptable. Neither are displays of the American flag (which is now considered a “trigger object”).  Statues and monuments deemed “offensive” by a select few are defaced, vandalized, and removed.  Individuals with criminal histories are portrayed as heroes while law enforcement is viewed with contempt.

While America has always welcomed various religions, how do we deal with a religion which wants to impose its own religious laws on society, going so far as verbal and physically attacking people, blocking sidewalks and traffic while they “pray”? They become incensed at criticism of their faith but encourage attacks on other religions. In Europe, this has proven to be a disaster as the governments continually cave to their demands while punishing the victims.  

This is all part of a new narrative being preached throughout America---the “Gospel of Political Correctness” as proclaimed by so-called “woke” Millennials and Gen Z. To contradict the gospel in any way is regarded as blasphemy or heresy, often resulting in being  “canceled” (sounds like a euphemism used by the Gestapo or KGB). The good news, however, is that you’re freely entitled to their opinion at any time, whether you want it or not.

How does a nation founded on freedom of speech, religion, and association cope with this? How does a nation protect its national security when our borders are ignored?  How do we address the issue of hyphenated loyalties, a declining education system, no common language, or an agreed upon history survive? Historically, nations similar to this  have become ungovernable and ultimately imploded. No nation can be pulled in multiple directions and hold in the long run  (I’m reminded of Yugoslavia, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as well as the Ancient Roman Republic).

I’m reminded of a quote by Theodore Roosevelt (perhaps our greatest president and certainly my favorite). In speaking before the Knights of Columbus at Carnegie Hall in 1915, the former president addressed many of these same issues when he said, “In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American…There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he’s an American , but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room but for one flag…We have room for one language here, and that is the English language…and we have room for but one sole loyalty, and that loyalty is to the American people”.

I couldn’t have said it better Teddy. Well done. The question  which needs to be addressed is whether we are going to heed Roosevelt’s word, spoken some 110 years ago or are we going to go the way of the Yugoslavia past or current Europe? America has always been a country of second chances for those with nowhere else to go. But for us, here and now, there’s no place for us to go. There’s no one coming to our rescue. Republics rarely, if ever, get second chances.

 

Thank you for reading "Another Opinion", the Op/Ed blog page for the "militant middle".  Here at "A/O" we truly value our readers. At A/O we seek the facts as they exist, not partisan talking points.  We hope you find our articles informative and engaging. Comments are welcome, provided they are not vulgar, insulting or demeaning.  Another Opinion is offered without charge and is directed toward all independent and free-thinking individuals. We ask, however, that you "like" us on whatever platform you found us on in order to keep our articles available for free to others. Lastly, in order to keep costs down, we depend on passive marketing, and therefore, depend on our readers to please forward our posts along. Below you will find links to the sources we used in writing this article. Thank you. 

 

Poems: The New Colossus

“Americanism”  by Theodore Roosevelt (1915)

Theodore Roosevelt: No Room in This Country for Hyphenated Americans

Hyphenate American

House Judicial Subcommittee Report: The Costs of IllegalImmigration to Taxpayers

Indentured Servants  

Trump Getting Real with Zelensky: Find Peace with Russia or No More Money

 

Much has already been made of the heated meeting between President Vladmir Zelensky of Ukraine and President Donald Trump and Vice President  JD Vance.  President Trump, in effect, told Zelensky to make peace with Putin or he was taking away the keys to Ukraine’s war machine…and put a damn tie on where he’s at it!

Zelensky seems to believe that with U.S. financial backing, he will be able to stalemate Putin virtually indefinitely, perhaps even in the long run, obtain NATO membership. That’s something Trump opposes. Putin has attempted several overtures at peace, which Zelensky has essentially blown off like, and why not? He’s got the biggest bully in the world in his court, the United States.     

Trump used the meeting to make a very public statement to Zelensky, the people of Ukraine, to Putin, and to the world---no more money, no more armament and no mineral deal until Zelensky puts on his big boy pants and can set down for a serious discussion about peace with Russia, otherwise we walk, and he can deal with one very angry Russian bear.

 NATO, which also heavily depends on the US, can do as it pleases, but the US needs to set this one out thank you very much should they continue to poke the bear (and kudos to Italy’s Prime Minister, Georgia Meloni, for rejecting UK-French plan to send European troops to Ukraine). It’s one thing to come to the aid of ally being attacked, but when they bring it on themselves, maybe a lesson in “told-you-so” diplomacy is in order.

