WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st March, 2022) High inflation may represent a risk to democracy in the United States as well as political stability, former US Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young told Sputnik.
Last week, the Federal Reserve raised US interest rates for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and said there could be another six hikes this year if inflation remains high.
"If inflation gets too high, it will be a move against democracy in the US because it would (be) hard to keep American politics stable," Young said.
The former diplomat expressed confidence that the conflict in Ukraine, which became one of the reasons that led to high prices, unified civil society in the US.
"Three years ago we were very divided. And I think one thing this war did is�unite the American people. We are now more unified for peace at home and aboard than we were anywhere," he said.
Young also supposed that possible replacement of Russian energy sources by oil from Iran and Venezuela might reflect US interests.
"I hear talks now about increasing Venezuela and Iran oil to replace Russian oil in the US and in the world. It might be in the US interest," he said.
Andrew Young is an American politician, diplomat, and activist, who began his career in the 1960s as a pastor. He was a friend and close supporter to Martin Luther King. From the 1970s to the 1990s, Young served as a US congressman, US ambassador to the UN, and Mayor of the city of Atlanta.
The United States and its allies have imposed sanctions and export controls on Russia in response to what Moscow has called a special military operation to demilitarize and "de-Nazify" Ukraine.
Russia said it acted on the request for help by the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics to defend them from intensified attacks by Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defense Ministry said the operation aims to destroy Ukraine's military infrastructure and the civilians in the country are not in danger.
