Final answer:
A series of bank robberies in a specific country is mainly a national concern and does not typically constitute a planetary problem. They can affect local financial stability and perceptions of security, but systemic banking issues are more likely to have global implications.
Step-by-step explanation:
Would a series of bank robberies localized to a particular country be considered a planetary problem? The short answer is no. Bank robberies that occur within a specific country are primarily a national concern, affecting the country's financial stability, crime rates, and law enforcement resources. However, from a broader perspective, the banking sector is a critical component of the global financial system. While individual robberies may not rise to the level of planetary problems, systemic issues within the banking sector, such as the ones faced by Japan in the 1990s, can have broader implications and potentially affect global economic stability.
As the late bank robber Willie Sutton famously said, he robbed banks because "that's where the money is." In the modern economy, however, money is mostly digital—in the form of bank accounts and electronic records, rather than physical currency. Therefore, while a series of bank robberies may cause localized distress and raise questions about security and the efficiency of law enforcement, they are unlikely to have a direct impact on the vast majority of the world's financial transactions, which are conducted electronically. However, they could indirectly affect perceptions of stability and trust within the financial system. It's important to note that localized criminal activity can have further-reaching consequences by damaging a country's reputation and potentially influencing foreign investment and economic policies. Yet, such consequences still do not typically elevate these crimes to a planetary scale of concern.