Putin, on the other hand, has committed much of his military to what amounts to a slow bleed of Ukraine’s economy and military. His has activated antiquated weapon systems (such as outdated tanks) and even employed North Korean troops in what amounts to a ”fight for food” deal for the bankrupt Communist state.

The only sensible reason for Putin to do this is one of taking a measured stance against Ukraine. Putin didn’t start the war. Zelensky and NATO did (with a little help from a former president’s son looking to score a big financial payday). Putin has been consistent his insistence that NATO missiles and armament will not be deployed along his border with Ukraine. Zelensky and NATO thought that by playing the U.S. card, Putin could be intimidated. That wasn’t going to happen

Putin is not a spineless leader of the sort that Europe has produced in abundance lately (for an example, look at their immigration disaster and its effect on crime and their culture). Putin is very intelligent. He was a senior KGB officer. He doesn’t bluff. Unlike European leaders, he doesn’t care if you call him names.  However, since the fall of the USSR and Soviet Russia, their leaders, starting with Mikhail Gorbachev, have tried  once again to build bridges to the West.

Ever since the days of Peter the Great, Russia has wanted to join with the West and act as a bridge between East and West. At one point,  they even asked to join NATO and was rejected out of hand and perhaps justifiably so. With the end of the Cold War, there had been a lot of talk about dismantling NATO.

Therefore, NATO’s justification for its continued existence depended on having a bad guy and that bad guy is Putin. It’s also why many neo-cons and policy gamers are anxious to start a new Cold War. War is profitable---cold or hot. It bears mentioning that the establishment of the Warsaw Pact came about only after the creation of NATO and then with the intention of being a defensive deterrent, presumably against the same military and industrial complex President Eisenhower spoke of in his 1961 “Farewell Address to the Nation”.   

In 1990, as the Warsaw Pact nations began to fall, Secretary of State James Baker informed Soviet Foreign Minister Edward Shevardnadze (in the presence of Gorbachev) that once the unification of Germany was complete, NATO had no intention of advancing “one inch to the east”, and yet within ten years, that’s exactly what happened. Gorbachev saw it as a time to restart and one of openness or as he called it, “Perestroika”. As Gorbachev said at the time, “we are duty bound to learn to live in peace”.

One by one, the former Warsaw Pact countries of Poland (1999),  Hungary (1999), Romania (2004), Czechia (1999), Bulgaria (2004), the Baltic states (2004), and so forth were admitted into NATO, and each time Russian leaders protested through all the proper international channels and were ignored.

At first, the Russians were assured there would be no more, until there was. But each time a country joined, NATO missiles were deployed all along their border. As a result, Russia was slowly helmed in. It would be like Russian missiles being deployed along our southern border, first in the numerous Caribbean islands one by one, until finally, in Mexico along the Rio Grande.

What if the Russians started deploying missiles along the Canadian border just like what happened after Norway and Denmark joined NATO in 1949, Finland in 2023, or Sweden in 2024.   How would you expect Washington would react?

Actually, you don’t even have to imagine. That was what the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis was all about. It was Russia’s response to U.S. nuclear tipped intermediate range “Jupiter” missiles previously being deployed in Turkey (which had joined NATO in 1952).

Amusingly, then Soviet Premier Khrushchev would walk visitors to his vacation home on the Black Sea to the balcony and hand them  a pair of binoculars, asking “what do you see?”. They typically replied, “I see the sky” or “I see the water”. He would then look through the binoculars and bellow “I see American missiles in Turkey aimed at my dacha!”.

It seems that everyone knew that a NATO presence in Ukraine would be the straw to break the bear’s back, yet they expected Putin to do nothing but grouse and saber rattle like the West does, but that didn’t happen. Putin secured the Crimea, which has been a Russian possession since 1783 when it was annexed by Catherine the Great. It has a majority Russian population. Strategically, the Crimea is the home of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, at Sebastopol, which is their version of our naval base in San Diego.

Russian is taught in its schools and it’s the common language of its people. It was followed by a plebiscite, asking the citizens whether they wanted to remain apart of Russia or the Ukraine. The overwhelming majority said “Russia”.

But this had nothing to do with the history of the region, the will of the people, national sovereignty, or even the long standing presence of the Russian military in and around Sebastopol. This was about oil and gas, which had been discovered in abundance in the Black Sea, and western oil companies wanted it.

