That's a really interesting video, so much I learned about Slovenia, had no idea of its origins, really. Their location next to Italy and Austria was key, but they really zeroed in on investing in education and trading with the West, building infrastructure, and developing a capitalist economy while taking care of its citizens. This was a great approach and allowed it freedom not found in most of Eastern Europe after WWII.
In the United States, with unregulated greed and no investment in its citizens, and little investment in its infrastructure, many things are prohibitively expensive, like higher education. Most can't afford college and face the prospect of years of debt that will accumulate, with interest. Many people won't go for that reason. Most local and state governments in the U.S. can barely afford to repair the roads, at least in many places.
Moscow-Mongol horde! There is a reason why in Finnish verb "Ryssiä" ( 
