Zohran Mamdani’s socialist superstore stunt won’t help poor New Yorkers Opinion Zohran Mamdani’s plan to open five state=owned shops with subsidised groceries will make little to no difference to the lives of New Yorkers, so why are you reading about it? Ask Kristian Niemietz New York City has a population of over 8.5m people, or close to 20m if we include the wider metropolitan area, and [...]
Ukraine is turning West in its economic thinking Opinion Ukraine and Russia once shared a Soviet system but are now moving in opposite directions. One is becoming more aligned with the economic values of Western democracies; the other remains rooted in a tradition of state control, says Rainer Zitelmann A quiet but consequential shift is underway in Eastern Europe. While geopolitical attention has focused [...]
Zohran Mamdani’s victory must be a wake-up call to freedom’s defenders Opinion The election of Zohran Mamdani signal the start of the anti-capitalist backlash. It must not be allowed to succeed, says Rainer Zitelmann The election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City sends a powerful message worldwide. In the very heart of global capitalism, a socialist has won. Frank Sinatra once sang in his [...]
On this day in 1968: Moscow crushes the Prague Spring August 20, 2025 On this day in 1968, Alexander Dubček's experiments in "socialism with a human face" with the Prague Spring were met by the force of Moscow.
How Sweden left socialism behind February 13, 2025 The myth of socialist Sweden persists but in fact it has left many of the policies of the 70s and 80s behind and become one of the most market-oriented societies in the world, says Rainer Zitelmann For decades, the production and sale of alcohol was heavily regulated by the state in Sweden. When it came [...]
How Albania went from Europe’s socialist poorhouse to a narco-state February 6, 2025 Albania was once a socialist backwater with just 1,265 cars in the whole country. And though living standards have improved considerably since that time, it’s failure to transform into a true market economy has handed power to drug lords and driven the brightest and best to emigrate, says Rainer Zitelmann I was in Tirana, the [...]
What does the world really think about freedom? January 22, 2025 On a round-the-world trip, Rainer Zitelmann conducted the most extensive ever survey of global attitudes to capitalism and the market economy. Over the coming weeks he’ll be sharing his insights with Morning Wire Many people dream of travelling the world. Well, from April 2022 to December 2023, I went on a round-the-world trip that took [...]
How Poland and Vietnam escaped poverty October 17, 2024 In a new book, Rainer Zitelmann examines how Poland and Vietnam escaped the ravages of the Cold War to become some of the world’s fastest growing economies – and argues that poverty isn’t inevitable, it’s a policy choice says Kristian Niemietz Case studies in recent economic history typically deal with unambiguous success stories, or unambiguous [...]
Back in the GDR? East Germans fear a return to socialism September 16, 2024 As half of East Germans say recent negative developments in their country remind them of the post-war era of socialism, Germany has become the sick man of Europe, warns Rainer Zitelmann The German government has been increasingly intervening in the economy. Many Germans have been outraged by government mandates dictating which heating systems they are [...]
Why Labour MPs shouldn’t call themselves socialists May 31, 2024 Labour is not, and has never been, a socialist party. It is a social democratic party whose mission is to save capitalism from itself, not replace it with a new system, says John McTernan Is Keir Starmer a socialist? Is Rachel Reeves a social democrat? At the start of the general election campaign, Labour’s leader [...]