facing reality...
16 years ago
28 September 2008
Surprise, surprise...
In the USA, at least from John McCain at the moment, there is some talk about a league of democracies with common interests and values (whatever that mean), and who control large economic resources to act against Iran. His reason for this is that Russia is preventing certain actions in the UN Security Council. Once again when something works it’s great, but when it’s not working they toss it out… One question on my mind is who is going tend up in the line of fire next?
27 September 2008
Consistently Inconsistent…
Recently I have been keeping track of the events in the USA’s economy and the attempts that are being planned and/or made to “bailout” their economy. Apart from the fact that these events in and of themselves are fascinating and do in fact have global repercussions, it is the USA government’s response that I find the most fascinating.
Over the years the USA has been at the forefront of the development of and advocating for a global (free-market and/or capitalist) economy as well as numerous efforts to bring democracy to various corners of the globe. What I find interesting though is the limited and very selective applications of these ideologies at times – with the one consistency some would argue is that the USA is better off. What am I talking about? Although the USA brought democracy (to some degree) to different countries they, with the assistance of other countries, have prevented a true global democracy – I’m once again referring to the existence of the veto power of the UN Security Council. There are other, some would say debatable, examples where it has been ensured that introduced democracies are USA friendly, but that’s something I’m not going to go into right now.
Then there is the $700 billion proposed bailout of the USA economy. It is being sold as something that is good for the world, but it has to be argued that it also attempts to ensure the USA maintains its position as a global economic leader – a position that is coming under threat more and more from the EU, Chinese and Indian economies. Then there is the irony of taking an arguably socialist action in an attempt to shore-up a falling economy. Some say that the number don’t lie and while I don’t always agree with this the fact that this bailout could free the entire African continent from its foreign debt 3.5 times over is definitely eye-opening and at the very least this has to cause us to question the USA’s claims of benevolence. I’ll close of with two comments I came across recently regarding this plan-of-action. Allan Chernoff (CNN, Senior Correspondent) said that this plan is “throwing capitalism on its head” and a US Senator Jim Bunning said that this is “socialism and it is un-American”.
Over the years the USA has been at the forefront of the development of and advocating for a global (free-market and/or capitalist) economy as well as numerous efforts to bring democracy to various corners of the globe. What I find interesting though is the limited and very selective applications of these ideologies at times – with the one consistency some would argue is that the USA is better off. What am I talking about? Although the USA brought democracy (to some degree) to different countries they, with the assistance of other countries, have prevented a true global democracy – I’m once again referring to the existence of the veto power of the UN Security Council. There are other, some would say debatable, examples where it has been ensured that introduced democracies are USA friendly, but that’s something I’m not going to go into right now.
Then there is the $700 billion proposed bailout of the USA economy. It is being sold as something that is good for the world, but it has to be argued that it also attempts to ensure the USA maintains its position as a global economic leader – a position that is coming under threat more and more from the EU, Chinese and Indian economies. Then there is the irony of taking an arguably socialist action in an attempt to shore-up a falling economy. Some say that the number don’t lie and while I don’t always agree with this the fact that this bailout could free the entire African continent from its foreign debt 3.5 times over is definitely eye-opening and at the very least this has to cause us to question the USA’s claims of benevolence. I’ll close of with two comments I came across recently regarding this plan-of-action. Allan Chernoff (CNN, Senior Correspondent) said that this plan is “throwing capitalism on its head” and a US Senator Jim Bunning said that this is “socialism and it is un-American”.
23 September 2008
Changes for our fledgling democracy…
So, what important thing could Zuma and his supporters have done for democracy in South Africa? Well, according to some reports we may see a split in the ANC as a result of Mbeki’s removal from office, with one report stating that Mbeki’s mother is in support of the idea to form a new political party.
While, others may not share my view on this I think this is a great thing for our fledgling democracy and something that I have expected and hope for over the past few years. To date there has not been any serious opposition to the ANC on a national level and that could be the very thing it needs to hold it accountable for its actions or lack thereof. Furthermore, with the more than two-thirds of votes cast in any election (as it achieved in the last election) the ANC has the power to make changes to the constitution – a power that fortunately it has not acted on so far. These are my reasons for hoping for a split and potentially a stronger opposition.
