The blame for economic crises in a third world country is usually put on either lack of resources or lack of democracy. Together with this, a dominant idea that is made to float is that only the diffusion of capitalism with its free markets is the cure. This is outrageous. A cursory glance at the role IMF and World Bank and their notorious structural adjustment policies in countries such as Pakistan, Turkey, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Egypt goes to show how they have directly aided some of the underlying economic problems. The general solution provided by such institutions is engagement in trade to climb out of poverty. However in reality there are a number of obstacles to trade placed by the developed nations that ensure developing nations will never reach a level where they can compete. What this actually means is that Western goods should be imported rather than allow imports from poorer countries. The theory is that only via trade will nations pull themselves out of poverty. The development of a market economy with a greater role for the private sector is therefore seen as the key to stimulating economic growth and removing poverty. Pakistan also stands in the row of the victims to such policies. The country required essential investments in health, education and infrastructure before they could compete internationally. The World Bank and IMF instead required Pakistan to reduce state support to these sectors and concentrate on exports. They insisted on pushing Pakistan into markets where we were unable to compete with the might of the international private sector. -SHARIQUE NAEEM, Lahore, via e-mail, June 17.