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Razorguns
Well-known member
Pretty much sums up what we've all said here:
Live 8 aims a bad idea
http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Worthington_Peter/2005/07/05/1117707-sun.html
TWENTY YEARS ago when Ethiopia was in famine, Bob Geldof invented the Live Aid concert to attract the world's attention to misery there.
It was an astonishing success, raised millions, caught the humanitarian emotions of the world, contributed to him being knighted -- and achieved absolutely nothing for the wretched of Ethiopia.
That country's homicidal Marxist regime of Col. Haile Mariam Mengistu even charged duty on aid that was donated by the outside world. Appropriately, Mengistu today has sanctuary in Zimbabwe, where his Marxist soulmate, Robert Mugabe, has savaged one of Africa's most hopeful economies and made tyranny endemic.
In the 1980s, food aid to the starving of Ethiopia was diverted to the Ethiopian army, although the Geldofs and aid bureaucrats of the world were in ferocious denial. Filmmaker Rob Roy and I were with fighters in Eritrea when they routed and ransacked an Ethiopian division. In the army kitchens we found sacks of Canadian wheat flour that was intended for refugees.
I took photographs, reported the findings, but the Canadian government wasn't interested. It refused to see the truth about humanitarian aid.
So much for Geldof's passion then. Now there's something of history being repeated with a series of Live 8 concerts around the world, timed for this week's G8 summit meeting in Gleneagles, Scotland. This time the concerts are more ambitious than just raising money for Ethiopia. This time it's all Africa, especially the 14 African countries that are among the world's 18 poorest.
We never learn.
Ethiopia is still dirt poor -- but affluent enough to wage war against Eritrea, which is also poor but has a better record of fighting corruption and rejecting aid with strings attached.
It's hard to write realistically about Africa without seeming callous. It's estimated that in the past 50 years of anti-colonialism, $1 trillion has been given to Africa. Yet the people of many African countries are worse off today.
Britain's Tony Blair, host of the Gleneagles summit, is carrying on from where Jean Chretien left off at the 2002 G8 summit at Kananaskis, Alta., by urging more largesse for Africa.
A BASKET CASE
Blair, being a socialist, feels guilty about Africa and says it's a "scar on the conscience of the world" -- a basket case instead of a potential cornucopia.
This is a prevalent attitude, but it's also condescending, patronizing, elitist and nuts. Now the push is for developed countries to write off $40 billion in debts that Africa owes, as well as increasing aid to $50 billion a year by 2010, and $75 billion a year by 2015. Put that in everyday terms: Would it make debtors more responsible if banks cancelled debts and gave, rather than lent, more money? Is compulsive gambling cured by providing unlimited funds to gamblers? Are alcoholics helped by giving them free booze?
Africa's greatest problems are corruption and tribalism (i.e., racism). Foreign aid tends to keep dictators in power and prevents the people from being able to choose wise leaders and provide for themselves.
NO ACCOUNTABILITY
Tyranny thrives on foreign aid which, like the Live 8 concerts around the world, makes donors feel good but does little to encourage responsibility and accountability.
Richard Dowden of London's Royal African Society has it right when he says, "Only Africans themselves can change Africa," and points out that much of Africa is worse off than before massive aid injections were funnelled mostly to those in charge.
As for our own Prime Minister Paul Martin, he is captive of foreign aid rhetoric, but wary about actually delivering -- witness his pledge of $425 million for victims of the South Asian tsunami disaster last Christmas, precious little of which has yet to reach those who need it most.
Live 8 aims a bad idea
http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Worthington_Peter/2005/07/05/1117707-sun.html
TWENTY YEARS ago when Ethiopia was in famine, Bob Geldof invented the Live Aid concert to attract the world's attention to misery there.
It was an astonishing success, raised millions, caught the humanitarian emotions of the world, contributed to him being knighted -- and achieved absolutely nothing for the wretched of Ethiopia.
That country's homicidal Marxist regime of Col. Haile Mariam Mengistu even charged duty on aid that was donated by the outside world. Appropriately, Mengistu today has sanctuary in Zimbabwe, where his Marxist soulmate, Robert Mugabe, has savaged one of Africa's most hopeful economies and made tyranny endemic.
In the 1980s, food aid to the starving of Ethiopia was diverted to the Ethiopian army, although the Geldofs and aid bureaucrats of the world were in ferocious denial. Filmmaker Rob Roy and I were with fighters in Eritrea when they routed and ransacked an Ethiopian division. In the army kitchens we found sacks of Canadian wheat flour that was intended for refugees.
I took photographs, reported the findings, but the Canadian government wasn't interested. It refused to see the truth about humanitarian aid.
So much for Geldof's passion then. Now there's something of history being repeated with a series of Live 8 concerts around the world, timed for this week's G8 summit meeting in Gleneagles, Scotland. This time the concerts are more ambitious than just raising money for Ethiopia. This time it's all Africa, especially the 14 African countries that are among the world's 18 poorest.
We never learn.
Ethiopia is still dirt poor -- but affluent enough to wage war against Eritrea, which is also poor but has a better record of fighting corruption and rejecting aid with strings attached.
It's hard to write realistically about Africa without seeming callous. It's estimated that in the past 50 years of anti-colonialism, $1 trillion has been given to Africa. Yet the people of many African countries are worse off today.
Britain's Tony Blair, host of the Gleneagles summit, is carrying on from where Jean Chretien left off at the 2002 G8 summit at Kananaskis, Alta., by urging more largesse for Africa.
A BASKET CASE
Blair, being a socialist, feels guilty about Africa and says it's a "scar on the conscience of the world" -- a basket case instead of a potential cornucopia.
This is a prevalent attitude, but it's also condescending, patronizing, elitist and nuts. Now the push is for developed countries to write off $40 billion in debts that Africa owes, as well as increasing aid to $50 billion a year by 2010, and $75 billion a year by 2015. Put that in everyday terms: Would it make debtors more responsible if banks cancelled debts and gave, rather than lent, more money? Is compulsive gambling cured by providing unlimited funds to gamblers? Are alcoholics helped by giving them free booze?
Africa's greatest problems are corruption and tribalism (i.e., racism). Foreign aid tends to keep dictators in power and prevents the people from being able to choose wise leaders and provide for themselves.
NO ACCOUNTABILITY
Tyranny thrives on foreign aid which, like the Live 8 concerts around the world, makes donors feel good but does little to encourage responsibility and accountability.
Richard Dowden of London's Royal African Society has it right when he says, "Only Africans themselves can change Africa," and points out that much of Africa is worse off than before massive aid injections were funnelled mostly to those in charge.
As for our own Prime Minister Paul Martin, he is captive of foreign aid rhetoric, but wary about actually delivering -- witness his pledge of $425 million for victims of the South Asian tsunami disaster last Christmas, precious little of which has yet to reach those who need it most.
