₦airaland Forum

MandingoII:
It will put the ENTIRE population to work.

Haiti is VERY VERY close to the U.S. Only a mere 2 hour flight.


They will BUILD AND BUILD AND BUILD a much better and more BEAUTIFUL country.


Corporations always wanted to INVEST in Haiti now is there chance.


Bill Clinton is HAITI'S Envoy.

hmm is this the same way they've built up the ghetto communities inhabited mainly by blacks all over the urban cities of north america??

american multi nationals will continue with their plan to use haiti's cheap labour to work in their sweat shops the only difference is that this time the haitians will now be an occupied country

emmatigana:
I saw that video. Dont we all know that before now except some idio.ts who live by the book.

I heard someone here saying that the Haiti President invited USA. i say why not ?

Why wont HAMID KARZAI invite US if there is Earthquake in Afghanistan ?
Aristide won over 85% of peoples vote in Haiti, what happened to him?

bro unfortunately there are many who remain in the dark -  here's political prisoner abu mumia jamal's current take on the haitian earthquake:

http://queerartist./2010/01/23/mumia-abu-jamal-on-haiti/

el razur

more info on america's recolonisation of Haiti


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyHVLn1SsKU

ElRazur:
A socialist website? Are you kidding me? Yet you have accused me of reading from CNN or something and believing everything the UN throws at me or something. Are you now seriously, quoting a piece from a SOCIALIST WEBSITE to back up your claim? I have attended their rallies here in London and listen to a few of their talks. Thanks, but no thank you.

What credible source do you have? I am more than happy counter  most point if not all raised by the socialist piece you posted.


By the way, I can't see your post. It is showing that you are the last person to post, but I had to go and view it in your profile. I think this is because the spam bot think your post is a spam - i,e just copied and pasted.

el razur here is the link again

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/jan2010/obha-j30.shtml

- btw whats wrong with looking at news from a socialist perspective - these are people who speak on behalf of the disenfranchised, the marginalised and the underclasses whereas the bbc, cnn fox speak on behalf of big business, powerful lobby groups and corrupt politicians but you prefer to pitch your tent with the latter. 

the corporate news media is biased and censored because these organisations are owned by billionaire business men who have a vested interest in presenting a distorted version of the news - all throughout the years that Haiti has been subjected to military intervention, occupation and economic destruction not one of these corporate news outlets have as much as uttered a word of condemnation against the US, when Aristide was toppled by the US marines in a coup d'etat , every single western media organisation either remained silent or presented a distorted version of what actually happened, the only sites where you could get a true picture of what was going on were independent news outlets or left leaning websites therefore if i want the truth thats where i go. 

there is no way that i am going to read and beleive anything broadcasted by a media corporation which has within its ranks people who are paid up members of the CIA  (NBC, CNN, BBC, FOX) these organisations are sources of disinformation their job is to lie, dupe and mislead the public, i have my own mind and i will not be brainwashed into soaking up their lies and garbage, the way i do things is i read independent articles written by journalists who do not have a vested interest in the corrupt western system of govt and then i go on to do my own research in order to corroborate what i have read - this is known as critical analysis bro.

ElRazur:
Can we please drop the drama? Dude, we can disagree in a civil manner you know.

How long does it take for the work to be done? How long does the people of Haiti wants the US there for? These are questions for them to ponder, not for the folks on the NL.

If this help your cause, US have suggested they are committed for the long term and I think the Haiti president have said he may need up to 10Years of Aid and Help in rebuilding haiti or so. Now I do not know if that means American, Japanese, British or UN will be present around this estimated period.

Below is an article suggesting the Health care sector is non-existent and as a result a long term help of around 82million dollars may be needed.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/0129784e096460074e9d98fbb55bcb4b.htm

I suppose that can translate to roughly about 5 years I really do not know.

Here is another link - using figures from the UN - on the rebuilding of Haiti. Please make your own mind up as to how long it may take.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8482237.stm

El razur here is an excerpt from an article which i found on the world socialist website which i am more inclined to beleive than censored govt mouthpieces like the bbc :

The Obama administration responded to the Haitian disaster with military intervention and occupation. Its first priorities were not providing food, water and medical assistance to the quake’s survivors, but getting thousands of combat-equipped soldiers and Marines into the country and setting up a naval blockade around it to deter any Haitians from attempting to flee the catastrophe for refuge in the US.

The result was that aid needed in the critical first 72 hours after the earthquake was withheld at the cost of thousands of more lives. Planes carrying medical supplies and equipment were denied permission to land at Port-au-Prince airport, which was seized by the US military, in order to keep the runway clear for planes bringing in troops.

Doctors Dean Lorich, Soumitra Eachempati and David L. Helfet, three New York City surgeons who set up the first functioning operating room in Port-au-Prince following the disaster, have issued blistering statements spelling out the human cost of these priorities and describing the US response in Haiti as “Obama’s Katrina.”

They explained in articles written for the Wall Street Journal and CNN that they were ready to fly into Haiti the day after the earthquake, but were denied permission from the US military to land until late on the fourth day after the disaster. Even then, they were among the first medical relief groups allowed into the country.

Upon arrival, they found that “disaster management in Haiti was nonexistent.”

At the Haitian hospital, they confronted a mass of patients with wounds dripping puss and infected with maggots; people who had been “waiting in the hospital compound for days without water, antibiotics or even pain medicine.”

With the hospital lacking basic surgical supplies, they organized for their colleagues in New York to send what was needed, but a first shipment of supplies received no protection and was hijacked, while a second flight carrying supplies, as well as a new medical team to replace them, was denied permission to land. Because of the failure to deliver these supplies, they said, many of the patients they did operate on were likely to die from infection.

As they left Haiti, the doctors recounted, they “were appalled to see warehouse-size quantities of unused medicines, food and other supplies at the airport, surrounded by hundreds of US and international soldiers standing around aimlessly.”

What is exposed in this account is a response by the US government that can only be described as criminal. Decisions were made at the top of the Obama administration and in the Pentagon that troops would be sent first, instead of humanitarian relief, with the foreseeable result that many victims would not survive.

This was not a matter of negligence, but of deliberate calculations. There was no great urgency in rescuing poor people who were severely injured and whose care would require the expenditure of resources. This coldblooded response is not an aberration, but is in continuity with the century of oppression that US imperialism has visited upon Haiti, replete with repeated military occupations and the backing of brutal dictatorships that have kept three-quarters of the population living in abject poverty.

There was, on the other hand, a clear determination to exploit the Haitian earthquake as pretext to carry out a major military operation.

In the first instance, this deployment is aimed at securing the interests of the US and the native oligarchy upon which its long-time domination of the country rests against the threat that the disaster would give rise to a revolt from below.

Moreover, the show of military force in a country located between Venezuela and Cuba has an obvious attraction from the standpoint of asserting US hegemony in the region.

