The BBC story continues that with bribes estimated to be over $100m, “Companies controlled by Mr Gertler started sweeping up licences for mineral deposits all over the country.” Not to eat alone, Gertler helped other capitalist exploiters “like Swiss commodities trader Glencore and New York hedge fund company Och-Ziff Capital Management.” These acquired control over mining sites, and the pillage continued. It is estimated that DR Congo has lost $1.36bn in these shady deals. Presently, there are Blue Helmets in DR Congo, and continued violence in different parts of the country directly connected to the ways in which minerals are mined in the region. The difference here is that while King Leopold II would be directly called out, under Gertler’s regime, it is individual Congolese held responsible for killing each other. Gertler is deftly hidden.

For those unfamiliar with the new wave of colonialist-capitalist control, it is easy to put the two Kabila presidencies on the spot for being corrupt and allowing foreign pillage. It is also easy to seek to hold Gertler as individually accountable. This would be barely scratching the surface. These men are beneficiaries and servants of a ‘regime of truth’ that was set in motion by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Under the language of free market economies, former and new colonisers work in the background—outsourcing individual businessmen whom they can discard once things turn sour. In addition to quietly manipulating and supporting conflicts, they return as defenders of human rights, and seek to prosecute perpetrators – to do all of this they have conscripted an army of journalists and scholars, returned as donors and aid-givers, and turned the political class into compradors accessing entire economies through simple, technocratized routes (development, aid, human rights, democracy, etc.)

In the Congo, the Gertler pillage is technocratized and no one ever questions how a white foreigner owns monopoly rights over natural resources in a war-ridden country. Instead, the situation is captured and debated in technicalities and legalese of courts judgments, licenses or sanctions, and does not involve dismantling this outrightly colonial empire.

Structural Adjustment as Colonial Adjustment


In a recently published book, Less is More: How Degrowth will Save the World, Jason Hickel tells the story of Structural Adjustment in rivetingly precise details: after independence in the 1950s and 1960s, Hickel writes, newly independent governments rolled out progressive policies to rebuild their economies. They used taxes and subsidies “to protect their domestic industries, improve labour standards and raising workers’ wages. They also invested in public health and education.” Hickel continues that “all of this was meant to reverse the extractive policies of colonialism and improve human welfare – and it was working.” The effect of this was that “average incomes in the global South grew at 3.2% per year in the 1960s and 1970s” which in effect, improved the quality of life in these countries.
As this happened, former colonisers were not pleased at all. These breakthroughs in formerly colonised places had meant, Hickel notes, “LOSING ACCESS TO CHEAP LABOUR, raw materials and captive markets that they had enjoyed under colonialism.” They had to intervene. For about 25 years, they schemed and planned on how to reverse the tide. Using their control over the World Bank and the IMF, they imposed structural adjustment programmes across Latin America, Africa and parts of Asia. Forcefully, SAPs “liberalised the economies of the global South, tearing down protective tariffs and capital controls, cutting wages and environmental laws, slashing social spending and privatising public goods – all to break open profitable new frontiers for foreign capital and restore access to cheap labour and resources,” Hickel concludes.

To make the argument that parastatals and cooperatives – mining companies, transport systems, farmer’s support systems, value addition chains, hotels, etcetera – were not working, Wiegratz (2016) has noted that World Bank (i.e. it’s advisors/experts) had to FORGE EVIDENCEsimilar to the forged evidence they have on Ukraine, the WMD pretext to invade Iraq, the 9/11 US govt sponsored terrorism) according to a key source from inside the state machinery in Uganda, “cooperatives were forced to sell their business to the private sectors” through manufactured bank statements that declared them indebted and unsustainable: “accountants were sent into cooperatives to check their books… made sure the cooperatives were on a loss on paper: cooperatives were told, you have to sell to cancel your debt [that was created on paper in the first place]. Also, cooperatives were not regarded credit worthy by respective banks” (2016: 99). It did not matter that almost all African economists and ministers of finances had argued that African economies were too small to be left on their own (i.e., without protective barriers, state subsidies, trade deals politics etc.).

