Dominic Lawson

A Point of View 2

Another aspect of capitalism that is often overlooked is the phenomenon of corruption. Some time ago, I heard that almost a quarter of Africa's GDP is diverted to corrupt elites. This is just beyond belief. Even the so-called aid money - apparently intended to give aid to those that millions continent - is considered fair game. A 2007 report estimates that corruption costs Africa's something in the region of $ 150 billion and counting that most of this cost is borne by the poor. The net effect of this is that prices are 20% higher than would be the case, investment is discouraged, and development held back. Clearly, corruption is far from being an exclusively African phenomenon. It may not be as clear and present in the so-called developed world, but there are certainly there, like a fungal infection in the shadowy world of financial trouble. Needless to say, greasing palms would not and could not happen in a society founded on the principle of "to each according to his ability, to each according to his needs." Or that people have reason to feel cynical and jaundiced about others in society, something which is capable of eroding social cohesion and thus the creation of alienation.
One of the strongest arguments in favor of communism is that war and preparation for war is almost an integral part of capitalism. Whatever players may argue, war invariably involves a dispute over economic interests. In some cases it may be fairly obvious: one side can declare war on another over a certain portion of territory, a trade route, or access to a resource or a specific market. All wars are clearly colonial economy, with its nascent local bourgeoisie seeking to defend its interests against a colonial power. In other cases, the economic base may be more difficult to discern in the blurb on "freedom", "sovereignty", "terror" or "jihad", but it underpins the more likely such a conflict, whether it reflects a desire to obtain strategic interests become poverty in a particular region, or a relative of recruiting sergeant for religious or nationalist groups seeking to wage war. It also acknowledged that today is that many if not most wars do not conform to the classical model of two or more States are embroiled in a decisive conflict and limited in time. Many of the amount - with what are called unintentional irony - civil war. But here too, economic interests or factors - are inextricably linked to these wars, as was demonstrated by the warring factions in Sierra Leone bloody civil war that some seek to control the production of "blood diamonds" or trying awfully wicked to manage the Taliban opium production in Afghanistan. Aside from the appalling misery and psychological damage inflicted on those who survive the wars of capitalism, the hardware cost of these wars (which have continued unabated since the "war to end all wars") is incalculable Beyond the obvious costs of fighting wars and the ensuing destruction of homes, offices, factories, schools, hospitals, roads, bridges, dams, etc., there are numerous indirect costs that are often not taken into account in the overall numbers (an example of what could be a recent (2007) Congressional Budget Office report that 2.4 billion would have spent by the U.S. on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2017) . Consider, for example, the unintended consequences of the environment, education disturbed persons who otherwise would have had much to contribute to society, social problems arising directly or indirectly as a result of the fracturing of social institutions that could helping people to lead "normal" life, the cost of treatment and rehabilitation of injured combatants and noncombatants ... the list is long. Yet that's not all: even when the count.

Posted on May 25, 2010.

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Dominic Lawson

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