My main reason for expecting this spilt was simple. The bloc of voters supporting the ANC is huge (nearly 70% of votes cast in the last election) and the differences post-1994 experiences within this bloc is vast. On the one end of the scale there are those who have become millionaires through various means (occasionally with the assistance political contacts and the benefits of Black Economic Empowerment) while on the other end of the scale there are those who as yet do not have basic necessities such as running water. How does anybody hold such a disparate group of people together under one banner and maintain South Africa’s position and good name on the world stage? I would say it’s a/n (near) impossible task.
I’m realistic though and I know that any significant change or shift in power could likely arrive coupled with unrest and violence – something South Africa has seen all too often and which nobody needs to face again.
PS: I neither support Zuma nor Mbeki, but I feel that change was inevitable and necessary...
While, others may not share my view on this I think this is a great thing for our fledgling democracy and something that I have expected and hope for over the past few years. To date there has not been any serious opposition to the ANC on a national level and that could be the very thing it needs to hold it accountable for its actions or lack thereof. Furthermore, with the more than two-thirds of votes cast in any election (as it achieved in the last election) the ANC has the power to make changes to the constitution – a power that fortunately it has not acted on so far. These are my reasons for hoping for a split and potentially a stronger opposition.
My main reason for expecting this spilt was simple. The bloc of voters supporting the ANC is huge (nearly 70% of votes cast in the last election) and the differences post-1994 experiences within this bloc is vast. On the one end of the scale there are those who have become millionaires through various means (occasionally with the assistance political contacts and the benefits of Black Economic Empowerment) while on the other end of the scale there are those who as yet do not have basic necessities such as running water. How does anybody hold such a disparate group of people together under one banner and maintain South Africa’s position and good name on the world stage? I would say it’s a/n (near) impossible task.
I’m realistic though and I know that any significant change or shift in power could likely arrive coupled with unrest and violence – something South Africa has seen all too often and which nobody needs to face again.
PS: I neither support Zuma nor Mbeki, but I feel that change was inevitable and necessary...
More thoughts on the “Rainbow Nation” …
In a previous entry I expanded on my South African roots and view, mentioning that I would have more to say at some later point. Well, I think the events of the past few weeks resulting in President Thabo Mbeki's resignation make this a good time to say something – these are my views, perspectives and thoughts as a (global) nomad born in South Africa. Forgive me for quoting a movie but there’s a line in the recent Batman film that goes as follows: “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain”. I would say that this can be said of numerous leaders, heroes and freedom-fighters throughout history including Mbeki. There is so much being said and written about the current state of affairs that I’m going to stick to two thoughts (after all I’m not much more than an interested observer).
Without excusing any of the questionable actions his has taken over the course of his years in office I will say that at least to some degree he was almost doom to fail. After the Mandela years (a transition period) I believe there were at least some expectations of the promised RDP getting into full-swing under Mbeki – but how do you turn around over three centuries of oppression in just a few years? Call me a cynic, but I doubt that anyone would have been able to match the expectations of the people with the resources available. Theoretically one could say that someone might have been able to a better job, but Mbeki was the man at the helm. So he was bound to disappoint on some level and yes he has been accused of not doing enough to turn poverty around – personally I’d be interesting to hear ways in which poverty may have been successfully eradicated or at least lessened in this short space of time. I really would like to hear these opinions, if there are any because I’m trying to understand this whole arena a bit better.
Another criticism of Mbeki is that he has been too much of a thinker (as you can see from the cartoon at the beginning of this entry). At the very least I have to wonder if the very experiences that prepared and enabled him to lead the nation and the ANC (such as his life and education abroad), also did irrevocable damage to his connection with the populace – a major advantage Zuma has over him. In the end Mbeki appears to have failed his party because they believe he didn’t do the job he needed to do (or was that just an excuse to get him out of the way). This is a complex issue and one that the most informed and educated people will struggle to summarise in a few paragraphs, but these are my thoughts. One other thing that comes to mind is that in removing Mbeki from office Zuma and his supporters may have inadvertently done something important for democracy in South Africa – something that I have been expecting for a few years now… more about that in my next entry!
