Nexus - 1501 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page Content (OCR)

this economic invasion by maintaining traditional seed banks and ~—.11. The Scam of "Reconstruction" in Afghanistan setting up exemplary systems of community agrarian support. A June 2005 report by Action Aid reveals that much of the US (Sources: Nicholas Burns, "Heady Times' For India And the tax money earmarked to rebuild Afghanistan actually ends up US", Washington Post, April 29, 2007; Vandana Shiva with Amy going no further than the pockets of wealthy US corporations. Goodman, "Vandana Shiva on Farmer Suicides, the US-India Additionally, 70 per cent of the aid that does make it to a Nuclear Deal, Wal-Mart in India", Democracy Now!, December _ recipient country is carefully "tied" to the donor nation, requiring 13, 2006, http://www.democracynow.org/article.p]?sid=06/12/13/ the recipient to use the donated money to buy products and 1451229) services from the donor country, often at drastically inflated prices. The US far outstrips other nations in these schemes: 9. Privatisation of America’s Infrastructure Action Aid calculates that 86 cents of every dollar of American Americans will soon be paying Wall Street investors, aid is "phantom". Australian bankers and Spanish contractors for the privilege of Authors Ann Jones and Fariba Nawa suggest that in order to driving on American roads, as more than 20 states have enacted understand the failure and fraud in the reconstruction of legislation allowing public-private partnerships to build and run Afghanistan, it is important to look at the peculiar system of highways. Investment firms including Goldman Sachs, Morgan American aid for international development. International and Stanley and The Carlyle Group are approaching state politicians national agencies—including the World Bank, the IMF and with advice to sell off public highway and transportation USAID, which traditionally distribute aid money to developing infrastructure. When advising state officials on the future of this countries—have designed a system that is efficient in funnelling vital public asset, these investment money back to the wealthy donor firms fail to mention that their sole countries while undermining purpose is to pick up infrastructure at age sustainable development in poor the lowest price possible in order to Footage taken by Haiti states. maximise returns for their investors. Information Project (HIP) Increasingly frustrated and angry Investors, most often foreign Afghan communities claim that the companies, are charging tolls and videographers shows unarmed no-bid, open-ended contracts being insisting on “noncompete" clauses that civilians dying as they tell of awarded to contractors such as limit governments from expanding or extensive guntire from UN Kellogg, Brown & _ Root/ improving nearby roads. Halliburton, DynCorp, Blackwater Despite public concerns, the Bush peacekeeping forces and the Louis Berger Group are administration is quietly advancing the equivalent to licensed bribery, plan to build a huge 10-lane NAFTA (MINUSTAH). corruption, theft and money Super Highway, financed largely through public-private partnerships as (Sources: Ann Jones, "Why It's a privately operated toll road. Not Working in Afghanistan", (Sources: Daniel Schulman with James Ridgeway, "The Tomdispatch.com, August 27, 2006, http://www.tomdispatch. Highwaymen", Mother Jones, February 2007, http://www. com/index.mhtml?pid=1 16512; Fariba Nawa, "Afghanistan Inc.", motherjones.com/news/feature/2007/01/highwaymen.html; CorpWatch, October 6, 2006, http://www.corpwatch.org/article. Jerome R. Corsi, "Bush Administration Quietly Plans NAFTA php?id=13518) Super Highway", Human Events, June 12, 2006, http://www. humanevents.com/article.php?id=15497) 12. Another Massacre in Haiti by UN Troops ce ™ laundering. xr TINT this economic invasion by maintaining traditional seed banks and setting up exemplary systems of community agrarian support. (Sources: Nicholas Burns, "Heady Times' For India And the US", Washington Post, April 29, 2007; Vandana Shiva with Amy Goodman, "Vandana Shiva on Farmer Suicides, the US-India Nuclear Deal, Wal-Mart in India", Democracy Now!, December 13, 2006, http://www.democracynow.org/article.p]?sid=06/12/13/ 1451229) Footage taken by Haiti Information Project (HIP) videographers shows unarmed civilians dying as they tell of extensive gunfire from UN peacekeeping forces (MINUSTAR). 12. Another Massacre in Haiti by UN Troops Eyewitness testimony confirms indiscriminate killings by UN forces in Haiti's Cité Soleil community on December 22, 2006, reportedly as collective punishment for a mass demonstration of Lavalas supporters in which about 10,000 people rallied for the return of President Aristide, in clear condemnation of the foreign military occupation of their country. According to residents, UN forces attacked their neighbourhood in the early morning, killing more than 30 people including women and children. Footage taken by Haiti Information Project (HIP) videographers shows unarmed civilians dying as they tell of extensive gunfire from UN peacekeeping forces (MINUSTAH). Although MINUSTAH denied firing from helicopter gunships, HIP captured more than three hours of video footage and a large selection of digital photos illustrating the UN's behaviour in Haiti. A study in the Lancet in August 2006 estimates that 8,000 were illed and 35,000 sexually assaulted in the greater Port au Prince area during the time of the interim government (2004-2006). The study attributed human rights abuses to purported "criminals", lice, anti-Lavalas gangs and UN peacekeepers. Information Project, "UN in Haiti: Accused of ssacre", HaitiAction.net, January 21, 2007, ttp://www. haitiaction.net/News/HIP/1_21_7/1_21_7.html) 10. Vulture Funds Threaten Poor Nations’ Debt Relief Vulture funds, otherwise known as "distressed-debt investors", are undermining UN and other global efforts to relieve impoverished Third World nations of the debt that has burdened them for many decades. These funds are financial organisations that buy up debts that are near default or bankruptcy. The vulture fund pays the original investor pennies on the dollar for the debt and then approaches the debtor to arrange a better repayment on the loan or goes after the debtor in court. A problem has arisen in recent years, however, as vulture funds have begun inserting themselves into an increasingly globalised "free market'"—where no distinction is made between an irresponsible and defaulted company and a destitute and impoverished nation. Many of these vulture funds have influential ties to powerful world leaders and the Bush administration. The risk normally faced by distressed-debt investors is virtually eliminated when they have political influence that is greater than the poor nation they are suing. They raise most of their money through legal actions in US courts, where lobbying and political contributions hold influence. (Source: Greg Palast with Meirion Jones, "Vulture Fund Threat to Third World", BBC Newsnight, February 14, 2007, http://www. informationclearinghouse.info/article17070.htm) 14 = NEXUS www.nexusmagazine.com DECEMBER 2007 — JANUARY 2008