Belorussia

Everyone I met in Belarus openly complained about their president. Victor the guy I met at the border said that he was impressed with how rapidly Poland has developed in comparison to Belarus. As per him twenty few years ago Pols used to cross the border into Belarus to purchase "literally everything, even garbage like mouse traps". That day Victor was crossing Polish border to smuggle some cigarettes and purchase a school bag and some stationary for his 10 year old daughter . He said that a choice is much larger in Poland and also that goods are cheaper comparing to Belarus, because of "his stupid president and how he ruined whole Country´s economy in two decades." To my question of whether he is afraid to openly criticize his president he answered that he is not afraid to tell the truth and that everybody in this country would agree with him. With unofficial unemployment rate of 25% percent life is tough in this country, in order to win 2010 election Lukashenko increased minimum wage five folds to 500$. Lack of foreign trade and huge overproduction of technology that is still unsold resulted in economic crisis within just three years. When all of his stupid policies resulted in budget deficit he of course decided that people are too lazy and introduced "Social Parasite" law where unemployed people had to pay unemployment taxes to the government... Nobody wants to deal with this country and its outdated industrial production. I mean who the hell would buy 1970-ies level technology from a country with such a low strategic trade importance? There´s nothing this country would be able to give in return for big trade partnership except for bribes, which could possible be one reason why Mongolia is still buying mining equipment from them. We found each other! Country of such a great people and huge potential is ruled by a total degenerate. People were very nice, one of the nicest border guard throughout my travel so far. I presented one of the guards a famous Mongolian preserved meat can which he quickly pocketed.

Estonia, Belarus and Poland started from the same situation after the fall of the Soviet Union. Why Estonia is already IT hub of Europe developing smart city, as well as creating and selling multi-billion dollar software. With biggest debt in comparison to other post-Soviet countries Polish economy in 1989 was destabilized and hyper-inflated to the level that average monthly wage was around 20 dollars, a near equivalent to what I paid for a daily car parking space today in Warsaw, 22nd of August of 2017. What Polish did was they liberalized 90% of prices and foreign trade which was followed by a huge inflow foreign capital. One has to understand that market cannot be controlled. Tell me one example of a country that does or did well by controlling its economy. Napoleon Bonaparte sanctioned Britain which resulted in British entrepreneurs started developing new markets and establishing British East India Company while France started to decline. British East India company became richest company ever existed. Myanmar after WW2 was richest and most powerful country in South East Asia so they decided that they don't need any of that neighboring "slobs" and closed all borders. It took them only 50 years to become poorest in the region around level of Cambodia. Market doesn't like to be dictated, you can´t lock it down in your little wardrobe and expect it to grow and prosper. Unfortunately not many leaders understand it, and those who maybe even understand they don´t care and all they do is taking personal advantage of their high position.
Another reason for the prosper of Poland that won't be mentioned in any history book is their people have seen many hardships. It has been assaulted throughout its history by Austria, Russia, Sweden, Germany once even been removed from the world map for over 100 years until Napoleon freed the country. Commies tried to wipe them out by organizing massacres in Volhynia where Poland´s nearly 100000 brightest minds were deceased. Finally being freed after the collapse of Soviet Union was like a brightest light at the end of a very long dark tunnel. Today its a 23rd largest economy placed between Belgium and Sweden.