Channing, this ZOGGED US/Israel aggression in the middle east is bad news. You really need to come home. I need you to stop coping about the Balkans being better than the USA. They're not. Not in any metric.
Let me break it down for you by just using Missouri.
Size & Population (2025 estimates)
Missouri: 6.27 million people, land area 179,000 km²
Serbia: ~6.7 million people, land area 77,600–88,500 km² (depending on Kosovo inclusion)
Albania: ~2.36–2.4 million people, land area 28,700 km²
Montenegro: ~0.62 million people, land area 13,900 km²
Serbia is the closest match to Missouri in population. Missouri is geographically larger than any of the three (and larger than all three combined).
Economy (2024–2025)
GDP per capita (nominal USD)
Missouri: ~$72,000 (BEA-derived from ~$449 billion total GDP / population)
Serbia: ~$17,300 (IMF)
Montenegro: ~$16,400 (IMF)
Albania: ~$12,200 (IMF)
Missouri’s per-person economic output is 4–6 times higher. Even after adjusting for purchasing power (PPP):
Balkans: Serbia/Montenegro ~$33,000–36,000 intl. dollars; Albania ~$24,000–25,000
Missouri (U.S. equivalent): well over $80,000 intl. dollars
Total GDP Missouri: ~$449 billion
Serbia: ~$112 billion
Albania: ~$32 billion
Montenegro: ~$10 billion
Missouri’s economy alone is larger than the three Balkan countries combined. Key sectors overlap (manufacturing, agriculture, services, tourism), but Missouri benefits from deep integration into U.S. supply chains, higher-tech industry, and vastly greater domestic market scale.
Human Development & Quality of Life
All four places fall into the UNDP’s “Very High” human development category:
Montenegro: HDI 0.862
Serbia: HDI 0.833
Albania: HDI 0.810
Missouri (subnational estimates): ~0.90–0.91 (comparable to many mid-tier U.S. states)
Life expectancy is surprisingly close (mid-to-high 70s across the board), and health/education metrics have narrowed in recent decades. However:
Median wages and household income in Missouri are dramatically higher.
Cost of living in Balkan capitals (Belgrade, Tirana, Podgorica) is 30–50% lower than in Missouri cities like St. Louis or Kansas City — which stretches paychecks further for locals but doesn’t close the gap in absolute living standards.
Infrastructure, rule of law, healthcare access, and educational opportunities remain stronger and more consistent in Missouri thanks to U.S.-level investment and governance.
Broader Context
Political & geopolitical: Missouri is a stable U.S. state with full democratic institutions and zero sovereignty concerns. The three Balkan countries are independent democracies (with typical regional challenges) but are official EU candidates — Montenegro is furthest along, with possible membership in the late 2020s.
Challenges: All three Balkan nations face emigration/brain drain and slower convergence with Western Europe. Missouri deals with typical U.S. state issues (rural-urban divides, manufacturing shifts) but starts from a far higher baseline.
Strengths: The Balkans offer stunning Adriatic coastlines (Montenegro/Albania), rich history, and rapidly improving tourism/infrastructure. Missouri has the Mississippi River, Ozarks, major metros, and direct access to U.S. opportunities.
Bottom line
Missouri is clearly ahead on virtually every objective economic and material standard-of-living metric, roughly in the same league as wealthier Western European countries. The gap is real and significant.
You need to stop being retarded and come home before some jihadist kidnaps you and cuts your fucking head off. Things are going to be getting really grim really soon. Our best chance is still right here in the United States. You don't have to like everything about this country, I sure as shit don't. But by every objective metric, it is still the greatest country on this planet.