In this sense, the military occupation of Haiti fits in with Washington’s backing of last year’s coup in Honduras and the recent deal to open up new US military bases in Colombia. The coming to office of the Obama administration has signaled a renewed drive by US imperialism to employ its military might in pursuit of the profit interests of US-based banks and corporations in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Washington’s response to Haitian disaster has exposed the political essence of the Obama administration. The man who came to office a year ago as the candidate of “hope” and “change” heads a government that is ruthless in its commitment to the defense of America’s ruling financial elite and prepared to utilize the escalation of American militarism and the sacrifice of countless human lives, both at home and abroad, to that end.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/jan2010/obha-j30.shtml

[quote author=Tayo-D link=topic=386349.msg5419258#msg5419258 date=1264904273]@Cap28,

Let me give you the benefit of a doubt because you are new to this discussion by sharing this with you.

I have no problems with accepting that the US pursues its self interests beyond its borders and in the process violates the sovereignty of other lands.  This is inbred in every nation and every ideology that we find on our planet.  While they all mouth one thing, they do what is diametrically opposed to what they declare.  I am reading a book on Global Justice this weekend, by Che Guevara.  It's funny how he is against imperialism but basically does the same thing.  They just call it by a differnet name.  His present day contemporary would be someone like Hugo Chavez.  The end justifies the means is basically their mantra.

Why am I saying this? Words and allegations are cheap.  Facts is what matters.  I do not believe the Global Warming that the US and other Western Nations are shouting about because I believe there are no facts to back up their claims.  My sceptism of global warming is not based on the antecedents of America or Europe, but on the data I can see.  But to claim the US is behind the earthqake in Haiti while at the same time up to some sinister plans (which the accusers are yet to identify), without providing any verifiable data to suggest such is ludicrous. 

The most logical antecedent to comapre this to is America's response during the tsunami in Indonesia.  Despite the fact that the govt of Indonesia did not collapse as it apparently has with Haiti, the US sent about 8,000 marines to help with the relief effort.  That was Asia, this is South America.  So please, before you ask me to tow the path of condemning America, I will need more than all these America did this, America did that.  They have absolutely no bearing to this situation.[/quote]okay well im happy that you have conceded that the US pursues its own selfish interests, but i will correct you with regard to your point that "this is inbred in every nation and every ideology on our planet" because it is simply not true, if you look at china they are interested in economic development but not imperial hegemony, has china tried to invade or occupy any sovereign nation? have they provided military assistance and training to repressive govts around the world, have they aided and abetted corrupt govts in the looting and plunder of those countries natural resources, have they instituted austerity measures such as SAP (structural adjustment policies) on developing nations in exchange for loans with extortionate interest rates attached?

you see america exhibits features of an imperial nation in the same way britain used to. they are not content with military dominance but they must also assert territorial and ideological dominance and this is the thing that you are missing.  Haiti despite being a mere speck in their portfolio of conquered territories is a much coveted prize which they have for years been hell bent on acquiring it is imperative that you see america for what it is an EMPIRE it knows that militarily it can do this and so with impunity it invades and occupies nations particularly nations which can put up little to no resistance. 

i am confused at your conclusion that Che Guevara is according to you "doing the same thing " as the people that he is railing against - how?  in what sense? what is your interpretation of his world view as set out in this book?

are you familiar with the history of Venezuela? do you know anything about the corruption and inequality which existed under Chavez's predecessor, do you prefer a return to a society where only members of the ruling classes had access to a decent standard of living in venezuela?

You keep talking about facts but again you miss the point - its not about supposed factual data but about looking back at what has happened and piecing together a pattern of behaviour which paints a picture which becomes overwhelmingly difficult to deny. 

do you seriously think that a country as powerful as america will place incriminating evidence in the public domain - if you want factual evidence make a freedom of information application to the US public archives in respect of any of the following matters and lets see how far you get:

the assassination of MLK, JFK, Malcolm X ,Robert Kennedy, John Lennon, john kennedy junior  - you will find that any info surrounding all of these matters is STILL CLASSIFIED until around 2078 - does that not set alarm bells ringing in your ears but despite this the vast majority of americans know that JFK was not assassinated by a lone nut even though the US govt went to great pains to whitewash and coverup how he was killed.  ditto with all of the other abovementioned names. 

no govt on this planet will let you have access to sensitive or incriminating evidence that could precipate their downfall, it is left to you as an individual to do your own independent research and connect the dots okay.

in the uk blair and his cronies are currently being grilled before a similar kangaroo court with regard to the illegal invasion of iraq  - its pure pantomime - nobody will be indicted, but the UK govt will give the impression that they are a democratic nation that beleives in the rule of law - nothing could be further from the truth.

[quote author=Tayo-D link=topic=386349.msg5419110#msg5419110 date=1264900444]@cap28,

Why am I not surprised that cap28 is now a student of the Negro-Sam School of Virtual Reality! You can be certain that Cap28 will take sides with anyone who cries Death to America or Death to Isreal. Of course he will toe along the path of anyone who sees nothing good in America. I have started counting, soon we will see the rest of the horde coming out here to have their cheap shot at the United States. I guess the mere feeling of powerfulness that comes from condemning a powerful nation is too intoxicating for insecure people to ignore. The thing wey bad belle go cause ehn.

@Sam,

I have said before that you are very insecure. You try to feel adequate by putting other people down and you are here again touting how much travels you've done. Who cares? Do you even have a clue what others have done and where they've been? Any fool can come on the www (that's the world wide web for you), and make bogus claims. You really need to grow up.[/quote]tayo a word of advice - read more, research more and it will open up your mind, the reason you are having this difficulty understanding and accepting what is being said on this thread is because you are in the dark okay, some of the things that are being said on here are actually truisms to most informed individuals, i have come across you on a number of threads and my observation is that you are totally uninformed - i have cited books above and articles by renowned intellectuals such as stokeley carmichael and noam chomsky - these people have been around for a long time (although stokely died in 1998) and they were at the forefront of campaigns challenging US foreign policy, if i were you i would read some of their works and then form an opinion, that way at least you have attempted to look at things from another angle, but to simply absorb propaganda and then spout it off as the gospel truth is a sign of extreme naivite.

are you familiar with the role that the US has played and continues to play in latin america? are you familiar with america's invasion of panama (under george bush snr) the invasion of grenada (under reagan) how about the monroe doctrine and the carter doctrine.

do yourself a favour - wake up, open your eyes and you will begin to see that the america that you love and adore is the antichrist.

Sam Milla:
cap28 , i respect you for you post. I thought i was loosing the war against ignorance.
Apparently Tayo applied for US Visa and got it.
Then he sees anyone trying to discredit US F-Policy as a threat to his visa renewal.
I tried to tell him that i have been to Over 20 Countries Including the same US.

