With the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union a decade ago, the triumph of democracy and capitalist market economy over dictatorship and socialism has been evident. Russia and other members of the Commonwealth of Independent States as well as their former allies in the Eastern Europe, varying in their level of democratic consolidation, have adopted capitalist model of economic development.
Today there are only a handful of "socialist" countries in the world -- China, Cuba, North Korea and Vietnam.
Of the three nations in the socialist bloc of Asia, Beijing has already abandoned its state monopoly of enterprises or direct control of the economy that is now dictated more by market mechanism and less by government directives.
This so-called "Socialism with Chinese Character" has spread to China's socialist neighbors. After defeating the capitalist South Vietnam a quarter of a century ago, Hanoi is now following Beijing's suit and embracing a market economy. Even the secluded North Korea is trying to open up its economic system in an effort to breathe life to a stagnant economy. In other words, socialism as an economic approach is not even fashionable in these remaining "socialist" countries. The very reason it continues to exist is that the one party state needs it to justify its authoritarian rule.
During a recent visit to Africa, I was amazed of how such an abandoned approach is still alive in that part of the world. Not only do some of the African leaders keep socialism as their political label, they actually believe in this passe ideology. A historical link between the revolutionary leaders and Marxist tradition may explain why Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia are still firm believers in socialism. It is also for the same reason that South Africa, under the leadership of African National Congress (ANC), may be tempted to experiment with some degree of socialism.
When asked whether they realize that socialist economy does not work and that the former Soviet bloc has already shifted to a market economy, they pointed out that socialism appears to thrive in China.
They failed to realize what Beijing labels socialism is in fact capitalism in disguise.
Thus President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe claimed that his grabbing of land under white people's ownership and redistributing it to the black majority was to bring equality and social justice to the country. The fact that a small percentage of whites own a disproportionate percentage of land itself is a tragic part of Zimbabwe's history and should be corrected accordingly. However, without due process of law and proper compensation, Mugabe has forced the most productive farmers off land. If the land was redistributed to the poor and unproductive peasants, such an act might still be excusable. But when some of the henchmen of Mugabe became the beneficiaries of the land grab, it became deplorable. Zimbabwe was once called Rhodesia and it was 20 years ago when the black majority finally "liberated" their country. The country held a democratic election and Mugabe was chosen president. Thereafter he instituted a one-party state and held firm control of the country. In the 1980s and early 1990s, in order to cajole Western donors to keep their aid flowing to Zimbabwe, Mugabe assured the white population that they would be able to farm their land. But starting from the late 1990s, Mugabe began to show his true colors.
The liberation of South Africa and the end of apartheid took place in the early 1990s. Representing the ANC, Nelson Mandela won the election in 1994 and was succeeded by Thabo Mbeki in 1999.
A similar kind of fear now exists among the South African white minority, the Afrikaners who worry about the repeating of Mugabe's act in their country. Mbeki could mitigate such anxiety by publicly denouncing Mugabe. His denunciation should be based on the need to respect the rule of law. Should Mbeki continue with "quiet diplomacy" in order not to embarrass his socialist brother, he risks losing the confidence of his own countrymen.
South Africa has already suffered a high unemployment rate and depreciation of its currency. Mbeki could boost the confidence of investors by distancing himself from Mugabe and his brand of socialism.
Yen Chen-shen is a research fellow at the Institute of International Relations, National Chengchi University.
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