Hungry Dogs
I will share my observation of the political situation in a few countries. How feasible is it to destroy a gang or militia by making its members hungry?
Before we start, let me define what I mean by making the militiamen or gangsters hungry. By hungry, I mean that they cannot afford proper food, medical care, and other basic needs such as clothes and electricity. I don’t mean starvation, as this is unlikely in any active gang or militia. Such groups can easily find other sources of income to bring food to the tables of their households; however, they won’t be able to afford proper healthy food and definitely won’t be able to afford more expensive things, such as medical care.
Watching a few countries suffer a devaluation of their currency due to various internal and external factors, one starts to analyze the situation. External factors due to some form of economic warfare would happen when a foreign country sees an opportunity to increase the economic damage on its enemy and decides to grasp it. International and even regional powers have plenty of policies at their disposal to compound the damage and bring the “enemy” to its knees. However, one should consider this approach’s likelihood of success in reaching a beneficial outcome.
The easiest factor to observe is the currency value. When a particular currency loses its value, the people’s wages in that currency also lose their value. As a result, their purchase power starts to diminish. Suddenly they can no longer afford the same lifestyle they used to enjoy. Of course, it is all relative; however, if one is used to replacing their smartphone every two years, they will be devastated when they need to rely on it for more years without the slightest chance of getting a new phone in the foreseeable future. But this can go beyond luxury to hit medical needs. A patient suffering from high blood pressure might suddenly realize that they can no longer afford a reliable pharmaceutical brand and can only take an untrusted replacement. The list of examples is endless.
The question which I am thinking about is, what would happen when the militiamen or gangsters get “hungry”? Are they going to revolt against their leaders living in extravagance? Or will they shut up and continue doing what they are doing?