(Excerpt)................As with every protest that I had seen over the past few days, this one was mostly falling on deaf ears. Tourists glanced nervously in their direction, some even going so far as to cross the street to avoid hearing their pleas, stopping to take pictures of the White House, always careful not to make eye contact with the few who would give of their time to help a fallen brother. And the locals? They didn’t even seem to see…or hear…the protestors at all. Too many years of practice ignoring the poverty of their city, of ignoring the protests against a government that just doesn’t seem to care, had seemingly rendered them callous and uncaring .......
(Read entire article )
|
|
|---|
Tuesday, December 6, 2005
Friday, December 2, 2005
What the U.S. can do to restore a genuine government in Ethiopia
(By Meron Agonafer)
"Mr. Blair should publicly evict Mr. Meles from his Commission for Africa. The rest of the international crowd should exile him." Mr. Good Governance Goes Bad, The New York Times Opinion Sunday, November 27, 2005.
On Sunday the New York Times' Opinion page bluntly called on Tony Blair to "publicly evict Meles from his Commission for Africa". It was refreshing to read such a timely opinion from the most respected newspaper in the world.
Indeed, it is an open secret that Tony Blair has been promoting Meles Zenawi, the notorious autocrat, as the "new leader" of Africa. Of course, if the word "new" is meant to indicate an introduction of ethnic division, abject poverty, intense repression, mass killing, yes, Tony Blair is right on the mark. His poster boy has a master plan to keep Ethiopia in perpetual conflict and misery which will eventually destabilize the Horn of Africa. And the last thing the world needs is lawlessness in that region.
To rectify this situation, the first step is for the Western nations, including the United States, to "exile" Meles Zenawi, as the New York Times declared. He has demonstrated time and again his utter disdain for peace. He is trying to maintain his power grip by sheer force. The entire country is under a state of emergency and it is not sustainable. The population cannot be controlled by force. As all signs indicate, Meles Zenawi is losing control of the country sooner than he expected. It is imprudent for the West to wait for a civil war to erupt and further complicate regional conflicts.
Second, the West should embrace the call that has been made by various political factions and Ethiopian civic groups, for a national reconciliation. For the first time in Ethiopia's modern history, there is a growing desire for a round table discussion to iron out political differences and to map out the political future of the country. The West, particularly the United States, can facilitate a national reconciliation in Ethiopia. The prerequisite for this is to immediately release all political prisoners and to allow the independent media to operate freely. To avert repeating past mistakes, the United States must insist on the inclusion of all civic and political groups. Only then will the outcome be legitimate.
Ethiopia can be a strong strategic ally for the United States as a politically stabilized country. In "Mr. Good Governance Goes Bad," The New York Times analyzes is on the mark, this is the best time for the West to abandon the tyrant and turn its attention on bringing about a lasting political change in that war ravaged region. Peace and good governance can be achieved in Ethiopia if the West is willing to start afresh.
"Mr. Blair should publicly evict Mr. Meles from his Commission for Africa. The rest of the international crowd should exile him." Mr. Good Governance Goes Bad, The New York Times Opinion Sunday, November 27, 2005.
On Sunday the New York Times' Opinion page bluntly called on Tony Blair to "publicly evict Meles from his Commission for Africa". It was refreshing to read such a timely opinion from the most respected newspaper in the world.
Indeed, it is an open secret that Tony Blair has been promoting Meles Zenawi, the notorious autocrat, as the "new leader" of Africa. Of course, if the word "new" is meant to indicate an introduction of ethnic division, abject poverty, intense repression, mass killing, yes, Tony Blair is right on the mark. His poster boy has a master plan to keep Ethiopia in perpetual conflict and misery which will eventually destabilize the Horn of Africa. And the last thing the world needs is lawlessness in that region.
To rectify this situation, the first step is for the Western nations, including the United States, to "exile" Meles Zenawi, as the New York Times declared. He has demonstrated time and again his utter disdain for peace. He is trying to maintain his power grip by sheer force. The entire country is under a state of emergency and it is not sustainable. The population cannot be controlled by force. As all signs indicate, Meles Zenawi is losing control of the country sooner than he expected. It is imprudent for the West to wait for a civil war to erupt and further complicate regional conflicts.
Second, the West should embrace the call that has been made by various political factions and Ethiopian civic groups, for a national reconciliation. For the first time in Ethiopia's modern history, there is a growing desire for a round table discussion to iron out political differences and to map out the political future of the country. The West, particularly the United States, can facilitate a national reconciliation in Ethiopia. The prerequisite for this is to immediately release all political prisoners and to allow the independent media to operate freely. To avert repeating past mistakes, the United States must insist on the inclusion of all civic and political groups. Only then will the outcome be legitimate.
Ethiopia can be a strong strategic ally for the United States as a politically stabilized country. In "Mr. Good Governance Goes Bad," The New York Times analyzes is on the mark, this is the best time for the West to abandon the tyrant and turn its attention on bringing about a lasting political change in that war ravaged region. Peace and good governance can be achieved in Ethiopia if the West is willing to start afresh.
Thursday, December 1, 2005
Aids & Racism are Intimately Connected
Today, as you may know, is World Aids Day. I have also recently discovered it is Blog Against Racism Day.
I believe the two are intimately related, and so they are sharing a post today.
How are they related? For one thing, according to AIDS Statistics, AIDS and HIV disproportionately affect non-white communities in the US. Now, I think very few people are hoping for some kind of Darwinian "culling" of non-white populations, but there is a tangible element of racism that is perpetuating the real suffering of people around the world.
A quick mental exercise
Imagine there was an AIDS epidemic among the white population of Texas, comparable to the one in Botswana. That means 37.3% of all adults, and a significant percentage of the children were infected with HIV/AIDS. In other words, based on current population data, out of 15,967,916 non-Hispanic white Texans, 5,908,128 would be living with HIV/AIDS. Can you imagine the difference in response to the crisis?
Even if we think we aren't affected, we are. They both harm us all, whether our skin is pink or brown, whether we are ill or healthy, we all live in the same world, and I'm sure we can agree that our world would be a better place without AIDS or Racism.
Let's fight both AIDS and Racism!
More on AIDS in Africa, The vulnerable not being protected
I believe the two are intimately related, and so they are sharing a post today.
How are they related? For one thing, according to AIDS Statistics, AIDS and HIV disproportionately affect non-white communities in the US. Now, I think very few people are hoping for some kind of Darwinian "culling" of non-white populations, but there is a tangible element of racism that is perpetuating the real suffering of people around the world.
A quick mental exercise
Imagine there was an AIDS epidemic among the white population of Texas, comparable to the one in Botswana. That means 37.3% of all adults, and a significant percentage of the children were infected with HIV/AIDS. In other words, based on current population data, out of 15,967,916 non-Hispanic white Texans, 5,908,128 would be living with HIV/AIDS. Can you imagine the difference in response to the crisis?
Even if we think we aren't affected, we are. They both harm us all, whether our skin is pink or brown, whether we are ill or healthy, we all live in the same world, and I'm sure we can agree that our world would be a better place without AIDS or Racism.
Let's fight both AIDS and Racism!
More on AIDS in Africa, The vulnerable not being protected
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