Below are links to a few articles on recent developments:
"Mbeki failed South Africa, says UK paper"
"It's unfair and unjust - Mbeki"
"Mbeki down but not out"
"Mbeki appeal not far-fetched: expert"
13 September 2008
Thoughts on the “Rainbow Nation”…
As I’ve said previously (in a different blog) coming from South Africa (RSA) travelling through South America means that I’m a rare thing. When I say where I’m from people are often really surprised, although this is at least in part because they sometimes assume I’m Brazilian based on my complexion etc (and my not-at-all-that-fluent Spanish). Additionally, based on my time here I’d say that I’m rare amongst the few South Africans traversing this continent in that I’m not white. As a result I’m often asked my opinions on the state of South Africa, its leaders and the future of the nation – I usually get the impression that the majority of (but not all) white South Africans people come across around the world have similar negative feelings about the state the country is in. So I thought I’d offer a few thoughts on “The Rainbow Nation” – although just a few, with some more to come at a later stage…
Two topics that come up in conversation quite often are affirmative action (AA) and the current state president Thabo Mbeki (more on him later). One of the questions that often get asked is if AA isn’t simply the old policy flipped around, so now it’s the white who are being discriminated against? I can understand this thinking, although the reality is that I believe you have to take the demographic and economic realities into account. Firstly, those who suffered under the apartheid policies and now (in theory) benefit from AA are by far the largest population group in the country, yet they are still the poorest in terms of income and wealth per capita. Additionally, those who don’t benefit from AA are on average still better off economically although there are definitely exceptions. So while some have the idea that we should move forward with an equal playing-field, I’d say that there is no equal playing field with some concerted reconstruction. I guess I look at it from my perspective as a coloured person (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coloured). While my parents and those before them were discriminated against under apartheid policies they did not suffer as much as black South Africans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_(people)#South_Africa). So what’s my point?
At college I met a Tswana guy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tswana) who had the same level of education I had (ie: university qualified) and had a similar number of years work experience. Some would say were their no AA in place we would be entering the work-place on the same footing with the same opportunities, but this is no the case. My family’s better economic status and history (due to a combination of the more favourable treatment received by coloured people during apartheid and my father’s hard-work) resulted in my having a better network of contacts that he has – and sometimes it is who you know that counts. Additionally, I had the advantage of things often taken for granted such as more comfortable living conditions and my own car (potentially also products of the different treatment under apartheid). So these are the things I take into account. I know I have been fortunate and I know there are those who still suffer in different ways because of RSA’s past and the challenges of the present. These are my reflections…
Two topics that come up in conversation quite often are affirmative action (AA) and the current state president Thabo Mbeki (more on him later). One of the questions that often get asked is if AA isn’t simply the old policy flipped around, so now it’s the white who are being discriminated against? I can understand this thinking, although the reality is that I believe you have to take the demographic and economic realities into account. Firstly, those who suffered under the apartheid policies and now (in theory) benefit from AA are by far the largest population group in the country, yet they are still the poorest in terms of income and wealth per capita. Additionally, those who don’t benefit from AA are on average still better off economically although there are definitely exceptions. So while some have the idea that we should move forward with an equal playing-field, I’d say that there is no equal playing field with some concerted reconstruction. I guess I look at it from my perspective as a coloured person (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coloured). While my parents and those before them were discriminated against under apartheid policies they did not suffer as much as black South Africans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_(people)#South_Africa). So what’s my point?
At college I met a Tswana guy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tswana) who had the same level of education I had (ie: university qualified) and had a similar number of years work experience. Some would say were their no AA in place we would be entering the work-place on the same footing with the same opportunities, but this is no the case. My family’s better economic status and history (due to a combination of the more favourable treatment received by coloured people during apartheid and my father’s hard-work) resulted in my having a better network of contacts that he has – and sometimes it is who you know that counts. Additionally, I had the advantage of things often taken for granted such as more comfortable living conditions and my own car (potentially also products of the different treatment under apartheid). So these are the things I take into account. I know I have been fortunate and I know there are those who still suffer in different ways because of RSA’s past and the challenges of the present. These are my reflections…
11 September 2008
The United Nation – a house divided against itself…
“Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.”
There is something profoundly true and yet so simple in what Jesus said in this instance, to the point even the highly respected Abraham Lincoln quoted it in a memorable albeit controversial speech one and a half centuries ago. But, I’m not going to talk theology or US politics right now (at least not directly).
