It is not true that the exchange of goods at the end of the Cold War was entirely one-sided. Granted, the Soviet bloc got gangster capitalism, rampant inequality and freeish elections; but we got some things too. Prominent among them has been the utterly choreographed, wholly undemocratic party congress. These were once a derided feature of Communist states. Now, though, our party conferences feature displays of undissenting loyalty and orgies of leader-praise which would have brought a debutante's blush to the cheeks of Enver Hoxha.

LRB 15 November 2007 | PDF Download