Guess the country (caution: it's a political thread).

[Fake Boris]

Originally posted by Serb

Now you can see how much opressed those poor and starving people are, and why all stories about absolute majority of them supporting their current president just a fairytales of Soviet propaganda.
And surelly the World Bank is just a foreign office of Byelorussian KGB.

OMG supermarkets is t3h fR33D0M 4EV@

[VetLegion]

IIRC Belarus managed to keep its manufactoring sector relatively intact and competitive. Any more info about that is appreciated.

[lord of the mark]

what did Belarus supermarkets look like in say, 1985?

I guess the break up of the USSR has even benefited Belarus.

[Saras]

I'll believe it when I see a) adjustments due to their currency being non-convertible and b) methodology for assessing the figures in the report.

[VetLegion]

Another interesting thing is that their external debt is very low. I dislike communism and dictatorship as much as the next guy, but it is possible that "shock therapy" wasn't the best idea for transforming soviet economies. Belarus could be a proof of that. Of course, I'd need much more data to say for sure.

[Gangerolf]

I dunno, from the 2nd picture it seems like they haven't afforded new clothes since around 1977 or so.

[Winston]

Yeah, that 2nd pic is obviously doctored.

[Kontiki]

I'm a little confused. Are pictures of 60's style cookie-cutter architecture and what appears to be a 70's deparment store indicative of prosperity?

[Ecthy]

Pictures are never substantially indicative of anything. Even at uni I meet people who argue by using pictures they have seen as arguments

"But Andy, I have seen a pic with George Bush with a cowboy hat on and grinning in a funny way, and Condie looks out of the window with a serious look on her face. This is teh proof Shrub is stupid and needs his staff to guide him through life!11!""2

[mrmitchell]

When I first saw the photos I thought they were an artists conception for some kind of glorious building project in North Korea's future...but there were too many crackers

[Seeker]

Reminds me of NK's "Show Village"...

...why can't we see the tanks and fascist stormtroopers and "happy" frolicking oppressed Gypsy minority in the next pictures??

I'm sure it must be 'people's paradise' to live in identical appartment buildings like bees.

[Bill3000]

This is teh proof Shrub is stupid

He needs proof?

[Serb]

Originally posted by Saras
I'll believe it when I see a) adjustments due to their currency being non-convertible and b) methodology for assessing the figures in the report.

What? Do you questioning reliability of the World Bank?
I gave you the full text of this survey on page 1 of this thread. Feel free to download it and check whatever you wish.

[Serb]

Originally posted by Kontiki
I'm a little confused. Are pictures of 60's style cookie-cutter architecture and what appears to be a 70's deparment store indicative of prosperity?

Check hint #3, smartass.

[Serb]

Originally posted by Seeker
Reminds me of NK's "Show Village"...

...why can't we see the tanks and fascist stormtroopers and "happy" frolicking oppressed Gypsy minority in the next pictures??

Please tell us more and fell free to back up your stories with pics.

I'm sure it must be 'people's paradise' to live in identical appartment buildings like bees.

You seem to do not understood my message. There is no such poverty in Belarus like in other ex-USSR states. You may not like those buildings, but the truth is that in other former Soviet republics, majority of population do not even have such 'people's paradise'.
IIRC, Belarus currently posess a record 11% GDP growth. Ukraine grew with aprox. the same rate in 2004. Then you exported democracy there and made it a real paradise. Soon after your belowed pro-western, liberals took the power, prices skyrocketed, corruption got worse, private property being took from its owners and re-distributed among the members of new rulling gang, then came "meat crisis", "gas crisis" and finally a political crisis.
GREAT JOB!!!
Now I believe most of you want to bring some civilization to barbarian Byelorussia.
I remember how most of you people, creamed your pants after so-called victory of your puppet in Ukraine.
This is comparison of Ukranian GDP in 2004 vs. 2005.
Are you happy now?