From a Concerned Reader (anonymous, for obvious reasons):
It seems our crazy Western governments are intent upon starting one or more wars. If one has a teenage grandson and wanted to resettle him somewhere in the world to avoid his participation in one of these conflicts, do you have an opinion as to where he might go?
I have to tell y’all, that is a really good question.
I’m leaving aside the old-time “draft-dodger” discussion, because it’s clear that this is not a Vietnam-era situation where everybody knew that our kids were being sent off to die for a country which was eventually going to fall into enemy hands anyway. (In other words, don’t go there in Comments.)
A lot depends on the grandson, of course. Does he speak Spanish? (In that case, places like Panama and Dominica are decent choices.) Ditto any other foreign languages, which open up areas like Southeast Asia — Thailand especially seems to be becoming a destination of choice.
It also depends how much you’re willing to pay for this resettlement, as several countries offer one the opportunity to purchase residency or citizenship (CBI, it’s called), so if you have the spondulicks, there’s that.
However, I also think one could consider staying at home, so to speak, but simply going to a place where one would be outside the risk of any foreign entanglements: the Coast Guard or a local police department, for example.
Comments on the topic are of course welcome.
Dominica is a beautiful independent island nation. Domenica sounds like a steakhouse. 😉
Fixed, thankee. [/1984]
Meh, go join up, then you don’t have to worry about getting drafted.
In my time, with a draft number of 20, I enlisted to beat the draft. Yes, it was Vietnam, and yes, I did my time. But being an AF medic, I could go to any base, big or small, anywhere in the world, and I did. I received useful training, I got a “real life” education that the priciest colleges couldn’t give me, and the Veteran’s bennies have served me well over the passing years. Would I recommend volunteering as opposed to being drafted? After Vietnam, yes. Not so much now unless you’re very clear on where you might end up if you join. It’s your choice, but go in with your eyes open.
Why do I think the answer to every young person’s life questions starts out, “Get a degree in engineering and then…”? Maybe because it does.
Go to a college that offers Air Force ROTC and do mechanical, civil, or electrical engineering to get a degree mostly on Uncle Sam’s dime. The kid is then set up with a military time likely to avoid getting shot at and a life-long ability to be useful, which should translate to the ability to stay fed, housed, and clothed. Avoid chemical engineering because during Vietnam those guys were tasked with building and maintaining water treatment facilities at some interestingly remote spots.
If the kid isn’t interested in all that calculus, physics, and chemistry, he should try one of the more rigorous business majors or nursing also paid for by ROTC. His military time is then probably somewhere relatively safe with, again, post military life based on skills useful in any civilized society.
If he wants to avoid the military (not a bad choice), there aren’t any sure choices in other countries. Cuba was prosperous until it wasn’t, as were Venezuela and Argentina. Everywhere south of Brownsville, Texas is at risk of becoming a shithole on short notice.
And fleeing industrialized countries brings back a memory of a 1950’s story about a prescient Frenchman who, in 1935, saw that Europe was headed for war and decided to move his family out of harm’s way, somewhere far from the coming storm, somewhere unlikely to be of any interest to the fighting elephants who would soon trample Europe, and maybe North America, with a war more terrible than any before. He chose to get as far from Europe as he could. He wanted to move to a remote, peaceful island most Europeans had never even heard of. He picked……….Guadalcanal.
Ouch.
“Everywhere south of Brownsville, Texas is at risk of becoming a shithole on short notice.”
Amen to that. I recall that when visiting Chile, I was always aware that at any point the country could become Marxist (Allendist) very easily, i.e. democracy/freedom hung by a thread.
Or one of those remaining colonial era buildings will fall on you during an earthquake. Chile has had some monsters.
Teenagers learn new languages easily so the kid could go anywhere.
If the idiots in charge do manage to ignite a big fat war there will not be many safe countries. It seems to me to be impossible to say which ones will be safe. Safe now does not really imply safe later.
My theory is to look for a wide open place not full of crazies. That eliminates all Islamic and leftist countries. Maybe Argentina if wossname cleans the joint up before they kill him. I hear Uruguay is well run.
The first thing is that I disagree with the premise. Our current western leadership is soft, and doesn’t *want* war. I also disagree that the (US) Military industrial complex wants US troops involved in shooting wars overseas. It’s far more profitable for them just to have the USG buy munitions and ship them to other countries doing the fighting. That way there’s no US political pressure to end the war.
There is always a contingent that thinks military action is the answer to certain problems, but I see no evidence that they are any larger contingent than at any other time. Other than leftists inherently don’t understand the use of military force.
We haven’t had a draft in 50 years, and the chances of it getting reinstated–short of a land war with China–are pretty slim. Public opposition to a draft to send kids somewhere else to die is going to be pretty high across the board, unless it’s some sort of existential threat.
Secondly, it’s not your call. It’s your grandson’s call.
Now to what you actually asked:
Places like Switzerland and New Zealand are relatively modern, relatively free nations with a long history of not getting involved outside their borders. Good luck getting into one of them. There’s a bunch of other little protectorates/micro states like Gibraltar and Isle of Mann that you might be able to get into. While Gibraltar is a contested country (Spain claims it IIRC, Britain owns it), it’s not really worth *fighting* over. Those would be your best bet if you want to live a decent life.
Other than those two there are no modern, western countries that respect individual rights that are “safe”. Yeah, I hear you laughing that I would refer to the US and Europe that way. But you think you have it bad here, it’s far worse other places.
Any place economically big enough to allow a western standard of living is going to be “playing the game”, or is a target for someone playing the game.
//outside the risk of any foreign entanglements: the Coast Guard or a local police department, for example.//
….lost one brother-in-law, NYPD, to friendly fire; another, and his son, both FDNY, to 911-related cancers. Death anywhere, always, is inescapable.
Stay, choose a side, prepare to die for it.
.
Belize, English is the language and it is relatively cheap to live there.
I’ll take a different perspective to some of the other commenters: this is about ensuring your line. Just as when one of the Rothschilds sent his sons to the corners of the earth to find vineyards.
If you think Russia will honour neutrality then Ireland is a great bet. Send him to read something useful – like Engineering – at an Irish university. Of course, if the UK gets nuked there may be radioactive fallout headed that way.
If he speaks Spanish then Chile may be worth a look. Chile’s top universities seem to be decent.
I have zero experience with foreign countries, although I do agree with Oblivion above – any place with a Western standard of living will be a target.
However another option is to go off-grid and underground right here in the USA. Obviously a teenager will probably hate that, but there it is. Learn a trade where you can be on a 100% cash basis (mechanic, plumber, etc.) and move to one of our more western states. Never register an address, do everything thru a pseudonym, never hold any formal job or position. Stay in areas with like-minded people. Keep your nose clean, your hands busy, and prep as much as possible. You don’t necessarily need to live in a Unibomber shanty, but something in that area code would suffice.
Japan is a good bet, their constitution states they’re not to get involved in foreign wars, defense of the homeland only (they DO do humanitarian missions and anti-piracy operations around Africa and elsewhere).
Of course Japan is pretty hard to get a residence permit for, let alone become a citizen. They protect themselves against foreign corruption of their cultural heritage (which every country should do).
Or get a few divisions worth of people together and take back South Africa or Zimbadwe.
The Coast Guard did serve in combat roles in Vietnam, so maybe not a good choice.