People
0

Iran "Among Best Places to Be Born Today"

Iran "Among Best Places to Be Born Today"
Iran "Among Best Places to Be Born Today"

If you could be born anywhere in the world today, where would you choose? What makes a country or a company full of opportunity — for everyone?

These are among the topics that several LinkedIn Influencers weighed in on this week. As the BBC wrote, here’s what Ian Bremmer, president at Eurasia Group – the world's largest political risk consultancy – had to say:

"The best part of public speaking, at least for me, is the Q&A. I want to know what people are thinking, and I love being surprised with an inventive question, and I try not to overthink my answer. Best responses to left-field questions are usually instinctive, not the product of careful deliberation.

"In Tokyo last week, I got a left-field question for the ages: Knowing what you know and believing what you believe, if you could be born today anywhere in the world, where would you choose to be born? I liked that one so much, I came up with three answers.

"One, it’s hard not to choose the United States of America, and not just because it’s my home. I was born in the projects south of Boston. My mother was a homemaker. My father died when I was four. We had little money and no family connections. But my mother made sure I got a good education. On that foundation I started my own company. I invented my future. America is not the only place you can do that, but I can’t think of anywhere that throws up fewer obstacles…

"Two, or maybe it would be better to be born today in Iran. Yes, Iran. America offers a lot, but America has already made it. Maybe it’s not enough for you to invent your own future. Maybe you want to be part of a nation that is building its own future. The coming end of sanctions lifts legions of young Iranians on a wave of hope… This is a diverse country with a diverse economy, and one with a lot to look forward to. Being part of that is an awfully attractive possibility.

"Three, or maybe I’d go with Bhutan. When I visited there a few years ago, I saw people with time and space to think, breathe, and engage one another. Maybe it’s not about energy, excitement and success. Maybe a baby born today is better off with wisdom. And happiness.

Ian Bremmer is president of Eurasia Group, global research professor at New York University and foreign affairs columnist at TIME. Eurasia Group is the world's largest political risk consultancy. Founded in 1998, it has offices in New York City, Washington, DC, London, and Tokyo and employs more than 150 full-time employees. The company also employs a network of 500 experts in 90 countries in Asia, Latin America, Europe and Eurasia, and the Middle East and Africa.

Financialtribune.com