We dont hate America. We just cant say yes to everything they throw at poor nations.
If America invade Russia, I will be watching it with a bottle of cool beer.
The same goes to China.
But if America invade Togo, I need to drop down my beer and take up a banner asking them why ?

sam the problem here as i said above is mental retardation caused by religion and western education which has instilled in the minds of black people an aggravated form of self hatred.

america's track record with regard to latin america, the carribean and africa is unmitigated violence, economic destruction, and neo colonialism, why would anyone in their right mind continue to give people with this sort of legacy the benefit of the doubt.

i look at tayo d and el razur and i feel sorry for them because sooner or later the reality of the world that they live in will become clear and i dont think they will be able to cope with the awful truth - getting a US visa means nothing if you consigned to the life of a second class citizen and denied the same opportunities that a white person of lower academic acheivement or ability is able to get without even breaking into a sweat.

the US (as well as the whole of europe)preaches equality but practices inequality but the US is one of the most unequal countries in the western world with the majority of blacks living in conditions sometimes worse than blacks in africa. just because you are eating three meals a day doesnt make you better off if mentally and spiritually you are dead. over a quarter of america's prison population is made up of black males despite blacks making up only 12% of the population (which to my mind is a direct attack on the evolution and development of the black family ) ever since the civil rights bill was passed in 1964 blacks have been targeted by the US govt for neutralisation - i urge you to read COINTELPRO papers which are now declassified documents. you will then see that america is at war with black people and black men in particular. even their so called icon abraham lincoln stated that blacks in america were an alien race and could not be properly integrated into society due to their physical and "mental" differences. he actually offered many of them the option of "relocation" to haiti - gives you an idea of what these founding fathers thought of black people in general.

america will never directly attack russia because that would mean a thermonuclear confrontation with fatal consequences for the entire US and possibly europe, they will instead provoke and foment proxy wars between russia and other countries which is what they are trying to do at the moment. america's power is declining and with any empire in its last stages of power it is flailing around looking for a last ditch attempt to claw back power, its economy is in ruins, it is on the verge of bankruptcy, what to do? foment a war between the new emerging powers - china and russia, sit back wait for both to destroy each other and then assume the dominant position once more as soon as the smoke has cleared.

oopppp

you know something guys, reading tayo d and el razur's posts now confirms to me why the powers that be continue to perpetrate evil and destruction in this  world - ive now realised that as long as you are clever and powerful enough you will always be one step ahead of people who refuse to think for themselves.  how is it in this day and age of easily accessible information you can have people like these two who are so ignorant of what is actually going on around them.

tayo d claims that he lives in the US but yet knows nothing of the US track record in terms of foreign policy, Sam and negro for christs sakes you are wasting your time trying to educate this individual, anyone with an iota of intelligence would immediately smell a rat with regard to the US's deployment of 15,000 troops to a tiny country like Haiti, especially a country that they have had their eyes on for over 200 years, a country that they placed economic embargoes against for over 100 years, a country that they invaded ad nauseam, to tayo d and co all i can say is this - read CLR James "the black jacobins", research COINTELPRO, read Stokely Carmichael's (Kwame Toure's) speeches,  - maybe when you discover america's vicious history you will begin to understand the world better.  

one thing i have noticed is that many of our people are walking around in a state of self delusion, a lot of it has been caused by indoctrination through religion and western education, both of these have combined to deaden any sense of critical thinking resulting in a childlike way of reasoning, in many ways even children are more inquisitive as from time to time they ask questions and show curiosity towards things they do not understand but with these "educated nigerians" what you have is a form of mental retardation - no desire to question anything and an overwhelming desire and love to aspire to anything western no matter how intellectually or morally bankrupt.

they are desperate to buy into everything their white masters tell them hence their anger and frustration at any attempt to shatter this false state of consciousness that they exist in.

do i think the US are capable of developing and using the technology to manipulate the weather and cause disasters like earthquakes - absolutely, do i know whether they have this technology  - no, but its very possible.

if the US could spend billions of US tax payer's money in order to overthrow democratically elected govts in countries like iran, haiti, nicaragua, chile, panama, ecuador, guatemala, zaire, angola, liberia, nigeria why would they not develop technologies which would make them look less culpable.

Haiti has always been a thorn in the flesh of the US because of its proud history, Haitians are a courageous people and their exemplary history stands out as a beacon of hope to all oppressed people therefore there has been a conscious effort on the part of the west to undermine this acheivement hence, the economic isolation, the relentless invasions, the US sponsored coup d'etats, the US appointed puppets -

a discerning mind would look at haiti and understand the real issue which is that in this world it is not enough to fight the righteous fight you also have to have the military might to back it up as military might is the determinant of power, this is why america will never directly challenge russia or china but limit their attacks to harmless and defenceless countries like haiti, iraq  and iran.

[quote author=Negro_Ntns link=topic=386349.msg5400278#msg5400278 date=1264638274]. . .so you do know about the chiquita banana scandal and how Clinton screwed up the Carribeans, particcularly Haiti. I'm glad you can add that to the discussion.

hey, thanks for coming in![/quote]yes i do, btw chiquita is a successor to a company called united fruit which was one of the most corrupt multinational american companies which singlehandedly caused the economic destruction of many latin american countries.  top members of the american ruling elite - the dulles brothers were responsible for destabilising Guatemala in order to protect business interests of their friends and clients (one of them was an attorney for united fruit, the other was head of the CIA) they effectively brought down arbenz the then president of guatemala who tried to introduce land reforms and economic policies which would benefit the vast majority of disenfranchised guatemalans who had been kicked off their land by these corrupts vultures.

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/US_ThirdWorld/US_Guat.html

clinton is therefore continuing an age old profession of corruption and rape begun by his predecessors.

Sam Milla and negro ntns thanks for this very interesting thread, erudite, informative and comedic - the exchanges with tayo d were especially entertaining who as usual keeps trying to punch above his weight!!!

my heart sank as soon as obama decided to appoint bush junior and clinton as fundraisers for the releif effort - bush because of the katrina fiasco and the fact that he and his cronies overthrew and deported Aristide to africa in 2004 despite Aristide winning a free and fair election.  Clinton because of how he humiliated Aristide by forcing him into mortgaging Haiti to the american multinationals through unfavourable trade agreements (unfavourable for Haiti but a bonanza for american businesses) and the wholesale economic destruction of what was left of the Haitian economy.

Now we have what is beginning to look like an occupation - this wont be the first time they have invaded and occupied this island - american professor of linguistics and social commentator Noam Chomsky has been railing against america's abuse of Haiti for over 20 years but noone has been listening because its a country inhabited mainly by poor black people. 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFGOfZaPmRM&feature=related

america continues on its imperialist adventures, how long before nigeria will be next - i wonder whether our being on the terrorist watch list is linked to our refusal to allow american troops on african soil (AFRICOM).

davidylan:
I only wished you did the same.

I looked at the "evidence previously unknown" to me . . . compared it to what happened to states like Japan or Cuba.

Epic fail.

Davidylan please go and research Haiti's history before spouting junk on here - maybe this article might help:


Even in its hour of utter devastation, Haiti, the western hemisphere’s poorest country, teaches the rest of the world some valuable truths.

This Caribbean island nation of nine million people has right now a third of its population cut off from basic supplies of food, water, medicine or shelter. In the blink of an eye, the earthquake that hit the country has buried a capital city of three million people under rubble for which the eventual death toll may be between 100,000 and 500,000. Just like that.

Like shutting the proverbial stable door after the horse has bolted, the US and other world powers are promising to send emergency aid to Haiti. Well intentioned no doubt. But where was the aid and economic development assistance to Haiti – over half the population live on $1 a day and 80 per cent are classed as poor – in the years before this calamity?