In addition to large reserves of oil and gas, the Ukraine has vast deposits of key minerals, much of it in the disputed Donbas Region which is occupied by Russian troops. The deal President Trump was willing to sign with President Zelensky would have allowed a U.S. presence in the Donbas (technically still belonging to Ukraine) to mine for deposits valuable minerals, with each country splitting the processes 50/50. It would enable the Ukraine to begin paying the U.S. back some of the billions it owes us in aid, retain Ukrainian soil, and help Ukraine to rebuild its infrastructure.

In addition, it would be an incentive for Putin’s troops to either withdraw from the areas being explored and mined, or perhaps even pull back altogether. After all, Putin doesn’t want to kill or injure U.S. civilians at any cost. It would serve as a de facto “economic buffer zone” without the need for a single pair of U.S. military boots on the ground and each side wins.

However, Zelensky needed to agree to a peace talks with Russia, and that’s where he has repeatedly dropped the ball. When it comes to power politics, Zelensky is out of his league. He’s a standup comedian turned politician unlike others who are politicians turned fools.  Accordingly, he got a dressing down in his meeting with Trump and Vice President Vance. He was put on notice that the U.S. would not finance his war with Russia indefinitely or for free.

Even during the early stages of WWII, before the U.S. was directly involved, Prime Minister Churchill gave the U.S. 99 year leases to bases on their island possessions in the Caribbean as a “down payment” and “thank you “ to all the war material and economic support we provided to England under the Lend Lease Act of 1941 (the act also extended to the Republic of China, France, the Soviet Union and other allied nations).   As of 2024, we have given Ukraine $174.2 billion dollars in aid (military and otherwise) while the European Union has given about $18 billion.

President Trump announced during his speech to Congress on March 4^th, that he had received a letter from Zelensky finally agreeing to sit down with Putin and hammer out some sort of peace deal. It may not be entirely to Zelensky’s liking, or that of Putin’s, but it will mean no more killing on either side and ending the destruction of Ukrainian cities and villages.

In addition, President Zelensky said in his letter to President Trump that he was still willing to sign the minerals agreement, which would be a good thing for the Ukrainian economy. Ukraine is a country with vast untapped economic potential, from the oil and gas reserves it does control, to its timber and mineral wealth, and it possesses the most fertile soil in Europe and quite possibly the world. (hence the moniker “breadbasket of Europe”).

This was also an education of sorts for Zelensky about what Otto von Bismarck called “Realpolitik”. Never disrespect your benefactor or take them for granted. By that, don’t show up in casual slacks and t-shirt and “knock-around” boots to meet the leader of a world power and expect to be given a virtual blank check for a never-ending war without a plan to pay them back.  America isn’t your ATM. Show some humility. Even Churchill arrived dressed to the nines with hat in hand and he offered at least island leases!  

 

Thank you for reading "Another Opinion", the Op/Ed blog page for the "militant middle".  Here at "A/O" we truly value our readers. At A/O we seek the facts as they exist, not partisan talking points.  We hope you find our articles informative and engaging. Comments are welcome, provided they are not vulgar, insulting or demeaning.  Another Opinion is offered without charge and is directed toward all independent and free-thinking individuals. We ask, however, that you "like" us on whatever platform you found us on in order to keep our articles available for free to others. Lastly, in order to keep costs down, we depend on passive marketing, and therefore, depend on our readers to please forward our posts along. Below you will find links to the sources we used in writing this article. Thank you. 

 

  Zelensky vows to ‘make things right’ with Trump and negotiate peace

How Gorbachev was misled over assurances against NATO expansion

4 Lessons to be learned from Zelensky’s White House Meeting

 

What they said: Trump, Zelenskyy and Vance’s heated argumentin the Oval Office

NATO Members

Russo-Ukrainian War  

Controversy regarding the legitimacy of eastward NATOexpansion

Lend Lease Act

EU Assistance to Ukraine (in U.S. Dollars)

No suit, no lunch, no respect: Zelenskyy-Trump feud startwith a fashion dig

Never Trumpers? Not Quite: What the World Thinks About America and Trump

 In 2016, the liberal left governments of the world were stunned as Hillary Clinton, the Democratic heir apparent to Barack Obama, was forced to conceded her candidacy for president. How was this possible, that a brash businessman and political outsider had denied Hillary her long awaited “coronation”  that the Left believed was all but inevitable?

For the next four years, Donald Trump proceed to dismantle the Status Quo. Nothing and no one was safe. Even the “Deep State’s” hold on government was threatened. Few of Americas allies and trading partners felt safe. Even military alliances felt threatened as Trump began demanding that allies start picking up more of the costs for their own defense.

