Neoliberal success story I
"Most Latin American countries adopted far-reaching economic-overhaul agendas during the 1990s. These included selling off state-owned enterprises, sharply reducing tariffs, battling inflation with debt reduction and tight monetary policy. Many of these changes were strongly advocated by the IMF. Nevertheless, between 1998 and 2003, per-capita gross domestic product actually fell by 0.1% in the region, after adjusting for inflation, the IMF reported. The poverty rate remained stuck at more than 40%." — Wall Street Journal, February 9.
Neoliberal success story II
"The proportion of children living in poverty, or on less than $1 per day, has risen in most of the world's developed countries since the early 1990s, according to UNICEF's latest report from the Innocenti Research Centre in Florence... What they show is that 40 to 50 million children living in some of the world's wealthiest countries, are growing up in poverty." — UNICEF press release, March 1.
The Gucci revolution
"Some people here are jokingly calling the phenomenon 'the Gucci revolution' — not because they are dismissive of the demonstrations, but because so many of those waving the Lebanese flag on the street are really unlikely protesters. There are girls in tight skirts and high heels, carrying expensive leather bags, as well as men in business suits or trendy tennis shoes." — BBC World News, March 3, reporting on the anti-Syria demonstrations in Lebanon.
Rent-a-protester
"And in one unforgettable scene an elderly [Beirut] lady, her hair all done up, was demonstrating alongside her Sri Lankan domestic helper, telling her to wave the flag and teaching her the Arabic words of the slogans." — BBC World News, March 3.
From 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, March 16, 2005.
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