Commentary
A glance at history reveals a strong correlation between food prices and civil unrest. Roman poet Juvenal once wrote, “Two things only the people anxiously desire—bread and circuses”—that is, food and entertainment. Roman emperors understood the political importance of food, and would keep the people happy by giving them free grain handouts. But when food becomes scarce and a worker’s labor is not sufficient to procure sustenance, civil wars and revolutions often follow.
A fascinating chart appearing on “New Security Beat” compares the occurrences of food riots with the food price index between the years 2004 and 2012. Not surprisingly, the higher the price, the higher the number of revolts….