Some years ago, I started collecting information about the so-called Maghreb countries, which typically refers to the region spanned by Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, although sometimes Libya and Mauritania are also included in the aggregation. You will find it referred to as the Barbary Coast in English literature. I was interested (as a long-term project when I get old :-)) to write a book about how nations broke away from the yoke of colonialism only to fall into the hands of the IMF and the World Bank, which over time were becoming the leading attack dogs for the neoliberal domination of governments. That book is coming in the future. But I have also been interested in the way the Eurozone Member States have moved into Northern Africa to extract as much surplus as they can from exploiting the resources these African nations have. You know a nation is in trouble when there are nightly riots which were motivated by economic desperation and a pernicious new (so-called) Finance Law, which became law on January 1, 2018. I am, of course, talking about Tunisia. With high levels of unemployment and underemployment and a lack of job opportunities particularly severe in the interior regions, the IMF decided, in its infinite neoliberal stupidity, to force the Tunisian government to impose a harsh austerity program including pushing up value added taxes which have had the effect of driving up medicine, food and energy prices and impacting on those most affected by the lack of jobs. Smart thinking! The riots have now followed.Classical liberalism, imperialism, colonialism. Neoliberalism, neo-imperialism, neocolonialism.
This is a paradox of liberalism that emerges when political liberalism is equated with or prioritized over political liberal. The result is "bourgeois liberalism," or the rulership of the ownership class through its cronies and minions.
This is rationalized as promoting the international liberal order and spreading freedom and democracy.
Bill Mitchell – billy blog
The IMF and the Germans wreaking havoc in Northern Africa
Bill Mitchell | Professor in Economics and Director of the Centre of Full Employment and Equity (CofFEE), at University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia
1 comment:
I might try to write and article on it, how the elites feared democracy but now use it as propaganda to bash the rest of the world with. It's like democracy is the best thing that ever happened to them. We have no democracy here, but most people think we do because we have elections. One day Corbyn or Bernie might get in and then it will seem like a democracy, except the ruling elite will block them every way.
Look what Trump said and now look what he is doing? The Deep State continues, there's no draining of the swamp.
Post a Comment