An Overlooked Hideout
There are threads and threads on Twitter and various forums discussing this main question: Where does one go [for freedom, normalcy, to escape the madness]?
You can imagine that this question has gotten considerably more attention over the last few years when governments decided to turn their countries into prison systems just to see how much they could get away within this new penal system.
Many have named El Salvador, Mexico, Thailand, Costa Rica, Tanzania as the ideal places to weather the hysteria storm; obvious places to avoid were anywhere in the EU, Canada, Australia (jokingly known as Aus’Jail’ya), United Kingdom and others.
The takeaway was that developed locations were sophisticated enough to enforce totalitarian policy and were the places to avoid; whereas places less developed, with a smaller budget and often other problems were the places to find exemption from surveillance like a fugitive. I’ve said travelling in 2020 to any of the strictest countries was like being treated like a sick child who had a criminal proclivity to bio-terrorism.
So it comes back to the original question, if Covid 2.0 (or an equally destructive event were to occur) where does one go?
I’ve come up with a list of reasons why I think Iceland, still a developed country, is actually not a bad bet to hedge yourself in this chaotic world.
- 1. Firstly, my guess is that you did not think of Iceland, and if you didn’t think of it, neither did others. Great! Than that’s a place to be. It will not be swamped with individuals trying to find safety or food because it simply is not on people’s radar by being in the middle of the Nordic sea. It truly is isolated from the rest of the world should a series of warfare conflicts break out. What’s more, is that Iceland is not a geopolitical player on the world stage. Their decisions to fish cod does not move markets or decide elections and therefore it will be less influenced from let’s say “the big players”. So on an individual level and a geopolitical level–> they are isolated.
- 2. Safety. Iceland is the safest country on Earth and it continually retains this status. Iceland is actually the number one in a lot of categories ‘per capita’ given their small population. A small population is likely another positive attribute you’re going to seek when seeking refuge from events of economic, financial and political turmoil. Less people = Less trouble. Can’t you tell I’m a people person?
- 3. Egalitarianism. Iceland is known for their egalitarian structure in their society. Whilst this does not produce the vicious competitiveness for better, faster, bigger like in USA society, it does increase your chances that you will be able to have a meaningful impact in your newly settled community. If you’re in need of a lawyer, you may be able to reach out to one of the countries’ finest over email whereas this is an impossibility in a country like the USA where you need ample capital or connections to do this. The language is nearly impossible to learn for a foreigner, but most speak English anyway. Again, it’s not the place for getting rich and driving a Rolls Royce, but if the world is in a lot of volatility, this should be the least of your worries.
- 4. Stability. Iceland was (according to my research) the only country where bankers actually faced meaningful penalties for the 2008 financial crisis. Northern European banks are notorious for playing a conservative balance sheet. However, from 2009 to 2017 Iceland did have foreign capital controls about withdrawing a specified amount of money out of the country. So I suppose there’s always a downside. It’s hard to say how much exposure they have to China, mortgage-backed-securities, regional US banks, and cryptocurrencies.
- 5. Homogenous. Iceland is made up of Icelanders. Oh boy. Might get censored for this one… It’s true however that a majority of their country are composed of their own people. I’m not stating a case for one people’s over another, but the reality is that when you have multiple groups of varying ethnicities, you’re just asking for problems. People immediately resort back to their animalistic tendencies and create an in-group/out-group perception of the world. Bad times are more easily blamed on that group rather than another set of causes. Travel the world, namely Asia and Latin America and you’ll understand what I mean. The point being here is that Iceland will be more likely to remain inherently stable because their country/ people will remain the same. This goes for any other homogenous country.
- 6. Energy & Food. Most countries are totally reliant on other’s for crucial resources such as petroleum or agriculture. I mean The Mountain from Game of Thrones lives there, so they NEED plenty of food…
Iceland is one of the few countries that actually can ‘go green’ because of their numerous waterfalls, & hot springs. Approximately 70% of Iceland’s power-grid is from hydroelectric power, with 25% coming from wind and solar. As long as the world continues to spin, the lights shouldn’t go out in Iceland. Many climate alarmists have tried to use Iceland as the exemplar model on how to run an economy on renewables, forgetting that Iceland is gifted with these landscapes and has an entire population much smaller than most cities. Point being, it’s possible for Iceland.
With respect to food? The average food supply in Iceland is generally calculated at 1,200 kg per person a year (a tolerance of 400 kg per person), or about three times the amount that an adult is expected to consume per year. Iceland has very high obesity rates due to their fish-based diets. A 2013 Food study highlighted that Icelandic food intake ranked 6th in the world. - 7. Debt. For a place that relies on high taxes and many government programmes they are quite modest in the debt load. After being well above 100% Debt:GDP, about 10 years ago, they’ve paid off their debts and have gotten that number down to 67% Debt:GDP as of the end of 2022. By comparison, the EU (as a whole) represents 92% Debt to GDP
- 8. Iceland isn’t on bad terms with Russia. I’ve been using this as a barometer as of late to determine the extent of someone’s issues with those most aggressively anti-Russia (anti-commodities) experiencing the most economic strain. This is not saying that Russia is an entity free from guilt or wrong-doing (kind of funny even suggesting this) but for Iceland’s sake, if they need oil or wheat, it may still be available for them.
- 9. Tax. Iceland is truly is rubbish for taxation. All Nordic countries have the opinion that everyone should be pulling their own weight for the government coffers & a welfare state is superior to a liberated one. However, one interesting aspect of Icelandic tax law is when you (as an individual) leave, you immediately cease to become a tax resident of Iceland. For some who have had a significant domicile there, you have to show a new tax residency to detach from Iceland’s tax liabilities. Though this immediate removal of liability is ideal if you intend on using Iceland as a temporarily escape plan before later returning to your true home.
- 10. They’re not playing the CBDC slavery coin game. Referring to some CBDC tracker sites, the last analysis of the implementation of a CBDC was 5 years ago and it’s status remains inactive. In fact, back in 2018 the Central Bank quoted that “it did not recommend the rafkrona (CBDC name) to be introduced”.
- 11. The people are active in their lifestyle. Work-life balance is cherished here & for whatever reason, many strongmen originate from this island.
- 12. They are known to have good extradition laws. If you were ever to become a citizen (difficult) they only answer extradition calls from Denmark, Norway, Sweden & Finland. However, for foreign nationals, you are only able to be extradited by Iceland if they find you guilty of the same charge under Icelandic law and warrant a jail sentence of at least 1 year. This shouldn’t be a deal breaker for most, but as governments feel the need to hunt down citizens, it may be worth considering.
I hope these were some reasons to put Iceland on your grid. I have no affiliations with the country, though I’m hoping to gain some exposure there. Even if none of these reasons appeal to you… their citizens can deadlift 1000 lbs. and scream stuff like this. Are you sold, gym bros?
#StayOnTheBall
