With the current economic crisis we can now see what Thatcherism has wrought given its incubation period is over and the system is fully matured. Latvia and Lithuania are under great stress. Society and economy have been under a full spectrum assault. There has been no plan to develop Latvia’s economy, with Lithuania’s being somewhat better given they retained some industry. Regressive taxes have been increased, while areas of speculation remain relatively untaxed and undeterred. Credit has disappeared and will not return, and should not return in its old form. As people lose their jobs or fear losing them, the government has reduced the duration of unemployment benefits in Latvia and have displayed a callous disregard for labor. These events have combined to leave Latvia and Lithuania vulnerable to further societal disintegration. This week’s protests represented fear and anger over what has transpired since 1991, combined with an idealistic attempt to reconstitute society and recapture the goals of 1991. The protest in Latvia, which I attended, was well organized. Great attention was given to creating a positive, collective venue through which to voice their concerns and frustrations. From the start speakers spoke to Latvians tradition of measured, thoughtful, and disciplined protest. National choirs provided both a calming tone and reminder of the cultural equity stored among Latvians.

one man's terrorist...:
In 1986, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, whose emotional invectives against "terrorists" were second to none, welcomed Abdul Haq, an Afghan rebel leader who admitted that he had ordered the planting of a bomb at Kabul airport in 1984 which killed at least 28 people. Such, then, were the scruples of cold-war anti-communists in late 20th century. As Anastasio Somoza had been "our son of a bitch", the Moujahedeen were now "our fanatic terrorists".