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Notes -
Of course this is a pleb assessment from the outside.
Did not cross my mind that this is self-abasement or performative self-flagellation. "Retarded puppy" just describes what I think those people think of us. "Unserious country" is just a blunt assessment of our state relative to what our aspirations must be. Not like discussing such things in the open is abnormal, I don't have any insight that would warrant being secretive.
With appearances and outsiders, I did not mean putting up a front, but what one is satisfied with. For a neutral/sympathetic outsider, the appearance is enough, no consequences if it is hollow. Praise and admiration on questionable ground is worth little, not surprising people would push back on it; consider that it almost is an insult, "this bare minimum is impressive for the likes of you". You can cram this into "inferiority complex", but on group level, you'd be wrong, it's pride, revulsion to condescension.
We were not in the gutter, and the rebound was easy for a European country in our position, switching away from a clown economic system, with the tailwinds of the period.
Pedestal for the US, due to circumstances. Beyond that just standard dynamics of a peripheral country on the backfoot. Don't see us chasing down suicidal trends.
To the extent you presented this as a spectrum, shouldn't #4 sit between #2 and #3? #3 is aggression, freeloading implies just opportunism. Anyway, it's less naive than the view that there are freeloading NATO members because of military spending not being at whatever % of GDP.
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