Comments by S.S.

While the circumstances are not identical, this reminds me of another country that was in genteel (or less than genteel) decline and was called the "sick man of Europe" for much of the 1970s. Yet, under the leadership of a prime minister (Thatcher) who believed that the decline could be reversed, the "sick man of Europe" (aka the United Kingdom) underwent a painful period of restructuring, reform and cultural transformation, and subsequently enjoyed a run of economic success for the next 20 years.