Famine in Africa: World's response?

[omicron]

CNN story

As many as 11 million people are threatened with starvation across east Africa because of a combination of drought and conflict, a U.N. special investigator warned on Monday

What should the nations of the world do? Should we donate food when most of it is simply wasted or misappopriated by warlords and corrupt governments? Should we demand that they reform and 'earn' the relief? Should we simply let Darwinism take it's course, and let people who live in an arid country with no viable resources or exports to simply waste away? Or should we assume it's our responsibility as fellow beings on the same planet to help others in need?

Omi

[Lavoruis]

There never will toal peace, in this world their will always be conflicts
no matter what stupid.... Bono... or any person says......
Africa, will most likely not surive it self.
I can see about 80% of native africans will be whiped out by there own people or disease in about 25 to 30 yrs or sooner.
There never will be a solution to africa's or the middle easts infighting.
I learned to accept it.

[Space Tycoon]

We would have to ask ourselves why this famine is taking place to begin with. Many people assume that famines are a result of nature. However, a great many famines are in fact man-made. A slow, hands-off form of genocide. This was true of the Irish Potato Famine; Stalin's deliberate starvation of the Ukrainian people in the Holodomor; Mao's disastrous Great Leap Forward; Ethiopia's famine which was a direct result of collective farming policies; etc.

In the short run we should do something, obviously. But in the long run, African problems will have to be solved by African nations. There is no natural excuse for any mass starvation in Africa, only political excuses. While poverty is widespread, Africa is in fact a very rich continent in resources of every kind. With a few exceptions, Africa has the very worst leadership in the world.

Foreign aid, inevitably, ends up bolstering this leadership, only incidentally helping anyone in need. A new generation of governance, both economic and political, is called for. As with the mideast, there is only so much we can directly accomplish through our direct intervention.

[Intelligent_Design]

Originally Posted by Space Tycoon

We would have to ask ourselves why this famine is taking place to begin with. Many people assume that famines are a result of nature. However, a great many famines are in fact man-made. A slow, hands-off form of genocide. This was true of the Irish Potato Famine; Stalin's deliberate starvation of the Ukrainian people in the Holodomor; Mao's disastrous Great Leap Forward; Ethiopia's famine which was a direct result of collective farming policies; etc.

In the short run we should do something, obviously. But in the long run, African problems will have to be solved by African nations. There is no natural excuse for any mass starvation in Africa, only political excuses. While poverty is widespread, Africa is in fact a very rich continent in resources of every kind. With a few exceptions, Africa has the very worst leadership in the world.

Foreign aid, inevitably, ends up bolstering this leadership, only incidentally helping anyone in need. A new generation of governance, both economic and political, is called for. As with the mideast, there is only so much we can directly accomplish through our direct intervention.

Regardless of what Bush says, Nigeria is one of the most corrupt Governments on the face of the earth. The most of Africa is controlled by regional warlords and Muslim extremist. If you live there and you don't play by their rules you starve or shot.

[Jakester]

I'll send them all that food I didn't eat at the dinner table when I was a kid.

[Space Tycoon]

You need more than political reform to correct Africa's problems. People used to think that all you needed was to replace the rule of the strongmen with some sort of democracy, and voila! Prosperity, peace and justice would prevail throughout the continent. (Sounds familiar... )

This article makes a pretty good case for building and strengthening a civil society within these countries.

Civil society is the keyword that must now be set. The changes in Africa cannot come from above, but only from the bottom. In Kenya, a new political culture has been built up over many years, with some help from outside (such as from the German political foundations).

[Corporal_Hicks]

Building a civil society is the logical move.

Unfortunately the entire concept of a civil society totally interferes with the interests of those who are in charge.

Lets face it, no matter how many cans of "green beans" us evil Americans (or Brits, or Europeans, or Aussies, or whatever) send over there, the Africans will never have enough food until they figure out how to can their own "green beans".

That, of course, would require some form of a capitalistic economy.

Like Tycoon said though, it's up to them, really.

[MPG]

Originally Posted by omicron

CNN storyWhat should the nations of the world do? Should we donate food when most of it is simply wasted or misappopriated by warlords and corrupt governments? Should we demand that they reform and 'earn' the relief?

There was a thread about this on the "old" Cinescape boards not too long ago. I guess I'll just try to reiterate what I said then: The "aid will be misappropriated" argument is just a silly excuse for not helping. First of all, not every African country that is dealing with famines is ruled by warlords and corrupt governments - some actually have fairly regular western-style democracies. Second, even if the rulers are corrupt warmongers, I don't see how they could misappropriate the help provided by groups like "Doctors Without Borders". Third, even if only one cent out of each Dollar that is donated to poor countries actually went to the people who need the money, it would still be better than nothing at all.

[Space Tycoon]

Originally Posted by Corporal_Hicks

That, of course, would require some form of a capitalistic economy.

There are things we have done to retard that process. For one thing, there have been times when we've undercut the efforts by some African leaders to build an independent, capitalist economy.

Jonas Savimbi, for example. He was an Angolan revolutionary who was certainly capable of authoritarianism and violence. What made him different, however, was that he believed capitalism and self-sufficiency would propell Africans forward, rather than socialism, as was the case with so many other African leaders.

During the Cold War he was one of our guys in southern Africa, holding the Communists at bay. After the fall of the USSR he was branded a "terrorist" and it became politically expedient to deal with the marxist government instead.

Imagine if he'd been able to build his vision of a independent, capitalist African country. Angola has been called the "breadbasket of Africa." I've read that countries like Angola, not to mention Zimbabwe, could feed all the millions of starving and poor throughout sub-Saharan Africa, if only it was properly governed. Instead, we have guys like Robert Mugabe cleansing his country of the white farmers and anyone else who stands in his way.

Anyway. The point is, Africa needs more than just more aid and elections. They need the foundations for wealth creation.

[Space Tycoon]

UN launches $500m emergency fund




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