There were no businessmen rich enough to buy, take loans (at +20 per cent interest), and run entire railway lines or hotel chains. We had just emerged from colonialism. It meant – with global market fictions – that, rich, mostly white men from Europe and North America, propped by their governments would come and buy the very things they had once taken by force and looted.[/b] (Yes, I have a very deep hatred for westerners).

In truth, after decades of independence, the loot continues – but in a more technocratized form and expert driven and less violent than before. This is the story of Dan Gertler, ED&F Man London, Sucafina, Switzerland, Olam Group, Singapore, Neumann Gruppe, from Germany and Twin Trading from the UK.

Conclusion: scramble without partition

If the 1885 Berlin Conference meant that Europe would grind Africa down after sharing it amongst themselves—which also often meant fighting over each other’s share—the 1980s Structural Adjustment project meant that the lions had finally agreed to eat their prey without fighting over it. There was no reason to split it into small units of influence anymore. They could eat all at once, and everybody was welcome to the dining table, exclusively designed, meticulously calculated, legally and forcefully protected for dinners in Europe and North America.

Hickel has written that in Europe and North America, “…fully half of the total materials they consume are extracted from poorer countries and generally under unequal and exploitative conditions. The coltan in your smartphones comes from mines in the Congo. The lithium in your electric car batteries comes from the mountains of Bolivia. The cotton in your bedsheets comes from plantations in Egypt… the vast majority of materials consumed in the south ultimately originate from the South itself even if they are recycled through multinational value chains” (2020: 112). How does one ensure that these supplies keep coming? Beyond the legalese of SAPs, Sierra Leonian-German activist, Mallence Bart-Williams has added that this also involves “systematically destabilising the wealthiest African nations and their systems, and all that backed by huge PR campaigns” while at the same FEIGNING endless benevolence to the Africans through aid—under the flashing lights of cameras—but stealing much more under the shadows.

One might say, that one of the most binding lessons of the Second World War, and the Cold War, was the uselessness of fighting over helpless prey – or prey that can easily be sedated or manipulated into subservience.
African Countries are Dumb And easy to manipulate- eu Is Talking From Experience
https://www.nairaland.com/7559246/african-countries-dumb-easy-manipulate

The lions realised there was no need for outright violence over the prey. This eating-together approach is more tactical, subtle, disguised, and even welcome among sections of the prey, as it does not arouse any animosity from the prey itself. In truth, it is this subtlety, technocratization, legalese, conscription of local politicians/elites that Africans publics remain blinded from the colonial continuities despite the enormity of scale.

BidenDTrounced:
President Putin is Sultan Mehmed II while Jewlensky is Vlad Dracula/Constatine without the valour.

For those who attach any importance to the UN(I believe it's redundant and useless), the UN has ruled that the Israeli occupation of Palestine is illegal. The UN also recognizes Taiwan as part of China but the West continues to push for Taiwan's seccession (China yet again has proven to be the smarter party while the West has been subjected to global ridicule because the actions of the West are inconsistent in Ukraine it made futile attempts to deny the democratic will of the people of Ukraine as they chose to secede/join Russia). The West likes to preach, lecture and dictate but it doesn't practice it's sermons.

Any declaration of independence by Taiwan (a province of China) would lay the groundwork for China to restore order by any means it chooses.
Every day, I pray to God and I thank God for Russia and China because a world with just the tyrannical crooked West would be unbearable for the colonized and oppressed.

Sultan Mehmed II fulfilled the prophecy in the Quran concerning the conquest of Constantinople.

Vlad Dracula the bloodthirsty vampire and Constatine the vanquished emperor of Constantinople are losers, an attribute shared with Jewlensky and the West.

The War is over

Over a year ago, pedo biden vowed to isolate Russia, make it a pariah state, cripple it's economy and bring her down to it's knees.
Today, when I checked, I found out that none of that has happened. The US still has an embassy in Russia, Nigeria still has an embassy in Russia.
Why does the US need an embassy in isolated Russia?
The burden of isolation rests upon the West. Russia doesn't need to initiate that action, the West does.
They can set up proxy communication with Russia via Nigeria or China that isn't seeking to isolate Russia.