Haiti’s poverty – as for other poor countries hit by natural disasters – leaves its people wide open to the kind of devastation that has befallen them. And make no mistake, Haiti’s poverty is not just bad luck or something inherently faulty about its natural resources and people. The country has been kept underdeveloped by decades of political and economic interference from Washington to ensure that this former slave colony continues to serve as a cheap source of agricultural exports to the US and as a labour sweatshop for American corporations making textiles and other consumer goods.

While Washington spends $1,000 billion on wars allegedly to combat the threat of terrorism, Haiti’s poor – whose country’s economy is valued at $7 billion – show us a sobering perspective on what a real threat to life looks like. We live in a physical world where floods, tsunamis, earthquakes happen. These disasters claim multiple more lives than the threats that the US is fixated on and spends multiples more money on. Can you imagine how many lives could have been saved in Haiti’s earthquake if a fraction of the money squandered on futile wars had been directed to economic and social development of that country?

Of course, the moral and sensible logic of that idea does not apply in a world dictated by Washington’s foreign policy. This is because of the imperatives and logic of US-led capitalism, which requires countries like Haiti to be kept in a state of poverty for the sake of corporate profit and which requires the fixation on illusionary threats to cover up its need to control geopolitical resources (mainly energy). This is the true face of the economic system that Washington and its allies impose on the world. And Haiti has pulled the mask of this ugly face.

The harrowing anguish and suffering of Haiti teaches us something else. Heart-rending reports of streets filled with corpses and blood running from under rubble, children crying for parents, parents digging with their fingers for children, the sound of dying voices pervading the darkness of night. This is the horror of hundreds of thousands of people suddenly engulfed by suffering. Some observers have compared what has happened in Haiti to the aftermath of an atom bomb being dropped. So the next time, Washington spokespeople airily float plans on Sunday morning chat shows to obliterate Iran – that other “serious threat” (meaning not serious threat) – we should remember: this is what human suffering on a massive scale looks like.


Finian Cunningham is a frequent contributor to Global Research.  Global Research Articles by Finian Cunningham

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=CUN20100114&articleId=16964

OPCman:
Minister for Information or communication who coined Nigeria garbage REBRANDING (Ibo)
Former Governor of Central Bank who consolidated Nigerian lives and economy (Ibo)
Ewu abi na Iwu who cannot conduct free and fair local government election (Ibo)
The man who was/is not happy being a Nigerian and come back from exile to draw pension from government of the people he so much hate (Ibo)

Na Wa for una!

and your point is?

Roforofo:
The West sells us arms and I am not going to argue about that. What I want to argue is why so many Nigerians live in poverty and don't have basic healthcare, proper housing , electricity and jobs etc,  While all our people are suffering Abacha, Babangida, Obasanjo, Aikhomu, Diya, Ibori, Alamieyeseigha etc have billions of Nigeria's money in their private bank accounts. Europe and America have their faults but please let us face ourselves in Africa and stop blaming the West. If the West is so terrible why are Africans queueing at foreign embassies at 3am? Why are African drowning in boats due to desperation to reach Europe? Why do those of us abroad not refuse Western passports when we qualify for citizenship? Until we stop blaming the West and realize that it is our own governments keeping us in virtual SLAVERY then we will just keep under developing in Africa.

nigerians live in poverty because they are being ruled by corrupt western puppets who have been placed in those positions by powerful western oligarchs who own and run multinational organisations.  this elite group rule the world and they dictate world economic policy.  this policy involves imposing draconian austerity measures on ordinary africans in order to maximise profits for their own businesses.

unless you have researched the activities of the IMF and world bank and their economic policies towards africa you will not understand why africa remains a basket case.

do not make the mistake of thinking that the west are blameless in this situation because in doing so you demonstrate that you do not understand how the world works - we are now in a new phase where only the countries with military might dominate with weaker countries merely functioning  as pawns to be used at will by dominant nations like the US,Britain  Russia and China.

oil rich countries like nigeria are instructed by the IMF and the World Bank  to restructure their economies by introducing harsh economic policies  such as cutting public spending on areas like education, health care, employment which causes mass suffering, unemployment  and poverty for most ordinary nigerians - this is done in order to keep the economic development of nigeria low whilst ensuring maximum profit for foreign investors who can exploit cheap labour and easy acccess to natural resources.

as long as the nigerian govt continues to allow these western multinationals free and easy acces to our oil and other resources they are guaranteed to remain in power forever, the west dont care how abusive and oppressive the nigerian govt is to its people all they want is to exploit and amass wealth for themselves and their own countries.

africans are queing at foreign embassies because they think they can have a better life in a white man's country, but the truth of the matter is that the majority of blacks in the west are treated like outcasts having to battle with racial discrimination, police brutality and poverty for the rest of their lives.

SEFAGO:
Man this guy is really local I repeat. His attitude is very bush. Someone asks you a question and you behave like a monkey. I was once in a meeting where an Egyptian minister was asked several uncomfortable questions. Despite this he was extremely polite and respectful. However, not the case for this onitsha monkey

And this idiot does it again

"I bring to this job, many years of experience . . ."

God, i hate all our bloody leaders

Man our attitudes have to change.

it never ceases to amaze me when i see black people call their fellow blacks monkeys - my question to you is this what is your definition of a "bush"  attitude - in as much as i dont condone what maduekwe stands for ie kleptocracy and abuse of his own people, i dont see the "bushness" in his attitude - do you expect him to have the speech and mannerisms of an english man when he is an igbo man, tomorrow when white people abuse you in the streets and throw bananas on black premier league footballers when they are playing on the pitch you will be angry but look at you here calling a black man who looks like you a monkey, you must really hate yourself.

KAYMODE1:
@ cap28
In as much as i agree that you do not insult someone who is in authority, but i disagree with you that the question was off what a western reporter would ask. Jonathan of Hard talk will be that direct and this is what we need not tongue in cheek journalism.
This man fully supported Abacha and has been recycled in government for 10 years, what does that tell you, he is a part of the greedy and corrupt government officials we have. He is a public office holder and should be accountable to every Nigerian.
So it is not a case of shooting the messenger, and please take away your funny mentality. This people are public servants not public masters. So every Nigerian has the right to question them if they feel they are not representing them well.
USA/UK is not Nigeria.

@kaymode i have some questions for you - why havent tony blair and george bush been prosecuted for war crimes for invading a sovereign nation under the fabricated story of saddam having weapons of mass destruction?

why was the investigative journalist who tried to expose a fake dossier prepared by tony blair's "director of communications" sacked when he tried to expose the fact that blair and bush were lying about the proposed invasion?  my point is the west are just as corrupt and complicit in deceiving their own people as nigerians are.

this jonathan of hardtalk is PAID to PRETEND to engage in hardtalk - why is he not asking the real questions eg why has britain and america INCREASED arms sales to nigeria despite the fact that the nigerian govt  is one of the most corrupt and repressive govts in the world.

okay so madueke supported abacha when he was in power, but so did the british and americans - who do  you think sold him arms, abacha was done away with when he started moving away from the american and british agenda and started making unilateral decisions without consulting them first.

of course i want a transparent govt but my point is that Maduekwe is not the problem, the problem has to be traced all the way back to the real power brokers who are protecting these corrupt policiticians.  if the british and americans say that these people are so incompetent and useless why are they still selling them millions of dollars worth of arms.

this maduekwe bashing is beginning to get stupid, why  shoot the messenger?

maduekwe is simply acting according to instructions his hands are tied, aside from resigning which we both know he wont do, he can only do what he is currently doing - pretend as if he doesnt know what the situation is with his boss.

i understand that reporter's anger but i think he turned the question and answer session into a personal attack on Maduekwe  which did not look professional. 

even western journalists do not ask their leaders probing questions - as a matter of fact all questions asked by mainstream journalists are usually screened and approved first by press secretaries and spokesmen.

