doing business ”, Belarus is 44 , compared to Ireland at 17 , France at 27 , and Spain at 33 . For “ enforcing contracts ”, Belarus is number 29 , Belgium is 53 , Chile is 56 , Poland is 55 , England is at 33 . Still , the regime is pressed to privatize its heavy industries , still mostly government owned . There is little street crime , which also makes the nation attractive for foreign investors . Economic freedom pales when street crime , kidnapping , and armed robbery are rampant , as in some Latin American countries .
Shakedowns and bribes to the police and government inspectors are a very common aspect of post-communist regimes . From what I learned , Belarus limits such small time , yet cumulatively devastating corruption , unlike Russia , for example .
In conclusion , Belarus is progressing in ways favorable to economic progress and is much freer than its
reputation as a surviving “ Marxist ” state . The British Guardian , in a positive article , asks “ Is it accurate to call Belarus a dictatorship ?” Although political opponents are sometimes jailed ( a dozen in 2013 ), they are then shortly released . The dynamic , free market , and the rising living standards of neighboring Lithuania , Latvia , Estonia , and Poland , are vibrant examples for them . Often American policymakers don ’ t appreciate that “ in much of the non- Western world , people desire order more than democracy ,” writes Jamestown ’ s Grigory Joffe . He writes of “ a legitimate fear of evil , destructive … behavior by their fellow countrymen that only a strong government can restrain . … Democracy cannot be exported , much less imposed , by an outside force . Simply put , one cannot build democracy other than on the homegrown foundation of civility and trust .” Having lived in lawless countries I concur totally with Joffe ’ s comments . Opposition movements in such nations demanding “ democracy ” are often supported by Washington , but many or most are not Jeffersonians in waiting .
Effective groups such as Students For Liberty and the Atlas Network , which have long supported , help local think tanks and such groups to spread Western concepts of individual freedom , limited government , property rights , low taxes , and economic progress . Only a nation ’ s own people can really bring it progress . Washington is too ham-fisted and all too eager to threaten or even start wars as a “ solution ” to promote freedom . Then we wonder at the chaos our military interventions create .
Usage of this article was submitted by , Geert C . Visser , Honorary Consul for the Republic of Belarus
36 iF Magazine | September 2016