The Rest of the Iceberg will help you understand the world. It answers questions and explains the backstories so you can make sense of what you see on the surface. That understanding will help you engage the world’s challenges better.
One of the worst refugee crises for decades is currently taking place in Southeast Asia, and world leaders are looking the other way. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh. Their suffering is immense, but not immense enough to make the world care. This is their story.
What does the United States have in common with Peru, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, and Uzbekistan? Answer: none of them have a universal health care system. The US is the only country in the developed world that does not provide health care to all of its citizens. The rest of the world thinks it’s strange and even heartless that the richest country on earth doesn’t seem to be able to look after its own people. That judgment may be harsh, as we’ll see. But the health care set-up in the US is certainly unusual. Why?
In 1991, this question seemed like an easy one to answer. The Soviet Union had just come to an end, the other Communist states in Eastern Europe were no more. Since then, the remarkable growth of China has made the question more complicated. In 1991, the average person in China lived on US $360 a year. Now, the figure is US $8,500. When America’s capitalist economy dived into recession in 2008 and China’s didn’t, Chinese officials were quick to argue that their system was superior. So can Communism work?
Go into a school and ask children to draw a picture of a famine victim, and the colour of crayons they'll grab is easy to predict. The stereotype of a person suffering from famine is African. And it’s accurate. In the 1800’s famines took place on every continent. In the past 40 years, by contrast, all famines except one have been in Africa. Why? There are several possible explanations. I’ll give you the best four.
North Korea doesn’t have an immigration problem. No one is lining up to move to a country known for its aggressiveness and shockingly low standards of living. For decades, it has threatened South Korea and Japan with missile strikes and it now has the ability to do the same to the USA. Why is North Korea so belligerent? Why would such a small country threaten the United States? Is Kim Jong-un really that bad? Or mad? Or is there something else going on?
Paris used to be known for its narrow, grimy streets. Cramped conditions and filthy water encouraged the spread of cholera and typhus. This was the Paris where Les Misérables of Victor Hugo’s imagination lived. Hugo set his story in 1832. By the time Hugo died in 1885, Paris was being called the most beautiful city in the world. What happened? How did Paris change so fast? And what was the point of all those new, wide streets?
If you live somewhere that’s relatively wealthy and successful, following world news can be uncomfortable. As you see countries sunk in poverty, war, or injustice you may wonder why the world is so unfair. And you probably also ask whether there’s a solution—whether there’s a way for other countries to flourish. On the surface, Singapore seems like it offers hope. In the early 1960’s, it was poorer than Mexico. 25 years later, it was three times as rich. How did it do it? And should other countries copy Singapore?
Going to church is an essential part of every tourist’s trip to Europe. Whether they are in Barcelona, Prague, or Paris, they shuffle quietly into some of the most stunning buildings in the world. They look at statues, stonework, paintings, and stained glass. The especially curious might attend a service. If they do, they will wonder why almost everyone there is, like them, a tourist. Europeans attend religious services less than people anywhere else in the world. Why?
Cars are expensive. Unless you’re talking antiques, their value only goes down. They cost a lot to repair and it’s a hassle when you have to. So it’s no wonder that reliability is a primary consideration when people buy a car. For the past thirty years, your safest bet has been to buy Japanese.
Why are the Japanese so good at making cars?
Have you ever seen Vladimir Putin, Russia’s leader, smile? Probably not. Whenever he appears on the Western news, the report is that Russia has done something sinister, and he certainly looks capable of whatever it is.
Ask a European, and they will tell you that Americans are violent. It’s not true. The number of assaults in America is similar to that in other countries. However, Americans are much more likely to die when attacked. The reason is guns. Americans citizens own as many guns as the rest of the world combined. Why?
A few years ago, Gallup asked people in more than a hundred countries whether religion was an important part of their daily lives. 83% of Iranians said, “Yes.” That may sound high but it actually put Iran right in the middle of the pack. But it’s understandable if you think of Iran as a land of religious zealots because that is how it’s portrayed in the media, especially in the US.
