POLITICAL ECONOMY
ISMAIL LAGARDIEN: The problem with liberalism is the economics
Earlier in November, on the occasion of what would have been her 100th birthday, Helen Suzman was fondly remembered by South Africans of many persuasions. Suzman’s political legacy is not to be scoffed at. However, liberalism, the classical variant that Suzman represented, can be placed under scrutiny. Writing a regular column on the political economy can easily lead to being seduced by the idea of providing "thought-leadership". Daniel Drezner of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in the US likens the industrial scale of thought-leadership to a domain usually preserved for "superstars with their own brands, sharing a space previously reserved for moguls, celebrities and athletes". The most prominent of this brand of thought-leader is the New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, whose work, Drezner explains, is marked by "facile thinking and transparent servility to the wealthy". He argues that Friedman’s best-selling book, The World is Flat, is loved by p...
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