Monday, September 26, 2022

Who is Jeffrey Sachs

Anyone remember structural adjustment? Vulture capitalism?

Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, Shock Therapist was the NY Times title of an article from which I excerpt below:

By Peter Passell

New York Times, June 27, 1993

“… Jeffrey D. Sachs, a boyish-looking 38-year-old Harvard professor who is now probably the most important economist in the world. He has appropriated a cluster of comfortable armchairs for a meeting with two members of his team, Americans who work full time in Russia…

As an adviser to reform-minded governments from Bolivia to Slovenia to Poland, Sachs led successful battles for fiscal and monetary discipline in economies written off by more cautious practitioners of the dismal science….

"Poland, with its reforms in place, is the fastest-growing economy in Eastern Europe," says Sachs. "If Poland can do it, so can Russia."‘

The man who so loves the poor designed their nooses 30 years ago.

This is from the top of his Linked-In:

"The world is on the edge of nuclear catastrophe in no small part because of the failure of Western political leaders to be forthright about the causes of the escalating global conflicts. The relentless Western narrative that the West is noble while Russia and China are evil is simple-minded and extraordinarily dangerous. It is an attempt to manipulate public opinion, not to deal with very real and pressing diplomacy."

This is the piece:  The West’s False Narrative about Russia and China - Other News - Voices against the tide

This may be a plea from someone who cares and thinks deeply about world problems. Or it may be intended to get us ready for a one world government, perhaps the only way nuclear weapons might be abolished. Now, gentle reader, keep your eyes open for talk about the use of nuclear weapons. Do you now see one of the narratives that the Ukraine war serves: to gin up the nuclear weapons fear?

What do others say about Jeffrey? Remember Ban Ki-moon, who wrote a blurb for Sachs’ 2020 book: The Ages of Globalization: Geography, Technology, and Institutions:

“As my special advisor on the Sustainable Development Goals, Jeffrey Sachs consistently emphasized that the world can achieve sustainable development only through bold and forward-looking cooperation on a global scale. In his new panoramic history of globalization, Sachs shows why the imperative of peaceful cooperation is more crucial than ever. Our very survival as a species requires that we understand our common fate. This book will help us to reach that shared understanding.” -- Ban Ki-moon, former Secretary-General of the United Nations

Here is another blurb for this book:

This dazzling book makes an invaluable contribution to the debate about the future of globalization by brilliantly summarizing humanity’s existential challenges and providing bold ideas for ensuring our survival. Sachs makes a persuasive argument that applying the concept of sustainable development must be today’s essential mission. His thoughtful proposals for reforming key international institutions, starting with the UN, merit particular attention. The Ages of Globalization is required reading for our times. -- Vuk Jeremić, former president of the United Nations General Assembly

And the below is from Professor Sachs’ own personal website:

https://www.jeffsachs.org/

The Lancet Commission on lessons for the future from the COVID-19 pandemic

Sachs JD, Abdool Karim SS, et al. The Lancet, September 14, 2022

The Lancet Commission on lessons for the future from the COVID-19 pandemic provides a comprehensive investigation, analysis, and response to COVID-19. The Commission delivers a number of recommendations that are divided into three main areas. First, practical steps to finally control and understand the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, realistic, feasible, and necessary investments to strengthen the first line of defence against emerging infectious agents in countries by strengthening health systems and widening universal health coverage. Third, ambitious proposals to ignite a renaissance in multilateralism, integrating the global response to the risk of future pandemics with actions to address the climate crisis and reversals in sustainable development.

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