>I think Paul's gotcha.
>
>A strong bias against relatively small-scale rural producers has been
>one of the worst things about African state-led development over the
>past generation (see Robert Bates's _Markets and States in Tropical
>Africa_, or Dumont's _False Start in Africa_). And it does look like
>this Mozambiquan export tax is a remnant of that bias.
>
>After all, successful episodes of state-led development involve
>export promotions much more than export taxes...
>
>Brad DeLong
This misses the whole point. Export agriculture is a no-win proposition,
especially since the price of commodities such as cocoa, cashews, coffee
and other goodies destined for the western grocery stores are not only
grown at the expense of food for local markets, but tend to decline in
price since imperialism can put pressure on weaker countries to all produce
such goods. With respect to coffee, for instance, it is nearly impossible
for "peripheral" countries to develop cartels like OPEC, because the
multinational middle-men like Planters, etc., can find ways to lure a
weaker producer into violating a trade agreement.
The real story about Mozambique is naturally excluded from Krugman's
consideration and that is namely the horrific war imposed on the
Mozambiquan people by South Africa and its various scummy fascist allies,
including the Reagan administration. The Portuguese had drained the economy
for most of a century, then when an attempt was made to reconstruct the
economy after a costly civil war, a new war began.
Mozambique is regarded by cold warriors as a vindication of their superior
wisdom now that a modicum of peace, accompanied by outside investment, has
given the appearance of progress. Behind all the glad talk, it is obvious
that nothing much has changed.
The real story in Mozambique today is not about cashew nuts, it is about
flooding. As in the case of Venezuela, Honduras and other victims of
"natural" disasters, the cause of widespread suffering and death is very
likely rooted in violent weather patterns spawned by global warming. As
imperialism turns these countries into faucets out of which pour coffee and
cashew nuts, they are rewarded with cyclones and IMF debt.
Louis Proyect
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