Columnist ignores desires of Third World citizenry
I suppose I'm just a disgruntled leftist intellectual. Here's why: I found Pankaj Vaish's column ["Third World countries edging towards freer markets," Sept. 22] frightening. Vaish, in his lengthy piece, expresses enthusiasm for Third World countries edging towards freer markets. This, in itself, is not disturbing.
What is disturbing is that the people of these countries are never mentioned. The encouraging results that Vaish presents include, inter alia, Mexico's concessions to its "First World" creditors and her adoption of "union busting," African countries forgoing sovereignty so as to please the International Monetary Fund, and Venezuelan austerity measures. Sadly, none of these are likely to improve the lives of ordinary Africans, Mexicans, or Venezuelans.
But even if that were not the case, even if these measures were to prove beneficial to the average citizens of these "less-developed countries," it would still be depressing at best, and frightening at worst, that Vaish does not seem to care. I guess nowadays only leftist intellectuals worry about such trifles as people. More's the pity.
Robert J. Stainton G->
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