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"First world" is part of a Cold War paradigm that I think has entirely lost its context.
But ask me which countries are good candidates for reaching "developed" world status, on a par with, say, G20 countries, and I'd vote for the following countries to reach this level of development by 2050:
Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico (I'm seeing good things for Latin America)...
In East and South Asia, I'd say Thailand, Vietnam, maybe India... I do want to say India, but so many parts of it have a lot of catching up to do, and it's a long shot I think to suppose that all the infrastructure, workforce, and standard of living will reach a par with the countries we typically consider "developed" by then, but we can hope so.
Africa: I think North African (Maghreb) countries will reach this status by 2050, so Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria... some promising candidates could be Nigeria, Kenya, Botswana, South Africa, and Senegal... wish I knew more about Africa, but these are areas that look like they have the best prospects for stability and prosperity for the next couple of generations.
Has it?
I think it makes sense to go over the list what "first world countries" are, what it exactly means, in order to understand that there will be NO *second wave* of "first world countries."
If the global warming trends continues, then it could be Greenland and Iceland, since they could end up with moist, temperate climates which would put them in a position to become 1st world.
Iceland has already been part of the 1st World for the last 20+ years.
But, is Iceland really on the same tier as countries like the United States, Germany or Japan? That's what comes to mind for me when I think of "First World." Also, when I think of "First World", I think of a country that hosts many large, powerful, international corporations. Maybe we need better terminology.
What? No way! If Taiwan is still struggling to make it to 1st World status, the rest of those won't make it in just one generation, with the possible exception of Argentina. I would say Taiwan, with luck. Japan and Korea are already there. Actually, Ecuador was well on its way, but the US has been trying to destabilize the President who put it on that path, so who knows. Are Albania and Macedonia assumed to be First World just because they're in Europe? Because they're not. They would be next, IMO.
IDK, it's not as easy a question to answer as it appears to be. Why Kazakhstan, of all places, btw?
Care to elaborate that because i call BS, Rafael Correa is a socialist. With Allies like Luis Inácio ( Communist)Evo Morales and Hugo Chávez...recipe for disaster.
But, is Iceland really on the same tier as countries like the United States, Germany or Japan? That's what comes to mind for me when I think of "First World." Also, when I think of "First World", I think of a country that hosts many large, powerful, international corporations. Maybe we need better terminology.
Well of course. After all, the island has a whopping 300k population.
This one is likely already there. It is already considered a "developed nation" so does that make them first world? Everything you read says they are one, or if they are not they are so very close.
Americas:
Most of the Caribbean (except Haiti and Jamaica)
Wrong about Jamaica they work closely with China and signed an agreement recently that made Kingston one of China's 4 major logistic hubs along with Rotterdam, Dubai, and Singapore. Kingston will also be the number 2 financial center in the Caribbean within the next 50 years.
But, is Iceland really on the same tier as countries like the United States, Germany or Japan? That's what comes to mind for me when I think of "First World." Also, when I think of "First World", I think of a country that hosts many large, powerful, international corporations. Maybe we need better terminology.
The whole first world/second world/third world concept is a bit outdated if you ask me. It was originally intended to label countries within and outside the influence of the USSR, but gradually changed to become an indicator of how developed a country is. The world is so globalized now to the point where even people in impoverished countries have access to goods and technology that previous generations could not even fathom.
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