Up to then, the burden fell largely on the United States while they redirected money to their economies. Then came the 2020 election, and the Status Quo was back in power, and their nightmare was over.  It was time to restore order. But that wasn’t all that happened, the 2020 election displayed for the world to see just how deeply divided Americans were.

To make matters worse, it showed the extent the Status Quo was willing to go to retain its power by propping up a man in obvious mental decline and expecting everyone to play along. This was “The emperor has no clothes” writ large for all the world to see. Confidence in American was now in a freefall.

 President Biden’s approval rating  averaged just 42%. His Vice President, Kamala Harris, was polled as the worse VP in U.S. history (and then the Democratic Party had audacity to put her up as their presidential nominee!). By the time Biden and Harris left office, America’s allies and trading partners had serious concerns. It seemed that nearly everyone was talking about America’s power in the past tense.

We left Afghanistan, after 20 years of war, worse off than when we arrived. Iraq wasn’t doing so great either, and our regional “arch-nemesis”, Iran and all its “baby vipers” like Hamas, Al Qaeda, ISIS, and Hezbollah, were feeling more emboldened than ever. China was now viewed as the new world economic superpower, and it wasn’t being shy backing it up. Not since WWII has nations in the Pacific felt so endangered.

We found ourselves butt deep in the shenanigans that triggered the war between Ukraine and Russia and even threatened the integrity of NATO over promises and deals which should never had been made.  Illegal immigration was out of control and our politicians lacked the will to stop it. But, as the expression goes, “history doesn’t often repeat, but it does rhyme”.

On November 7, 2024, Donald Trump accomplished what few---here at home or overseas--- thought was possible. He defeated the “swamp”, despite years of attempts to financially break him, attacking him and his supporters criminally, and constant political propaganda by the “impartial” mainstream media (cue sinical laughter). They even literally tried to assassinate him.  In Europe as well as Asia, Latin America, and Africa, friend and foe alike did their best to villainize  or humiliate him or anyone who openly supported “The Donald”.

It’s been written by biblical scholars that God would often consigned his chosen prophets to the desert wilderness, to be scourged by the blistering hot winds and sand, the blazing sun, the barren landscape, and constant thirst in order to prepare them for their chosen task ahead.

While no one (especially me) is claiming that Trump has been chosen by any other deity for anything, there’s no question that he has been purged of any doubts or illusions about who he is up against or what it will take to defeat an oligarchy which has destroyed the Republic and substituted in its place, a neo-fascist corporatocracy.  Perhaps more importantly, it has shown who has Trump’s back, both individually and globally.  So, where does the world stand?

Let’s start with Europe, which has traditionally been the focus of our interests for over 200 years. We were settled by Europeans and our country was founded on the ideals of the European Enlightenment and on the model of ancient Rome and Greece.  

Twice now we’ve bailed Europe out of two devastating world wars. We left some of our bravest behind, buried in European soil. Through the Marshall Plan, we invested billions to help raise the continent up from the ashes in which it found itself. We were also instrumental in saving western Europe from the clutches of communist tyranny. We’ve been there ever since, forging close partnerships politically, economically, and militarily.

According to a Visual Capitalist survey from January 2025,  40% Europeans generally are undecided about Trump’s second bite at the presidential apple (a Pew poll shows a 31% approval rating for Trump). While 38% see Trump’s presidency as a potential disaster of global proportions and 22% believe that it may herald in a new American “golden age” which could affect the world. Compare those numbers with that of President Obama where 53% had a positive opinion about him.

The UK is among those with a low opinion of Trump. Despite being our closest ally, 54% disapprove President Trump. 31% are on the fence and just 15% support Trump. As an aside, approval for Trump in Canada is a chilly 28% while the Aussie’s 35% positive rating.

In Germany, Trump’s confidence level is just 13% with 85% having low or no confidence in him. In Sweden it’s 81% no confidence. France and Spain both give Trump a thumb’s down with a negative 78% each. The Dutch and Greeks have only 25% approval rating for Trump. Among the Swiss, 44% are undecided while 23% like Trump, but 34% don’t.

The only place in Europe where Trump actually received positive numbers was in Poland with a 51% confidence level and Ukraine (which is heavily dependent on the U.S. for aid) which gave Trump an approval rating of 44%.  Still, 37% of Ukrainians had no confidence in Trump. As for Russia, 67% had a negative opinion about Trump with only 20% having a positive view of him.

