We need to pull out of Iraq and take our troops to Somalia to help create a government headquarters in Mogadishu. Then we need to help the people of Mali, they live in such poverty and in poor living conditions and we sit in our cozy warm chairs in front of our computers. While they are infected with diseases with nothing in their tiny shacks that are bare and roofless. And then we see them on CNN. And then we think, but then turn around and do what ever you want to in your warm furnished house. We could do so much to help, but we also say BUT. If we never had the word BUT in our language the world would not be what is now. So join with me for the long term battle that lay before our feet.
BUT... we could be doing so much more, but we live in a international system of states, and therefore it is impossible without public pressure. States are not moral agents, they are there to protect the citizens within their borders. it is down to the public to force their gov't to take action. however most citizens don't feel they have power over the gov't so it is hard to see what can be done. Africa is a huge problem that we should be helping, but it is very hard to see where a state solution will come from. write to your gov't and let them know how you feel, if enough people believe strongly enough something may be gone. peacex
so because you recognize they can do something as they are the major power, you believe they shouldn't because "hey someone else should". maybe there should be a better organization to deal with it, but who has the money at the moment. who wastes their money at present. there are many nations on earth that should help, i am not putting this down to just the states, however it is your viewpoint that may be stopping us helping the starving, because states will only interven in humanitarian intervention if the public pressure is there. peacex
i apologize for jumping to that conclusion, however it is this view that we do enough and the US and others do enough which is actually stopping much progress. i am an member of many aid organizations, and i am also studying it at university. you are right everyone can do more, esepcially the state can do more, they are the one who hold the power and the money. the West can erradicate poverty if they wished. compared to the % that the US and the UK give, it is absolutely nothing to make a difference. they are doing something, i will agree on that. but indiviudally and collectively we all need to help.
I know people are helping. But has the problem ended yet? No. I wonder why on earth the problem has not been fixed. I wonder why we would need a military force... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1730560.stm And when aid groups arrive in Uganda who will fight the LRA? And who will help the Ungandians?
We should definatly be doing more to help out in Africa. The most deadly war in human history, started in 1998. The Second Congo civil war ended with nearly 5 million people in shallow graves. Much of this was due to genocide, and even more to forced starvation due to people having to live in camps which we're sequestered and starved by interahame milita. Now we have the situation in Darfur, which a million refugees have fled into the the Desert, living in many cases tentless and only a few hundred AU troops to protect them from daily Janjaweed incursions. An immediate withdrawl of Iraq isn't nessecary, but we should be reducing presence and sending troops into Africa to supplement the AU. Anyone who asks why there is need for military presence is far away from the reality of violent gang rule, kidnapping, and genocide in Africa.Human rights groups are very good, but Africans need more then blankets and food, they need security. There needs to be military in many places to protect civilians. The AU needs to be funded, theres a bill before congress now,anyone who wants a preformated letter go to http://act.darfurgenocide.org/dg/congress.cfm I wouldn't blame everything on Bush, Alden. He's certainly a douchebag for not helping out, but lets not forget Clinton's withdrawl from Somalia, which led to him ignoring the genocide in Rwanda, where a million people were murdered with machetes, which led to the spread of genocidal gangs to Djobuit and the DRC, which he did nothing about while millions more we're murdered, then he ignored the second congo civil war, where 5 million more we're killed. Clinton sat at the helm of the most powerful military on earth while probably ten million Africans we're ethnically slaughtered. Oh and Sierra Leone, and Cote D'Ivorie, those sucked too. They also need NATO there as a supplemental and logistical force. Peace keeping missions are essential to what democracy means. We shouldn't ignore the weak in the darkest corners of the earth. This isn't about aid, this is about justice.
When was the last time the UN 'stepped in' Africa? Sending in troops to observe isn't really what I'd call stepping up the plate.
Stopping child slavery and genocide isn't socialism. Stopping genocide is the duty of the entire human race.
I hail from the south of africa and demand you step in and help me...with...stuff Actually I don't think anything would infuriate me more then a US or UN presence in Zim....looking at what the US has done to other countries.... That being said....something needs to be done....I suggest killing Mugabe....
Look at what happens when no body will help. And Zimbabwe isn't even that bad *comparitivly*, other then mass evictions. At least theres rule of law and no ethnic cleansing. Assasinations in Africa haven't had a good record of producing peace. UN intervention hasn't had a record. It'd do much better then killing strongmen and letting a frail leadership decide what to do with an unstable democracy.
just have to say Zimbabwe is absolutely awful and one of the worst examples in Africa, there is ethnic cleansing in Zimbabwe, the white people are being killed, magabe is destroying whole towns and destroying the economy, and the people of zimbabwe are dying in huge numbers through starvation peacex
Really? I hadn't heard that much about Zimbabwe other then all the evictions. I knew Mugabe sucked, but I guess I didn't really know the extent of it. It's not my fault. CNN doesn't say anything about Africa.
That's my point CNN should talk about it! If this would happen America would understand the importance!
oh no don't worry about it, i wasn't making a point, i was just commenting. we have a lot of news of zimbabwe here in the UK, because of our commonwealth links, but believe me it really is quite an evil regime peacex
I gave a speech about this week for one of my clases, and suggested writing to congress to suppport the AU. I also told them to not buy diamonds, as there used as blood money to support genocidal child slavery using militias. CZ means he cares, I said. I dunno how far I got with that one. I'm not religious, so I donate my tithe to human rights watch. There a really great orginization. I can't really think of much else to do besides join the French Foreign Legion, but they're kinda screwing things up as bad as helping, or at least for a while they were. I'm studying political science too, hopefully join a human rights group to Africa, or something to help. I feel like I'm not doing enough though.
Well first we need to get the word out. The world needs to know what horrible crimes are being committed not just in Africa but in the world. But we're starting with Africa because it's probably the least helped.