Maduekwe is taking all the heat over a situation that he has no control over.

the western powers are fully aware of what has happened to Yaradua and my belief is that they are keeping up this charade until they can break the news to us of what has happened, nigeria is crawling with CIA,MOSSAD and MI6 operatives who brief their respective govts daily on the current state of play in nigeria.

Maduekwe is merely playing a part in a pre arranged game that has already been set up to divert attention away from the real issues therefore attacking and condemning Maduekwe is a waste of time as the situation is outside his control.

Pk001:
If you watch the complete interview, you will discover that Ojo Maduekwe was never off balance in the interview. He was only carefull not to say anything that can be misinterpreted by the western media. Infact his response to the allegation of Nigerian being corrupt put the interviewer off balance, and i think that is good. It is unfortunate that they only left 2.57mins video for everybody to see and feel Nigerians dont know what they are doing. Why didnt BBC leave that part that he challenged the interviewer of being part of Nigerian problem by not reporting his false allegation that he was demanded bribe at  Nigerian airport. I watched the complete interview and i feel Ojo madwuekwe did his job well on that platform. Nigeria is in trying times and one false or misguided comment can send he wrong signal to the rest of the world.Here is the link again, i hope they allows Nigerian to see the complete interview.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00qbwfv/HARDtalk_Chief_Ojo_Maduekwe_Nigerian_Foreign_Minister/

ive just watched the first 10 mins of this and to be honest Maduekwe is comporting himself very well and dealing with the questions in a deft and professional manner, in as much as i dont support what him and his PDP cohorts stand for he comes across as an experienced and articulate politician so i think a lot of the criticism of him on here is unjustified, my quibble with nigerian politicians is not their ability to do the job but their complete disregard for the welfare of their own people.

Nigeria is not lacking educated able bodied people its just that we have refused to put the interest of our own people before the interests of these toxic western powers who are intent on destroying us.

with the right leader we would be leading the world and the west know this hence their desire to destroy us.

the initial clip  was edited in such a way as to make nigeria and nigerians look stupid this has and will remain the agenda of the west.

what i get from listening to Maduekwe is that he is a seasoned politician who is adept at answering tough questions, he is probably also a corrupt sociopath but he is definitely not stupid.

to be honest i think Ojo Maduekwe fielded the questions quite well and comported himself with confidence, im sick to my stomach of these foreign interviewers who try to put on this fake tough act - grilling african leaders with questions that they would not put to their own western leaders. the mainstream western press is censored they do not report anything that exposes the truth about what they are really up to.

what is the point of grilling Maduekwe about a situation that he probably has no control over, the americans and the british know why Yaradua is incommunicado and sooner or later we will learn the truth.

debosky:
I came across an interesting article today - shedding light on the true origins of Haiti's problems.

Yes it has been independent for 200 years, but you'll be surprised to note that for a whole 122 years it was subjected to debt repayments to France -- to pay for it's freedom. It didn't finish paying off a debt from the 1800s till[b] 1947.[/b]

Yes there was mismanagement, but before that, there was unprecedented extortion by force (France would attack Haiti if it didn't pay) involved in this.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/ben_macintyre/article6995750.ece

In the 18th century, Haiti was France’s imperial jewel, the Pearl of the Caribbean, the largest sugar exporter in the world. Even by colonial standards, the treatment of slaves working the Haitian plantations was truly vile. They died so fast that, at times, France was importing 50,000 slaves a year to keep up the numbers and the profits.

Inspired by the principles of the French Revolution, in 1791 the slaves rebelled under the leadership of the self-educated slave Toussaint L’Ouverture. After a vicious war, Napoleon’s forces were defeated. Haiti declared independence in 1804.

As Haiti struggles with new misfortune, it is worth remembering that noble achievement — this is the only nation to gain independence by a slave-led rebellion, the first black republic, and the second oldest republic in the western hemisphere. Haiti was founded on a demand for liberty from people whose liberty had been stolen: the country itself is a tribute to human resilience and freedom.

France did not forgive the impertinence and loss of earnings: 800 destroyed sugar plantations, 3,000 lost coffee estates. A brutal trade blockade was imposed. [/b]Former plantation owners demanded that Haiti be invaded, its population enslaved once more. Instead, the French State opted to bleed the new black republic white.

In 1825, in return for recognising Haitian independence, France demanded indemnity on a staggering scale: [b]150 million gold francs, five times the country’s annual export revenue. The Royal Ordinance wa backed up by 12 French warships with 150 cannon.

The terms were non-negotiable. The fledgeling nation acceded, since it had little choice. Haiti must pay for its freedom, and pay it did, through the nose, for the next 122 years.

Historical accountancy is an inexact business, but the scale of French usury was astonishing. Even when the total indemnity was reduced to 90 million francs, Haiti remained crippled by debt. The country took out loans from US, German and French banks at extortionate rates. [/b]To put the cost into perspective, in 1803 France agreed to sell the Louisiana Territory, [b]an area 74 times the size of Haiti, to the US, for 60 million francs.

The debt was not finally paid off until 1947. By then, Haiti’s economy was hopelessly distorted, its land deforested, mired in poverty, politically and economically unstable, prey equally to the caprice of nature and the depredations of autocrats. Seven year ago, the Haitian Government demanded restitution from Paris to the tune of nearly $22 billion (including interest) for the gunboat diplomacy that had helped to make it the poorest country in the western hemisphere.

Again, this is what I was talking about - bland comments about why Haiti is in the position it is, without any understanding of the true origin of the problem or the mitigating circumstances.

Hmm maybe davidylan will now accept that Haiti's demise was caused by the very people whom he looks up to with love and adoration especially since the article you posted was written by a white man.

i stated on this post the reasons as to why Haiti is in this current predicament but due to his limited understanding of world history he brushed it aside, now that a white man has come forward to point the finger at France maybe davidylan  might decide to awake from his comatose state.

the guy who wrote this article is a complete hypocrite though, because Britain were equally culpable in the demise of  Haiti.  Britain along with america and the rest of europe implemented the economic blockade against Haiti which crippled its economy.