Turning to Asia, only India and the Philippines had a positive impression on “The Donald”. In India it was 56% while in the Philippines that number was 77%. In South Korea, which is heavily dependent on U.S. military support, Trump’s confidence level was 46% with 52% have a negative opinion. In Japan, another country which depends heavily on the U.S., just 36% are confident in Trump and 61% aren’t. Lastly, in Indonesia, polling shows a 30% positive confidence level for Trump and a 40% negative.

In looking at Africa and the Middle East, our main ally, Israel has 71% approval rating of Trump. Israel’s neighbor, Lebanon, things were different. 67% voiced no confidence in Trump.  Nigeria, and Kenya do as well with a  58% and 65% positive approval respectively, whereas Turkey, a key NATO and EU ally, has an 84% negative level of confidence in President Trump. In Tunisia, just 12% said they had trust in Trump (75% didn’t).

In looking at three of the largest economies in Latin America, 89% of Mexicans reported no confidence in Trump (much of that, no doubt, coming from his crackdown on illegal immigration). Only 8% said they could trust Trump. In Brazil, President Trump’s positive confidence level was only 28%. 60% said “no”. Meanwhile, in Argentina, it was worse. 69% turned down Trump. 28% said “si”. It bears mentioning, that of the last five U.S. Presidents, Obama has had the highest global approval rating. First term Trump was the lowest.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that those on the political Right had the highest levels of confidence in President Trump. In Israel it was 86%. 55% in Australia and 50% in Italy. In Hungary, Trump polled a 57% positive rating. It was 58% among conservatives in South Korea. Among the Poles, it was a plus 61% for Trump.

Interestingly, however, among the Dutch and Spanish Rightwing parties, Trump’s numbers weren’t that high. Just 35% of conservative Dutch approved of Trump while 31% of the Spanish conservatives did. Conservative Germans had only a 21% positive opinion of him while it was just 21% among conservative Argentinians.

Looking at another poll, this one done by the European Council on Foreign Affairs, the question was posed as to whether Trump was a good thing for the American People, 69% of those surveyed in Saudi Arabia said “yes”. So did 50% in China, 59% in Russia, and 85% in India. Ukraine and Indonesia weren’t so sure. Just 37% of Ukrainians said “yes: as did 38% of those in Indonesia.

Interestingly, when it came to Europe in general, only 34% of those polled thought that President Trump would be a good thing for Americans in general. England polled the lowest with only 24%.

The same poll also showed that 75% of Indians felt that Trump’s reelection was going to be good for the world in general. However, from there the numbers quickly drop. Just 49% of those surveyed in Saudi Arabia agreed as did only 35% of Russians. In China it was 34% and 29% in Turkey.

Once again, Europeans displayed their low opinion of “The Donald”. 22% saw Trump’s second term as positive for the world. 15% of the English agreed with 50% a hard “no”. However, a paltry 13% of South Koreans were looking forward to Trump 2.0. It bears mentioning that 48% weren’t sure. 15% were sure…that Trump needs to go.

In a related poll, this one from June 2024 by Pew, respondents in 34 countries were asked their overall opinion of the United States. In general, 54% had a positive view of U.S. while 31% held a negative opinion. In looking at those with the highest opinions of the U.S., Poland had the highest with 86%. Ghana and Kenya were tied with 78%. They were closely followed with Israel, South Korea, and Thailand with 77% each.

In looking at the countries with the highest negative opinion of America, we have Tunisia with 87%. Our NATO partner, Turkey, was second with a 77% negative view of the U.S. Malaysia had a 65% negative opinion of the U.S. followed by Australia at 60% and Singapore showing a 50% negative opinion of the United States.  As an aside, just one in five Europeans regard America as an ally.

There’s no question that Donald Trump is a polarizing figure. Most people, whether here in the U.S. or abroad, either like him or hate him. There are very few in the middle or with no opinion. With America’s influence waning, confidence in the American Presidency could have a serious impact on global relations no matter how much saber rattling there is. In the high stakes game of global politics, the only thing worse than being disliked is being ignored like Trump's predecessor was. 

Trump has proven to be an excellent business negotiator despite (or because of) his bravado and unpredictability. That’s good for America. But in our highly integrated world, success has to be viewed from a position of a mutual win for all concerned. Furthermore, we have to accept that we are no longer the “big dog” on the block. Might alone doesn't make right. We sometimes have to allow others their time in the sun. Is Trump capable of that? I don’t know. Only time will tell.

 

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