Current mood:	contemplative
Current music:	Alanis Morissette - That I Would Be Good
Entry tags:	economics, politics

How globalism impedes political tough love
Jeremy Weinstein was at dinner tonight talking about the issues surrounding poverty in developing countries and political reform in Africa. He told us about his stint as an advisor to Liberia's recently elected President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. She wanted to electrify the capital city within 6 months to keep her campaign promise but was informed that the UN timeline was slated to have that accomplished in 18 months so she decided to forge ahead with a quick'n'dirty plan to jury-rig a power grid for the city during the interim period. She also wrangled to start building roads immediately instead of waiting for 2-3 years as the UN normally does.

Jeremy moved on to discuss how the revolutions that changed much of Europe from monarchies to republics are no longer feasible because the political systems that work well in industrialized countries aren't sustainable in poor ones and collapse before their economies have grown enough to support a liberal society. He argues (and I agree with him) that China's approach of building a strong economy before throwing open the doors of social freedoms is most viable in the long run. Furthermore, by continuing to give humanitarian aid to the destitute masses in countries run by totalitarian dictators (like Mugabe) we are inadvertently keeping his subjects just barely satisfied enough to prevent them from revolting against him.

A contentious position to be sure but it does sound like a reasonable one if you value future lives as much as existing ones.