British Empire: [exporting food from Ireland during a famine]
Soviet Union: [exporting food from Ukraine during a famine]
It’s the economically rational thing to do.
🫥
The worst part is, in Britain’s case, it was predicated on the most asinine interpretation of ‘free market’ economics imaginable. Admittedly one that is far too fucking common even today.
The “Invisible Hand” metaphor of Adam Smith describes that markets function on their own, without needing the direction of a centralized authority, not that markets always function in a economically OR morally optimal way.
“Well, the market will sort it out.”
No, the market will continue to function on its own, that’s all it does. That’s all it ever did. Goods will keep circulating - which is important, but will not solve a famine on its own.
