Expert: US uses market economy as a tool of manipulation
In his talk with Alfa Radio, political expert Aleksandr Shpakovsky declared the failure of the market economy theories
The programme presenter, Vadim Shepet, recalled that – during his recent visit to the Vetka District – Aleksandr Lukashenko explained how he struggled against the market economy. The President mentioned George Soros, who once tried to impose some of his ideas on Belarus.
“Those theories about an invisible hand of the market and that the latter decides everything turned out to be untenable – just as the theories that we live on a planet of pink ponies and a common economic space, that we can easily get access to food and technology. Suddenly, virtually overnight, it appeared that everything – including the currency – is a subject of manipulation, and people can lose some of their opportunities at any moment, if they act against the Washington policy or somehow disagree with the latter. People may be disconnected from the banking sector and sci-tech achievements, and they may even face a decreased supply of food,” Mr. Shpakovsky said.
As an example, the expert mentioned Iran which has been under sanctions since the 1970s, and it experienced a shortage of insulin at a certain stage. “People suffering from diabetes could not receive prompt assistance because ‘the civilised world’ imposed sanctions. People died because of that, and they actually continue to die in many countries that are under sanctions or have been destroyed by the collective West’s efforts. The security system has been ruined there, and human life and health are in danger every day. As for food security, some might mock it as much as they like, but every tenth person in the world periodically experiences the problem of hunger, and several tens of millions of people are facing the threat of starvation daily,” he stressed.
Mr. Shpakovsky believes this is a consequence of the world order that the United States has established. “As US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland put it, the United States feels relatively safe and prosperous now, although – while looking at video footage from American cities (with their mass drug addiction, shootings and homeless persons) – I would not say so. Probably only those from the capitalist circle feel relatively safe and flourish,” he said.
“As for the market economy, [we should remember] that the Head of State is a politician, so it is no need to interpret all his statements literally. Belarus’ economy has market elements; there is a combination of a planned economy and a market economy. Shock therapy is not carried out, and the population is not plunged into the abyss of poverty. Do you remember how the architect of the market economy in Russia [Anatoly] Chubais put it when millions became impoverished overnight? Former employees of research institutes, defence facilities and public sector enterprises suddenly found themselves overboard of a new life. Chubais said then that they had not fit into the market," Mr. Shpakovsky reminded.
The expert added that Belarus did not choose that path, “We left our strategic enterprises in the hands of the state. As practice has shown, they can work normally, provide jobs for tens of thousands of people and preserve the social sphere. I have never seen anywhere in the world such a magnificent social sphere (kindergartens and other infrastructure), which I observed at the Belaruskali enterprise. So-called magic investors came to us and asked us to sell businesses. Actually, they wish to buy not the Orsha Linen Mill, but Belaruskali, BelAZ or our dairy facilities. In every privatisation-related situation, they came and demanded to cut social support payments. They have actually two points: employment and social support, and this prevents them from extracting excess profits. In turn, we make an emphasis of this. Maybe we are not getting enough in terms of profit somewhere, but we ensure the entire production cycle.”
