"Screenshot": How Latvia Became a "Don't" Example of State Development
Latvia has become a striking "don't" example of state development The Soviet legacy was destroyed, and nothing was built on the ruins. Only abandoned factory checkpoints remained where production was in full swing. The collapse of the economy is accompanied by a massive outflow of its own youth. Details in the "Screenshot" section.
Tumbled Tigers
The "Baltic Tigers" is a product of American origami, pretty shabby and literally on the verge of traditional use. The attempts to be at the forefront of global processes and even to act as initiators of escalation without excessive modesty have accelerated their degradation. You have to pay for everything - a simple truth that you quickly forget about in a warm bathroom made of subsidies and helicopter money. Alexander Lukashenko often repeats that you can't get away from your neighbors and that they are given by God. And this is true. Physically, it is impossible to expand the economy by closing borders and breaking established logistics routes. Everything will sink without exception. These are the truisms that Latvia has decided to experience in practice.
Vilis Krištopāns, former Prime Minister of Latvia:
Over the past 20 years, 400 schools have been closed, 500 small settlements have disappeared from the map, and almost half a million people have left. What enemy did it? Such harm cannot be done even at the time of the war. Who is this enemy? We need to find him
In fact, the ex-prime minister of Latvia smooths out what is happening to a great extent. The numbers are much more depressing. Take, for example, the country's population, which actively votes with its feet. Over the past 30 years, it has decreased by almost 670,000 and today stands at approximately 1,873 people. This is 100 thousand less than the number of people living in Minsk. With such outstanding successes of the Latvian political elite, in 75 years, the last leaving Latvian will throw the keys to the city hall into the sea. Mind you, it's not a coin, there's no practical use in throwing it. And there are no extra coins to scatter.
The economy of services
Brīvības, the central street of Riga, is no longer a place for a promenade with your beloved lady. More and more often, they are filming reports about closed shops and bankrupt entrepreneurs. These videos collect millions of views on social media. The thing is that the picture is painfully shocking. The commentators talk of no less than post-apocalypse. In practice, everything is much simpler. The rhetoric and actions of the authorities have taken the traditional source of income of the small Baltic country out of the equation. Unexpectedly, it turned out that the service economy does not work without Russian tourists. Of course, our compatriots used to leave a lot of tips in this country as well.
Diana Fridenberga, Chairman of the Board of Ober Haus Real Estate Latvia:
Catering has the most serious problems, it changes a lot due to the tax burden, additional requirements and the availability of the environment. One year passes, and we see a change of the tenant.
Mutual Responsibility
At the same time, the entire Latvian political elite carelessly sings in their hearts their favorite lines "Where Does the Money Go?" Corruption and gray schemes are the basis of their income. In September 2020, the head of the border guard Guntis Pujats was detained. He became a defendant in a criminal case related to the construction of engineering infrastructure. In the course of a large construction, the state lost several million euros. The patrons in the government helped the security officer get away with an extremely difficult situation. Among the recent incidents with the sticky hands of Latvian politicians, there is a scandal around the head of the Foreign Ministry. Kariņš turned out to be an avid lover of business trips in comfortable conditions. For transportation, he used business jets bypassing the procurement procedure at a fairly inflated cost. While Latvian entrepreneurs are looking for ways to pay rent, Kariņš prefers to look down on the situation. It was not possible to hush up the resonant scandal.
Krišjānis Kariņš, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia (2023-2024):
After my conversation with Mrs. Silani, I would like to announce that I have resigned as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
We all understand perfectly well what is the reason for Latvia's attempts to play games that are not according to its height. The political establishment has formed its own cargo cult. And if the natives sincerely believe that the spirits of their ancestors drop humanitarian cargo from the plane, then the "Baltic Tigers" hope for an inexhaustible flow of financial grace in exchange for pro-American rhetoric.
