Do as we say, not as we do (again)

For years now it has been demanded, by the usual suspects, that Haiti adopt outward-orientated economic policies in order to become part of the international marketplace. What this means, of course, is they give up their right to sustain any national industries, and more importantly, they lose their ability to develop domestic agriculture. Really, it means Haiti must give up its sovereignty. This obviously is not unique to Haiti. It is primitive accumulation on an international scale, with developing nations essentially being turned into dependent proletarians ready to serve as a sort of wage slave for developed nations. Instead of personal labor being sold, their natural resources and political allegiances fill the bill.

Given the aggressive early protectionism (which continues today in some well-connected industries, even after the neo-liberal "reforms") of developed nations, two questions arise: Are proponents of this mess called "free market capitalism" simply so ideologically committed to a failed strategy that they refuse to learn from the death and destruction of the past and present? Or, do they realize the strategy is an utter failure for working people across the world, and simply use it as a less messy form of internal control and colonialism? Call me a cynic, but I'm guessing the latter.