Trump’s tariff madness is based on anti-capitalist zero-sum thinking April 18, 2025 What is the real reason behind Trump’s punitive tariffs? Two beliefs that have frequently wreaked havoc in the past, writes Rainer Zitelmann.
Nepal: Where making a profit is a crime March 13, 2025 Maoist policies have made the Himalayan nation of Nepal one of the poorest in Asia, says Rainer Zitelmann On December 11 2023, I landed in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Nepal lies between China and India and has a population of around 30m. Kathmandu is located in a valley in the middle of the Himalayas [...]
Poland: The workers’ paradise overthrown by workers March 6, 2025 Poland was one of the poorest countries in Europe, but since an uprising that overthrew socialism it is now set to become richer than the UK, says Rainer Zitelmann In recent years, I have visited Poland more frequently than any other European country, and I am always amazed by the country’s remarkable economic development and [...]
Vietnam defeated America, can it beat China too? February 27, 2025 'Escape from China' is the watchword in Vietnam for businesses offering an alternative to Beijing's communist encroachment, says Rainer Zitelmann.
A seismic election won’t deliver the change Germany needs February 24, 2025 Friedrich Merz has emerged victorious in a general election which saw dramatic changes in German politics – but given that his party is responsible for many of the country’s problems, a radical about turn looks unlikely, says Rainer Zitelmann Friedrich Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU) emerged victorious in Germany’s general election, securing 28.6 per [...]
What happened when Latin America’s most free economy elected a socialist? February 20, 2025 Chile was the most capitalist country in Latin America and had prospered as a result. But since the election of socialist Gabriel Boric in 2021, all that has changed, says Rainer Zitelmann My trip around the world took me to Chile twice, in May 2022 and November 2023. After you’ve been to countries like Colombia, [...]
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 [...]
Lessons in liberty from Argentina and the Milei revolution January 30, 2025 Javier Milei is turning his country around, but just like Britain in the 1970s, things in Argentina had to deteriorate dramatically before capitalist reformers like him and Thatcher stood a chance, says Rainer Zitelmann During my visits to Argentina in 2022, 2023 and 2024, I had the opportunity to witness first-hand the movement that propelled [...]
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 CityAM Many people dream of travelling the world. Well, from April 2022 to December 2023, I went on a round-the-world trip that took [...]
