> [WS:] I would not call it "free market genocide." This is the scorched
> earth tactic used in the war time by many nations
That's not how Sen describes it. He says (and I defer to his expertise) there was no massive military evacuation or relocation, just massive confusion plus skyrocketing rice prices. Once prices rose considerably, it became a vicious cycle - peasants couldn't afford to buy food, so net demand fell further, so merchants hoarded, driving prices higher, etc. And once the famine was underway, the British refused to accept outside help. WW II loaded the gun, but the Invisible Hand pulled the trigger.
-- DRR