this post was submitted on 31 Aug 2025
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It's taxation.
Taxation + efficiency + [less open]corruption
~~While many European countries were heavily into colonizing, I don't think the Nordic countries were that excessive into the practice. At least, not to have an empire to extract resources like Britain, France, Spain, etc did.~~
It would appear I was wrong on this take.
Nordic countries are subimperialist. They receive the benefits of unequal exchange, unfair trade agreements, technological advantage, and so on but rely on the explicit mechanisms of enforcement to come from prime imperialists pike the US.
Fair enough, I was unaware of the situation. I always heard of the big colonizing countries being responsible for a lot of issues, but I can see how that could still impact other countries.
It's less obvious but can see how the Nordic countries fall in line with imperialist structures. I'll expound a bit but it is not in any way in disagreement.
The nordic countries lend weight to unequal IP restrictions and dollarization and the IMF, they never do anything material against imperialist wars (they actually want a piece of the pie by providing arms), and now that they are accepting their role as NATO pawns they are increasing their military budgets, cutting the welfare state, and allowing their fascistic political foemations to thrive while suppressing the left. They all openly tolerate "Israeli" genocidal fascism and even carry water for their project against domestic dissidents. Nordic countries are deeply embedded in global capital monopoly, the engine of imperialism, whether it is Norway as a petrostate or shipping logistics like in Sweden and Denmark. And they do not do this reluctantly and with policy against imperialist aims. Internally, they are fanning the flames against POC immigrants as the big scapegoat for why their lives are materially deteriorating - not their own state's willing deindustrialization or cuts to services.
To put it simply, they are liberals. They briefly were the selective snapshot of "successful" liberalism if you didn't peek behind the curtain of global exploitation (who grew that "luxurious" pineapple and what were they paid!?). The global financial system propped up states in their region as a means by which to oppose communists, as if communists were there to steal your children or do the genocides that imperialists constantly engaged in. That system is no longer intentionally doing this, it is neoliberal and there is no communist current in Europe. We now watch it decay into the hallmarks of fascism. The empire is pulling back its subsidies, reversing them, and all of "Europe" is collaborating for how to react to this in the worst possible way.
Prove that us taxes are more corrupt than any nordic country? Okay here it goes: i have a brain. Thanks.
Who said anything about the US, you smarmy dumbass?
Almost, it's imperialism. The Nordic model depends on the global system of imperialism to both have safety nets and huge profits for capitalists.