Was the war really neccessary for a multipolar world? Yes it was because the world was dragging it's feet (vis a vis dedollarization).
Only a tiny fraction of the public and decision makers agrees with the Western position on the Rus-Ukr conflict. The majority agree with Russia, although, they do have to have to deceive the West sometimes to mislead, distract and take advantage of the West/East rivalry to advance the agenda and interests of the nations they represent. In those scenarios, Russia cannot be angry because Russia understands that these countries are only advancing the interests of their respective nations and they have nothing to lose. So it's beneficial to these countries because while they maintain a mutually beneficial relationship with Russia, they're also able to advance the interests of thier countries in the West.

Apart from the fact that the majority agree that Russia's position is justified, the reaction of the West was the major catalyst for the multipolar world. The majority of the world's population (including the decision makers) are aware that the actions of the West had 0 impact on the SMO or the Russian decision makers and elites. It was designed to make the ordinary Russian suffer. With this knowledge, dedollarization received a massive boost and acceptance across the world.
Russia might show weakness sometimes...just to serve as a reminder, add more vigor and push the West into more self destructive frenzy (thier actions and reactions are responsible for the demise of the unipolar world and they'll only continue to hurt themselves).


I got bored of the US paranoia, propaganda, delusions and noisemaking/chest beating with respect to the China-Taiwan issue.
There's a reason why Taiwan is recognized as a territory of China by the majority of countries in the UN. Taiwan is not even a member of the UN.
Despite it's propaganda and chest beating, the collective West is unable to defeat China in any sort of warfare.
Taiwan declaring independence will lay the grounds for China to restore order by any means it chooses.

Palestine is illegally occupied by Israel.
Canada is illegally occupied by Westerners.
The bottomline is, Na person wey get power dey win. Na person wey get power dey write the rules. Na person wey get power dey write history.

Be wary of Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and the likes..you have no privacy. If I can access your accounts and spy on you, you think the govt of the countries where these tech companies are domiciled and controlled do not spy on you? You're only safe if you're a nobody.


I'm refocusing my focus to settling and flexing in Nigeria. Na travel doc remain.

BidenDTrounced:


There are some misguided folks like gambojimeta (see attached) who feel that speaking out against neocolonialism is a campaign to ask Nigerians to remain confined within the boundaries of the nation. On the contrary, there are speakers like pansophist who drops tips on immigration.
My interests is a developed and prosperous Africa where ordinary Africans have the resources to travel and explore the world without having to dehumanize themselves.
We can do this by weaning ourselves from the influence of the same entities that have made your native land inhabitable for the reasons stated here:

"Corruption as it is is a legacy of Western colonialism. After years of looting, stealing, maiming and brigandage, the West was able to create a 'garden' for themselves and sustain this garden by the continuous subjugation and exploitation of those condemned to the jungle"

Origins of Corruption In Africa
https://panafricanreview.rw/origins-of-corruption-in-africa/

Colonialism is alive and well in Africa, but goes by many nice names


https://roape.net/2022/01/26/colonialism-is-alive-and-well-in-africa-but-goes-by-many-nice-names/

Look at Saudi Arabia for example

"Population estimates are seen to have a very small diaspora, mainly because the KSA provides native Saudis with more than adequate welfare benefits, removing the need to live and work in other developed countries.
There are a variety of reasons why so few Saudi Arabians chose to permanently live to the United States. Among these were the wealth of Saudi Arabia, the religious faith and pride of Saudis who found it difficult to maintain an Islamic lifestyle in the United States, and a lack of factors motivating citizens to leave Saudi Arabia. The limited number of marriages between the US and Saudi citizens may also have contributed to the low number of Saudi immigrants and of Saudi American
" Wikipedia...
the West should focus on introducing democracy in Saudi Arabia instead of pillaging developing countries.

The reason I'm relaxing on the RUS - UKR conflict is because the war is over, my aspirations came to fruition much more rapidly than I expected.
The West has receded and declined, we're now in a multipolar world where Yuan is an acceptable alternative to the dollar, sanctions are impotent, the West has been unable to isolate Russia (the West still has embassies in Russia sef...they could communicate with Russia via Nigeria or cnn), the West has been unable to prevent trade between Russia and the relevant stakeholders (China and India).. plus, Nazi Ukraine has lost territory that is comparable to the size of some countries and the West is unable to achieve any of it's intended goals/ambition (the West is incapacitated).