Also Haiti was declared an international pariah for the simple reason that it defeated three imperial armies - britain, spain and france.

i noticed the writer forgot to mention the fact that britain had tried on numerous occasions to invade Haiti but was repelled by Toussaint L'ouverture's armies over and over again.  Toussaint even threated to invade the british slave colony -  Jamaica and emancipate the slaves there this forced the  British to reluctantly enter into a treaty of cessation of hostilities with Haiti.

the british are well known for their hypocrisy, lies and deceit , the writer is standing in judgement on france when all of them were all in the business of slavery together, Britain were determined to take Haiti from France and did everything possible for this to happen, at no time were the British ever in support of the emancipation of the Haitian slaves they simply wanted to take control of the vast sugar and tobbacco plantatations that were generating millions in revenue for France.  Infact when the British discovered how much money the french were making from slavery they decided to abolish slavery, not out of humanity and compassion but to destroy the french economy.

the writer of that article should also be exposing his own people - he should mention the fact that all the big banks in England like Barclays, Natwest, Lloyds etc were built on the sweat and blood of african slaves.

@ibime you can call me a mad man or any other thing you chose in order to make yourself feel better but you can't run away from the truth, i have found that the so called education that people like yourself claim to have acquired has reduced your ability to reason instead of enhancing it, thereby making you worse than people who have no education. one day you will wake up but by then it will be too late.
continue to remain in darkness my friend.

Ibime:
Cap28 suggested that Bush has an anti-black record and was not suitable for heading the committee, hence this debate on Bush's record in Africa.

Pointing out George Bush's humanitarian efforts in Africa is again in rebuttal to the claim that "Bush has anti-black record".

@ibime please do yourself a favour and stop writing such embarrassing stuff

please go and read about George Bush's family background, here are a few facts about the Bush family that you may be unaware of:

The entire Bush family are advocates of Eugenics or racial hygiene as they call it which advocates "selective breeding" and the weeding out of "inferior races".

Prescott Bush - George Bush jnrs grandfather was a Nazi sympathiser and financier, as director of the Union Banking Corp he helped launder money stolen by Nazi bigwigs from jewish families enabling him to make a fortune.

George Bush Snr campaigned in the 60's against the passing of the Civil Rights Act.

http://www.famoustexans.com/georgebush.htm

In 1972 George Bush Snr whilst ambassador to the UN initiated the introduction of forced sterilization programmes in non white countries and communities in the US.

http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/193.html

in 1980 George Bush Snr (whilst US VP)  appointed one of his cronies to head up the United Nations Development Fund whose main brief was to supervise population control in third world countries.

http://www.tribalmessenger.org/t-bush/bush-family.htm

http://wwwthesixthestate..com/2007/11/bush-family-skull-and-bones-and-nazi.html

http://www.sodahead.com/united-states/undermining-human-nature-mass-media-eugenics/blog-110455/

Ibime:
They should feel free to reject the offer of help then. . . . or better yet, feel free to produce the drugs if they can.

You are starting to sound as incoherent as Cap28.

Back to the topic:

George Bush had the best record of any American President in Africa. Feel free to discuss by comparing records with any US President. . . .

Going by some of the comments on here, I guess we should start to define the best American President as the one who offered the least aid to Africa.

@ibime i sound incoherent to people like you who are totally devoid of the ability to think critically and who have no understanding or comprehension of the bigger picture.

if you had researched the HIV aids problem you would understand why i have made the claims that i did.  You have not come up with any constructive argument refuting any of the claims that i have made instead you have fallen back on that tired old defence of "oh what a nut" i dont expect you to beleive any of the things that ive said because you're mind is closed to critical analysis, your capacity to think outside the box is limited therefore anything which contradicts what you have been fed by the western press is shunned and ridiculed.  

If you understand anything about business (because HIV aids is a business run and controlled by western pharmaceutical companies)  you would know that this is a complete money spinner for them - they created the disease, they own the patent and they have blocked any attempts by non western countries to replicate anti retro viral drugs.

Some countries are now producing copies of these anti retro virals (ARV's) (India, South Africa , Thailand and China), however the cost of ARV's and ongoing treatment for africans is still far beyond the financial means of the average african which is exactly where the western pharmaceutical companies come in - they know that by keeping the price of ARV's high their role becomes indispensable, under the guise of offering you assistance with a disease which they infected you with in the first place, they can charge you extortionately for "managing and finding solutions to living with it" whilst still exerting control over your economy and natural resources.  

Since they have a greater understanding of the disease having created it themselves they can play god in the lives of africans by deciding who gets to receive the treatement and who doesnt.

it is not unusual for western govts to attach conditions to these offers of "HIV assistance programmes"  usually the conditions involve the recipient country having to open up their country to "foreign investment and privatisation of the govt owned industries. does that sound like assistance to you or extortion and  genocide?

morning Tudor - how are you today, i see you are still harping on about the George Bush situation - okay i will answer your question with an excerpt from a mainstream newspaper describing Bush's unbeleivable incompetence during that catastrophe:

Hurricane Katrina Left a Mark on George W. Bush’s Presidency
By Kenneth T. Walsh
Posted December 11, 2008

Botching Katrina.

It was a disaster at every level. But in political terms, the government's failure to respond effectively to Hurricane Katrina in the late summer of 2005 was Bush's biggest setback at home. "Katrina showed he is incompetent," says Howard Dean, outgoing chairman of the Democratic National Committee. "Before Katrina, everyone, including America's friends and enemies, believed if something awful happened in the world, you could call in the Americans and they'd fix it." The government response to the hurricane, which devastated New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast, ruined that reputation, Dean argues.

Bush seemed slow off the mark as millions of people suffered, and he created a lasting image of isolation when the White House released photos of him, a solitary figure in his cushy seat, looking out a window on Marine One at the hurricane devastation far below. He also made a huge mistake when he praised Michael Brown, the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, with a now infamous attaboy—"Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job"—even though the agency was botching the disaster response, adding to the impression that Bush was out of touch.

http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/politics/2008/12/11/hurricane-katrina-left-a-mark-on-george-w-bushs-presidency.html

[quote author=paddy_lo link=topic=381721.msg5332874#msg5332874 date=1263722799]time to debunk some myths here. .
@all
david dylan wants us to believe that america is all so good and doesnt need help. .
yet this same america is indebted to the tune of $12 trillion and rising
mostly to the chinese but also all other world powers including NIGERIA

Now if the countries of the world decide to call in their debts or stop buying treasury bills tommorrow
the U.S economy would collapse immediately and u will see riots and anarchy worse than the haitian situation

so now who is dependent on whom again?

