why does africa suck sooo much?

[HansNZ]

exactly, makes you wonder who is going to come to our aid when we need it...it will happen too!!!

Because Africa does not have a great deal of impact on the world stage it hasn't become embedded in the fabric of global society and sits more on its periphery. That is why it has been so easy to ignore for so long. Asia, for instance, could not be ignored in this way, nor could the USA.

The USA plays such a central role in the world that its health is in everyone's interests. You can see this interconnectedness when Japan or Europe start buying up US dollars to prop up the value of the US currency, and vice versa. This is just a minor example.

If things went to hell in the USA in some fundamental way, other countries would lend assistance. They would do this simply out of self-interest. Look at the way the European powers intervened in Russia in 1917 for instance.

Britain belatedly realised the importance of a helping out Germany after WW1 when it largely scrapped its reparations claims against it because the UK could benefit more by trading with a healthy Germany than by running it into the ground.

Look at the way the US Marshal Plan gave Western European economies a jump start after WW2, perhaps speeding up their recovery by a good 5 or 10 years. It didn't do this out of the goodness of its heart, but because most of its trade was with these countries, so it feared a return to pre-war depression without thriving markets for its goods. It also feared the spread of communism which American elites saw as a threat. The US wanted W.Europe to recover ASAP so that these countries could rearm and be active allies against the USSR.

 

[HansNZ]

No amount of goodwil or monetary aid will be able to rescue Africa from the throes of the forces that act upon and shape civilizations.

The "Western" theory of government cannot be transplanted to cultures that are not consolidated politically.

Cultures have a life span. They are born, they peak, they die. Africa will consolidate its resources and unite its people or it will perish. This is not something that the West can rectify, the West is not benevolent. (despite the regime's claims to the contrary)

Yes, the US will inevitably decline too. At this time it shapes the world to its own benefit. Like all top dogs it creates the rules and modifies them so that it receives all the goodies. It uses its political and economic might to enforce these rules. This situation will not last forever. Eventually it will have to play on a level playing field with everyone else. Americans are indeed the "chosen" people at this time.

Britain, for example, reached the height of its power by the late 1800s. It remained top dog until WW2, but began its steep decline after WW1. Despite being overtaken in Economic size (although it still remained the world's main creditor nation) by the US and Germany by the 1900s, it continued to be the supreme power in the world.

It wasn't until after WW2 when Britain was totally bankrupt that the center of world power shifted to the US and the USSR. Until this point the US had been isolationist and wasn't a world player. The USSR was too poor. Post WW2 circumstances forced these two countries to assert their significance, which had largely remained latent until then.

There are also some fundamental cracks forming in US society and culture which signal the decline of any civilisation. The corruption and complacency among its elites which is starting to show itself reflects what started happening in Britain after 1900.

The US reached the height of its power around about 1990. Once you reach the top the only way you can go is down. This decline won't really be noticeable for another generation though. So as with the decline of Great Britain, the US will retain its crown for sometime yet.

 

[circusgirl]

If you think there's no corruption over here now, you're mistaken....
circusgirl

 

[HansNZ]

If you think there's no corruption over here now, you're mistaken....
circusgirl

I was refering to the USA, not Britain. Britain stopped being top dog generations ago. The US is top dog now.

As for corruption, when you can no longer trust such a bastion of propriety as an accountant who can you trust?! LOL

All great civilisations have rot around the edges. It is when the rot starts appearing all through the center that decline sets in.

 

[HansNZ]

Yes, the US will inevitably decline too. At this time it shapes the world to its own benefit. Like all top dogs it creates the rules and modifies them so that it receives all the goodies. It uses its political and economic might to enforce these rules. This situation will not last forever. Eventually it will have to play on a level playing field with everyone else. Americans are indeed the "chosen" people at this time.

I was just thinking of a a couple of small examples of this from my country's own experience. The USA bitterly complains about protectionism among other countries while being highly protectionist itself. US farm subsidies are 85% of the European level for instance, yet in NZ our farmers receive no subsidies. As a result US farmers aren't as efficient as our farmers.

So what happens? We get locked out of the US market by tariffs. Yet if we did the same to US producers we'd be hit by US imposed economic sanctions. Because we are a small country (3.8 million people) access to the US market is CRUCIAL, but US producers don't need access to ours. The volume of trade is the same both ways, but I assure you in proportional terms (3.8m versus 278m people) loss of trade with NZ would barely register on the US radar screen, but it would leave a glaring hole in ours. If we imposed sanctions on US producers it would only hurt us more when the US retaliates. As such the US gets its cake and eats it too. It gets free access to our market but we don't get the same access back.

In the 1980s when NZ decided to become a nuclear free country the US threatened to destroy our economy unless we allowed free access to our ports for its nuclear warships. It was only when Australia pulled out from being nuclear free so that US ships could dock in its ports (thereby allowing continued US control over this part of the world) that the US let us off with political sanctions that we could live with.

 

[furious]

HansNZ

I like the way you think and discuss things, brotha.

 

[Blue Sky]

This might be mildly off topic but...

The 8 or 10 leading developed countries consume almost 80% of the worlds resources (I think the #'s are right...). That is 12% of the world population uses 80% of Earth's resources... I don't have a great deal of problem w/ the developed nations consuming the majority of the resources (in hopes that they are probably more efficient in their use than developed countries, and there are many resources that can only be used/refined in developed countries).. It doesn't leave much for the other countries... And besides, Africa exports many raw materials to developed nations.... (mostly minerals and metals I believe...???)...

As for the stingy-ness of countries giving aid to other countries... Nn, I don't know... HanNZ, I have no idea about the Scandanavian countries, but the Asian countries, specially Japan... When giving, say, economical aid to another country there is always a string attached... That money they offered can only be used to hire Japanese construction companies and buy needed tools/material from Japanese suppliers... So, the money they offered as an aid... gets reinjected back into the Japanese economy... From what I understand US rarely stipulates such contraints and... the money staying the the country the aid was given. But... this was 4 years ago... Things might have radically changed in the years...??

 

[HansNZ]

Re: This might be mildly off topic but...

As for the stingy-ness of countries giving aid to other countries... Nn, I don't know... HanNZ, I have no idea about the Scandanavian countries, but the Asian countries, specially Japan... When giving, say, economical aid to another country there is always a string attached... That money they offered can only be used to hire Japanese construction companies and buy needed tools/material from Japanese suppliers... So, the money they offered as an aid... gets reinjected back into the Japanese economy... From what I understand US rarely stipulates such contraints and... the money staying the the country the aid was given. But... this was 4 years ago... Things might have radically changed in the years...??

Yes, Japan is notorious for its aid not really being aid at all. It is just trying to ensure contracts for its companies. US aid usually comes with strings attached too, but often political and military, not simply economic as with Japan.

 

[danielson]

nice posts hans