As the war is now over (see above), I'll close this thread with this.

BidenDTrounced:


The crime of the leaderships of these countries is trying to extract maximum benefit from their mineral resources — especially oil, gold, lithium and platinum — and fighting for their land. As these leaders are derided by EU and American politicians, western scholars and journalists endlessly chant their badness. These same scholars and media also sweat blood and tears to ensure that the crimes of empire are not exposed. Ali Mazrui told us as much in 1997 when the BBC censored him for reporting factually about Muammar Gaddafi. More recently, The Conversation killed a well-researched piece by Matthew Alford on how ’western media rationalises and amplifies state-sanctioned violence and wars as millions die.’

Please note that these fellows in the Western-based media and academia hate being associated with their countries’ foreign policies. They will vehemently deny this accusation. They strut themselves around as independent objective academics and analysts building their craft purely on fieldwork and theory. This is rightly undeniable but to a degree. There are two glaring handicaps with their claim: first, you’ll never hear them speak out against the crimes of their own countries the way they do about those of other countries or their leaders. You do not see them calling out Israel’s colonisation of Palestine. You do not see them joining Black Lives Matter, nor see them call out the wars in Yemen, Iraq, and the entire Middle East that were started on absolute deception. And this isn’t a case of disciplinary focus or areas studies. That would be a clumsy excuse. A true activist-scholar has to start by calling out the crimes of own countries. Sadly, you have heard them downplay the double standards of structural adjustment, or simply remain silent. They are happy to harp on about democracy and human rights as if there is no connection between livelihood and governance. It is as if they do not see the continued ruins of structural adjustment as local African populations remain disempowered and emasculated – and the double standards with which Europe and North America still enforce the Washington Consensus onto Africa as they themselves do the exact opposite at home.

Second, and this is an important point I intend to make: working or simply following the foreign policy positions of their countries cannot be seen as a crime on the part of these activist-scholars and media. They really have no choice. Even those most aware of their positionality in this game – by far the fewest – end up with very limited choices. To appropriate David Scott, they did not choose to do this job, they were simply conscripted. They did not choose to work for their countries as earlier intellectuals of empire did. To survive as scholars, they have to stay true to the mission of the master who not only introduced them to these parts of the world, but who also enables their intellectual and financial power to undertake scholarship in these parts of the world.

That the majority are unaware of or simply deny their conscription to the imperial machine is how it is meant to be. This is because the conscription is more discreet and takes many subtle forms including their training, funding, legitimation by their schools, historical connections, etc. This is an existential dilemma. Just one telling example, there are exponentially more scholars from the UK than from France or Germany working in the former British colonies, in the same way that there are more scholars from France than from the UK in the former French colonies. And although this form of conscription runs deep, it remains not just largely invisible but unconsciously suppressed. Should it be strange that there are almost zero scholars from the colonies doing fieldwork in Europe and North America. To this day, it is still viewed as almost comical that an African university started a centre for the study of the Americas.

The bigger point I wish to make is this: scholarship is closely linked to the economy—and to politics. Until Africans develop their economies to fund their own scholarship, these men and women from the west will continue to say whatever they want – and there will always be good evidence to back up any arguments they choose to make, which actually makes their scholarship appear sound and objective. But as Foucault has told us, to focus on a particular argument or focus on a particular subject is often a political position and not an intellectual one. It is not intellectual persuasion or a case of overwhelming evidence. It is power and politics.


My intention is not to make the conscription of Western media and scholars at the service of their countries’ foreign policies a crime (though perhaps if they acknowledged this fact, they would be humbler and less sanctimonious). It is to remind African intellectuals and activists that there is a need to spend more time fighting at home to better their politics and economies. This, in turn, will give them the intellectual and political power to also push our side of the story – which will also be, as Nigerian historian Yusufu Bala Usman would put it, a political position.

https://roape.net/2021/07/01/the-new-intellectuals-of-empire/

Pay attention to the bolded, the migration pattern is also the same. There are more migrants from Nigeria/Ghana (English speaking British colonies) in Britain than in France and vice versa.