An email from Tom G Palmer took me to the following two stories. Good examples of the power of ideas.
Georgia and Freedom: from liberalism to libertarianism?
Recent developments in Georgia reveal the power of ideas on policy making; and the influence of charismatic individuals, who take ideas seriously, on the development of nations. In the case of Georgia the most influential ideas were those of American and Russian libertarianism.
Back from Georgia, Land of the Libertarians
Formerly part of the Soviet Union (and the birthplace of Joseph Stalin), Georgia declared its independence from the Soviets in 1991. After a decade of out-of-control crime and corruption, the government was turned out in 2003 when protestors stormed the parliament in response to a suspect election. In early 2004, this Rose Revolution (for the flowers the protestors carried) ushered a 30-something, U.S.-educated lawyer named Mikheil Saakashvili into the presidency. A libertarian and unabashed reformer, Saakashvili has tried to transform this nation of nearly five million.
Filed under: Freedom & Liberty, Misc
Please note that I think that the second one went rather too far in describing Saakashvili as “a libertarian and unabashed reformer.” As the first set of articles make clear, he’s an unabashed reformer, and was convinced to try free markets as the foundation for reforms.