David talks of black nations not being well run or whatever
well below is a link of the largest economies in the world
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)

it shows u lots of african countries with economies larger than white or asian ones
and nigeria tops the list at number 40 or thereabouts of purely black nations
with south africa slightly ahead

Mr dylan wants us to believe its all utopia in the west. . .he sounds like a self deluded negro. . .
(of course he has a white girlfriend so what do u expect),where to him everything white is raised up
and everything black is to be damned[/quote]absolutely brilliant @paddy lo you put this self hating uncle tom in his place - with tom's like this in our midst it makes our struggle even more difficult.

it does not matter that countless ppl have pointed out earthquakes in kobe,japan,turkey and iran
even italy that needed foriegn intervention to stabilize the system. . no he must harp on the percieved complex he feels

david u are living a lie. . .your so called western world is built on a ponzi scheme and is bound to collapse if not now but in the near future

i love you my brother - the collapse is already happening that is why the US police are becoming more and more militarized in order to prepare themselves for the coming anarchy when lazy dumb americans will wake up and find that they can no longer finance their fake lifestyles by using credit cards.

how dare u talk about nigeria or any other black nation
at least for the most part we live within our means,we own what we have and we dont belong to the chinese or other bankers that loan us money just so our budgets can keep running

he hates himself and has been fully indoctrinated into the "scapegoat a N*********" programme which is used by the majority of whites when they are trying to deflect attention away from past and ongoing atrocities that they have committed against non whites.

u are quick to blame haiti for running 40% of its budget on aid. .
meanwhile the U.S just had to borrow 1.4trillion dollars this past yr just to keep running
more than 40% of the federal budget
i guess u didnt see that. . or u were too busy worshiping the white mans arse to see it. . .?

anytime ppl come online to spew any rubbish on NL,they feel they should be noticed or something
david your views are better spewed on [b]stormfront [/b]where u will have more of your type as company
why bother with the lowly black community which u so despise?
take your white girl,move to an all white hood,and leave the rest of us who are proud to be black in peace

hahaha paddy lo there are many self hating negros like him on this site alas, stormfront, bnp and the kkk do not permit membership from sell out toms if not this lot would be scrambling to sign up

oh and Tudor if i were you id take down that pic on your profile as that is definitely NOT my idea of a true african beauty

[quote author=Tudór link=topic=382665.msg5330895#msg5330895 date=1263678915]You're indeed daft no doubt.

Again I ask, HOW does George bush's appointment or not AFFECT THE DELIVERY OF AID TO HAITI?

Is it Bush that is gonna approve the sums to be donated in aid? Does the ultimate decision as to where the aid goes lie with bush?

The EX presidents were merely called upon to be figureheads and nothing more!

Stop ranting aimlessly please.[/quote]You sound as if you're not used to engaging in intelligent debate- how can you ask such a silly question after the Katrina fiasco that Bush was supposed to have been in charge of.

Would you feel confident of receiving adequate help if you were a Haitian caught up in this catastrophe if you knew that George Bush had been put in charge of it?

why is this so difficult for you to understand - normal people with functioning brains immediately understand how farcical it is to have someone like him involved in this releif effort but with you one has to engage in unecessary debate about something which is glaringly obvious.

all i can say is  i cant help you if you are still unaware of the role that Bush played in the delivery of relief to victims of the Katrina catastrophe.

@Ibime

now i see why you are so confused because your sources of information are western govt propaganda mouthpieces like the telegraph, the guardian and the independent, so you still havent worked out that these newspapers are in the pocket of these corrupt western govts - boy you are really naive.

okay you say george bush pumped billions into combating HIV aids how interesting, are you aware that HIV aids is an artifically manufactured bio warfare weapon deliberately introduced into african countries by way of contaminated polio vaccines in order to depopulate the african continent in accordance with US foreign policy of population reduction in the "third world" - see Henry Kissinger's National Security State Memorandum 200 of 1974 - now a declassified document.

he cancelled $34billion worth of debt - hmm what conditions were attached to this - i wonder whether any of these negotiations involved those african nations agreeing to take on more unwanted loans from the IMF and world bank

ohh but i only had to look at your subsequent sentence: "Tripled US aid to Africa" and it answered my question hahaha

you obviously are completey unaware of the role that the US has really been playing in Sudan as opposed to the fake media managed propaganda spear headed by the hollywood actor george clooney.

the US fomented a war in Sudan between the north and the south over - wait for it - control of the oil fields in the south. the rampaging militas who have been responsible for killing, maiming and brutalising people are all US funded and trained militias.

the sudanese govt unlike the nigerian govts have refused to allow themselves to be controlled and used by foreign powers instead they have chosen to sell their oil and uranium to china - big mistake - america is having none of that and therefore they have been on a relentless mission to completely destablise the entire country, fomenting uprisings, ethnic clashes and rebellions all over the country. all done in collaboration with their complicit media who feed you the garbage that you have swallowed without question.

Ibime:
My friend watch your tone. . . . imagine someone like yourself asking me what George Bush did for Africa. . . GB has the best record of any US president when it comes to humanitarian efforts in Africa. . . . Bill Clintons inclusion in the Haiti relief team is more contentious than that of George Dubya IMO


George Bush:

Pumped $18bn into fighting HIV/Aids, much of it in Africa
Backed cancelling $34bn worth of debt for 27 African states
Tripled US aid to Africa
Launched initiative that has halved Malaria in 15 African countries
Led condemnation of Sudan's record in Darfur as genocide




Feel free to digest any of the links below:




http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/2262217/Analysis-How-George-W-Bush-became-an-African-hero.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7831460.stm

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL17797120080217

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/15/georgebush.usa

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/popular-in-africa-bush-has-given-more-aid-than-any-other-us-president-783387.html

now i see why you are so confused because your sources of information are western govt propaganda mouthpieces like the telegraph, the guardian and the independent, so you still havent worked out that these newspapers are in the pocket of these corrupt western govts - boy you are really naive.

okay you say george bush pumped billions into combating HIV aids how interesting, are you aware that HIV aids is an artifically manufactured bio warfare weapon deliberately introduced into african countries by way of contaminated polio vaccines in order to depopulate the african continent in accordance with US foreign policy of population reduction in the "third world" - see Henry Kissinger's National Security State Memorandum 200 of 1974 - now a declassified document. 

he cancelled $34billion worth of debt - hmm what conditions were attached to this - i wonder whether any of these negotiations involved those african nations agreeing to take on more unwanted loans from the IMF and world bank

ohh but i only had to look at your subsequent sentence: "Tripled US aid to Africa" and it answered my question hahaha 

you obviously are completey unaware of the role that the US has really been playing in Sudan as opposed to the fake media managed propaganda spear headed by the hollywood actor george clooney. 

the US fomented a war in Sudan between the north and the south over - wait for it - control of the oil fields in the south.  the rampaging militas who have been responsible for killing, maiming and brutalising people are all US funded and trained militias.

the sudanese govt unlike the nigerian govts have refused to allow themselves to be controlled and used by foreign powers instead they have chosen to sell their oil and uranium to china - big mistake - america is having none of that and therefore they have been on  a relentless  mission to completely destablise the entire country, fomenting uprisings, ethnic clashes and rebellions all over the country.  all done in collaboration with their complicit media who feed you the garbage that you have swallowed without question.

here is an excerpt from an article written by journalist and anti war activist sara flounders:

U.S. interest in Sudan

 

Sudan is the largest country in Africa in area. It is strategically located on the Red Sea, immediately south of Egypt, and borders on seven other African countries. It is about the size of Western Europe but has a population of only 35 million people.

 

Darfur is the western region of Sudan. It is the size of France, with a population of just 6 million.

 

Newly discovered resources have made Sudan of great interest to U.S. corporations. It is believed to have oil reserves rivaling those of Saudi Arabia. It has large deposits of natural gas. In addition, it has one of the three largest deposits of high-purity uranium in the world, along with the fourth-largest deposits of copper.

