Small-Scale Reality

Small-Scale Reality

10 January 2026

Much has already been said and written about our small scale, often to explain why it leads to limitations. Yet these limitations are not always the result of absolute scarcity, but rather of our failure to make effective use of the limited resources and human capital we do have. This is precisely why the achievements of our athletes—most recently the qualification of our football team for the 2026 World Cup—are so exceptional. They demonstrate what is possible when we do not impose unnecessary constraints.

That does not mean we can ignore our limits. The pandemic taught us that we are unable to weather such a crisis on our own, without assistance from outside—read: the Netherlands. Current geopolitical tensions confirm this reality. We manage to get through, but only just, and only with external support.

There is, however, another lesson, one that is mentioned less often. We are able to focus on only one crisis at a time. Not only because we lack sufficient experts, but also because, for various reasons, we are simply not equipped to address multiple complex challenges simultaneously. We saw this before, between 2005 and 2010, when almost all attention was devoted to shaping the new country of Curaçao.

In 2026, other problems therefore remain unresolved. We are facing a demographic crisis—ageing—that manifests itself in an unaffordable state pension system and rising healthcare costs. Poverty and the narrow base of our economy also remain persistent challenges. These crises are partly the result of our small scale, but since geopolitical tensions have escalated, there is simply no longer the space to address them seriously.

Former Prime Minister Rhuggenaath once spoke of a lack of thinking capacity. At the time, I took issue with that remark. I now understand the context. Then as now, my position remains that we can achieve more by making better use of the expertise we do have.

Miguel Goede