Types of countries

Types of countries are harder to define than types of companies. They are more controversial. Here are types worth discussing for anyone who wants to do moral purchasing or make a decision based the type of country they are buying from:

• Rogue states defy international law on a regular basis, invade other countries, give or sell weapons of mass destruction or parts / materials, and give money to rebels inside other countries. They have nuclear weapons, for sure, and want more. They may also threaten to destroy the world if they don't get their way, or make up new concepts like illegal combatant to hold people in jail forever. They are run almost entirely on propaganda and opinions from outside the country don't count for very much. Examples: USA, Israel, North Korea.

• Unpopular states may defy rulings of international law sometimes, but not always. They do not invade other countries. They may claim that rogue states are doing things to them, like funding disruption or terror, making it hard for them to run things inside the country. Examples: Cuba, Iran, Palestine, Syria.

• Traditional states are unpopular with some, but others think they are just following a tradition of their own that has bad results sometimes. Examples: China, Saudi Arabia, UK, France, Mexico, Peru, India, Russia, Vietnam, Turkey, Egypt, Algeria. Probably most states are these.

• Legalist states actually try to follow international law and do what it says. If it says something they don't like, they do it anyway but try to change the law or treaties. Examples: Finland, Canada, Germany, Venezuela, Sweden, Morocco, Japan

• Do-gooder states try to apply laws on people from other countries about things that happen in other countries, just to make a moral point. The military probably only does peace-keeping. They stay away from stupid global domination plans - and may prosecute those who carry them out to screw up their plans. Examples: Spain, Belgium, Denmark.

As with types of companies a scale may apply, say from -2 (rogue state) to +2 (do-gooder state). No country should be totally boycotted if there are good people inside it to deal with, but proving they are good may be difficult. And, no country is so good that one should always endorse everything in it. Every state has criminals. But some states are run by them, and those should not be rewarded.