 

Unlike Saudi Arabia, however, the Sudanese government has retained its independence of Washington. Unable to control Sudan's oil policy, the U.S. imperialist government has made every effort to stop its development of this valuable resource. China, on the other hand, has worked with Sudan in providing the technology for exploration, drilling, pumping and the building of a pipeline and buys much of Sudan's oil.

U.S. policy revolves around shutting down the export of oil through sanctions and inflaming national and regional antagonisms. For over two decades U.S. imperialism supported a separatist movement in the south of Sudan, where oil was originally found. This long civil war drained the central government's resources. When a peace agreement was finally negotiated, U.S. attention immediately switched to Darfur in western Sudan.

 

Recently, a similar agreement between the Sudanese government and rebel groups in Darfur was rejected by one of the groups, so the fighting continues. The U.S. poses as a neutral mediator and keeps pressing Khartoum for more concessions but "through its closest African allies helped train the SLA and JEM Darfuri rebels that initiated Khartoum's violent reaction." (www.afrol.com)

 

Sudan has one of the most ethnically diverse populations in the world. Over 400 ethnic groups have their own languages or dialects. Arabic is the one common language. Greater Khartoum, the largest city in the country, has a population of about 6 million. Some 85 percent of the Sudanese population is involved in subsistence agriculture or raising livestock.

 

The U.S. corporate media is unanimous in simplistically describing the crisis in Darfur as atrocities committed by the Jan jawid militias, supported by the central government in Khartoum. This is described as an "Arab" assault on "African" people.

 

This is a total distortion of reality. As the Black Commentator, Oct. 27, 2004, points out: "All parties involved in the Darfur conflict-whether they are referred to as ‘Arab' or as ‘African,' are equally indigenous and equally Black. All are Muslim and all are local." The whole population of Darfur speaks Arabic, along with many local dialects. All are Sunni Muslim.

 

Drought, famine and sanctions

The crisis in Darfur is rooted in intertribal fighting. A desperate struggle has developed over increasingly scarce water and grazing rights in a vast area of Northern Africa that has been hit hard by years of drought and growing famine.

 

Darfur has over 35 tribes and ethnic groups. About half the people are small subsistence farmers, the other half nomadic herders. For hundreds of years the nomadic population grazed their herds of cattle and camels over hundreds of miles of grassy lowlands. Farmers and herders shared wells. For over 5,000 years, this fertile land sustained civilizations in both western Dar fur and to the east, all along the Nile River.

 

Now, due to the drought and the encroaching great Sahara Desert, there isn't enough grazing land or enough farmland in what could be the breadbasket of Africa. Irrigation and development of Sudan's rich resources could solve many of these problems. U.S. sanctions and military intervention will solve none of them.

 

Many people, especially children, have died in Sudan of totally preventable and treatable diseases because of a U.S. cruise missile attack, ordered by President Bill Clinton on Aug. 20, 1998, on the El Shifa pharmaceutical plant in Khartoum. This plant, which had produced cheap medications for treating malaria and tuberculosis, provided 60 percent of the available medicine in Sudan.

 

The U.S. claimed Sudan was operating a VX poison gas facility there. It produced no evidence to back up the charge. This simple medical facility, totally destroyed by the 19 missiles, was not rebuilt nor did Sudan receive a penny of compensation.

 

UN/NATO role in Sudan

 

Presently 7,000 African Union troops are in Darfur. Their logistical and technical back-up is provided by U.S. and NATO forces. In addition, thousands of UN personnel are overseeing refugee camps for hundreds of thousands dislocated by the drought, famine and war. All of these outside forces do more than hand out needed food. They are a source of instability. As capitalist would-be conquerors have done for hundreds of years, they consciously play one group off against another.

 

U.S. imperialism is heavily involved in the entire region. Chad, which is directly west of Darfur, last year participated in a U.S.-organized international military exer cise that, according to the U.S. Defense Depart ment, was the largest in Africa since World War II. Chad is a former French colony, and both French and U.S. forces are heavily involved in funding, training and equipping the army of its military ruler, Idriss Deby, who has supported rebel groups in Darfur.

 

For more than half a century, Britain ruled Sudan, encountering widespread resis tance. British colonial policy was rooted in divide-and-conquer tactics and in keeping its colonies underdeveloped and isolated in order to plunder their resources.

 

U.S. imperialism, which has replaced the European colonial powers in many parts of the world, in recent years has been sabotaging the economic independence of countries trying to emerge from colonial underdevelopment. Its main economic weapons have been sanctions combined with "structural adjustment" demands made by the International Monetary Fund, which it controls. In return for loans, the target governments must cut their budgets for development of infrastructure.

 

How can demands from organizations in the West for sanctions, leading to further underdevelopment and isolation, solve any of these problems?

 

Washington has often used its tremendous power in the UN Security Council to get resolutions endorsing its plans to send U.S. troops into other countries. None were on humanitarian missions.

 

U.S. troops carrying the UN flag invaded Korea in 1950 in a war that resulted in more than 4 million deaths. Still flying that flag, they have occupied and divided the Korean peninsula for over 50 years.

 

At the urging of the U.S., UN troops in 1961 were deployed to the Congo, where they played a role in the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the country's first prime minister.

 

The U.S. was able to get a UN mandate in 1991 for its massive bombing of the entire Iraqi civilian infrastructure, including water purification plants, irrigation and food processing plants-and for the 13 years of starvation sanctions that resulted in the deaths of over 1.5 million Iraqis.

 

UN troops in Yugoslavia and in Haiti have been a cover for U.S. and European intervention and occupation-not peace or reconciliation.

 

The U.S. and European imperialist powers are responsible for the genocidal slave trade that decimated Africa, the genocide of the Indigenous population of the Americas, the colonial wars and occupations that looted three-quarters of the globe. It was German imperialism that was responsible for the genocide of Jewish people. To call for military intervention by these same powers as the answer to conflicts among the people of Darfur is to ignore 500 years of history.

 

(Sara Flounders went to Sudan just after the bombing of the El Shifa pharmaceutical plant in 1998 with John Parker as part of an International Action Center fact-finding delegation led by Ramsey Clark.)

 
www.DailyMuslims.com
http://www.kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2006/06/06/4743.shtml

Kobojunkie:
Haiti Clay cakes


http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/11/071108-clay-video-ap.html



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIEt3vsUHgY

hmm funny how your more interested in posting degrading images of Haitians rather than highlighting the atrocities committed against this country by america which induced such suffering, are you aware that innocent men women and children had bombs dropped on them while they were sleeping during xmas 2006 under the guise of "peace keeping operations" - none of this was ever published in the mainstream media and the journalist who recorded the images received death threats for doing so.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjViOSGQUNs

Ibime:
Former Presidents are always called upon for humanitarian causes cos they appeal to a wide range of people.

George Bush was good to Africa. Thats a fact.

if you have chosen to live in a permanent state of self delusion thats your prerogative, i notice you said george bush was good to africa without mentioning one good deed that he did.

oh let me guess could it be the imminent arrival of AFRICOM on the continent


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzdF4hA4XfY.

I laugh