Among there various things going on in my mind lately, including where in the world I think I’m going to spend Christmas, I have found the issue of humanitarian aid and volunteerism on my mind lately. I think is at least in part do to the amount of volunteers I come across in South America – but that’s a topic for another time. The specific household I have been thinking about lately is the United Nations (and I’m sure many will agree with the cartoon I’ve included). There are times when I can’t help feeling bemused by this organisation, supposedly in existence to bring the nations of the world together. Yet with the occasionally contentious issue of the veto power held by the members of the Security Council we see an organisation that is more of a spectators club for many nations who are allowed to participate and who need their voices validated by those in power.
As a result I can’t help thinking that humanitarian agencies existing under this banner have are somewhat like a dog chasing its own tail – going nowhere at top speed, but round in circles. That is, I am not saying that they don't do good work on the ground. After all the structure enables those in power to hold onto that power and one only needs to listen carefully to the news to hear the amount of times that humanitarian aid and/or debt relief comes with political conditions or favours to those giving the aid. And, in the mean time it’s not a new notion that the gap between the rich and poor increases constantly (see the links below to articles from the last decade) yet the world seems to carry on doing things the same way while expecting different results. In fact the "income ratio of the one-fifth of the world's population in the wealthiest countries to the one-fifth of the world's population in the poorest went from 30 to 1 in 1960 to 74 to 1 in 1995".
I have neither the time nor information to go into other issues such as the “Nuke Club” (also known as the “Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty”) right now, but there seems to be a pattern where those who have want more – be it money or power. And at some point, something is going to give. Or what, do you think? Enough said, for now…
http://globalization.icaap.org/content/v1.1/jeremyseabrook.html
Among there various things going on in my mind lately, including where in the world I think I’m going to spend Christmas, I have found the issue of humanitarian aid and volunteerism on my mind lately. I think is at least in part do to the amount of volunteers I come across in South America – but that’s a topic for another time. The specific household I have been thinking about lately is the United Nations (and I’m sure many will agree with the cartoon I’ve included). There are times when I can’t help feeling bemused by this organisation, supposedly in existence to bring the nations of the world together. Yet with the occasionally contentious issue of the veto power held by the members of the Security Council we see an organisation that is more of a spectators club for many nations who are allowed to participate and who need their voices validated by those in power.
As a result I can’t help thinking that humanitarian agencies existing under this banner have are somewhat like a dog chasing its own tail – going nowhere at top speed, but round in circles. That is, I am not saying that they don't do good work on the ground. After all the structure enables those in power to hold onto that power and one only needs to listen carefully to the news to hear the amount of times that humanitarian aid and/or debt relief comes with political conditions or favours to those giving the aid. And, in the mean time it’s not a new notion that the gap between the rich and poor increases constantly (see the links below to articles from the last decade) yet the world seems to carry on doing things the same way while expecting different results. In fact the "income ratio of the one-fifth of the world's population in the wealthiest countries to the one-fifth of the world's population in the poorest went from 30 to 1 in 1960 to 74 to 1 in 1995".
I have neither the time nor information to go into other issues such as the “Nuke Club” (also known as the “Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty”) right now, but there seems to be a pattern where those who have want more – be it money or power. And at some point, something is going to give. Or what, do you think? Enough said, for now…
http://globalization.icaap.org/content/v1.1/jeremyseabrook.html
On this day in 2008; yes TODAY…
Today, across the USA and possibly parts of the world too people are remembering the tragic and arguably preventable events which occurred on Tuesday, 11 September 2001 and which resulted in the deaths of nearly three thousand people. Without a doubt many of us remember those images of the Twin Towers and perhaps even remember where we were when we first heard.
But I thought I’d take on this opportunity to remember another tragic and preventable occurrence taking place today – the death of 16,000 children due to poverty, hunger, malnutrition and everything else that goes with it. But I guess that’s not really news-worthy, not to mention that those children are somewhere else out of sight so probably out of mind, not so?
Anyway, I just wanted to get that off my chest and air this sense of frustration I feel with the systematic impoverishment of those who don’t seem to matter. Some might ask me what I’m doing about this. Well, nothing directly at the moment but I guess I’m increasing my awareness; I’m educating myself, for now. But, for now I’ll close with something from a well-known (and occasionally controversial) 21st century leader…
"where you [are from] should not decide whether you live or whether you die..."
PS: There will be another 16,000 tomorrow…
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