Commentary In this article I want to explain that a rapid departure from the free market system (or what is left of it today) is taking place before our eyes, and that this is a development that endangers not only prosperity but also the peaceful coexistence of people in this world. To explain this to you and to find a solution to the problem, I am beginning my lecture with the starting conditions. 1. The Starting Conditions The economies are struggling to recover from the politically dictated lockdown crisis. The fact that the international production and logistics chains have suffered considerable damage becomes apparent in persistent production downtimes, delivery delays, rising goods prices, and here and there empty supermarket shelves. One could now hope that sooner or later, these disruptions will be resolved and that the global supply and demand structure will normalize again. Unfortunately, however, this hope is clouded …