Wed, 8 July 2009
In part 3 of this hour-long interview with Dr. Jared Ball, Street completes his exploration of the phenomenon of Barack Obama and what it means to black and progressive politics. |
Wed, 8 July 2009
A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford
When the Bush regime encouraged Ethiopia to invade Somalia in 2006, it may not have realized the fierce forces it was unleashing in the Horn of Africa. Now its Somali allies are on the verge of total defeat at the hands of Islamists. The U.S. claims the ever-shrinking regime in Mogadishu is besieged by foreign jihadis, but “most analysts maintain the fighters are overwhelmingly homegrown.” U.S. Allies on the Ropes in Somalia
A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford
“The American-supported Somali faction is now in desperate straights.”
Islamist
forces in Somalia are demanding the surrender of the U.S.-backed
regime that has been squeezed into a small pocket of the capital city,
Mogadishu. The ultimatum, made on Sunday, demands the so-called
government lay down its arms within five days. The mini-state refused,
apparently counting on the arrival of reinforcements Burundi, in
Central Africa. Another U.S. ally, Rwanda, guards Mogadishu airport
under the job description of African Union peacekeepers.
As the military situation deteriorated for Washington’s side in Somalia, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson
– that’s right, Johnnie Carson, like the deceased comedian – was
trying, without much evident success, to convince African heads of
state to go along with the American military program in the Horn of
Africa.
The
Americans encouraged Ethiopia to invade Somalia in late 2006, creating
the worst humanitarian crisis on the continent, according to the United
Nations. The Ethiopian occupation provoked fierce resistance among the
Somalis, forcing the Ethiopians to pull back, but not out of the
country. The American-supported Somali faction is now in such desperate
straights, it last month literally begged neighboring countries to
invade. That shameless abdication of national sovereignty appears to have only led to more desertions from the incredibly shrinking government’s ranks.
“Carson was looking for more troops from a wider range of countries to save America’s allies from absolute defeat in Somalia.”
If
Washington learned anything from militarily supporting the Ethiopian
invasion, it was that Somalis hate being occupied by foreigners. Last
week, at the summit meeting of the African Union, in Libya, the Obama
administration’s Johnnie Carson appears to have discovered it was not a
good time to put imperial pressure on African heads of state. Carson
was looking for more troops from a wider range of countries to save
America’s allies from absolute defeat in Somalia. All Carson got was a
promise of 800 soldiers from tiny Burundi which, like its neighbor
Rwanda, acts as a mercenary for the United States in Africa.
The
American’s Somali allies claim Islamist forces are backed by 1,000
foreign jihadis, although most analysts maintain the fighters are
overwhelmingly homegrown. But a regime that invites invasion by its
neighbors, including the hated Ethiopian military, clearly has no
credibility as a defender of the nation.
It
would appear that the U.S. is holding a bad hand of cards, in Somalia.
But superpowers always have options. One card that still plays well is
President Obama, himself, whom the world wants to believe is a man of
reason and diplomacy. The Obama administration is loudly declaring it
would be “counterproductive” for Ethiopia to move back into Somalia in
large numbers – but that Ethiopia has legitimate security concerns.
What all this means is, Ethiopia will increase its presence in Somalia,
while trying to keep a low profile, while Washington showers the
continent with bribes to procure more foreign soldiers to shore up its
dwindling friends in their little corner of Mogadishu.
BAR executive editor Glen Ford can be contacted at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com.
|
Wed, 8 July 2009
A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford
The
International Criminal Courts narrow preoccupation with crimes by
Africans, as opposed to every other people on the planet, has had a
unifying effect on the continent. By consensus agreement, the 53
nations of the African Union agreed to ignore the ICC's directive that
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir be arrested by member states. Said
the AU's commission chairman: “If you don’t want to take into account
our proposals…we are also going to act unilaterally.”
Africa Rejects Criminal Court Order on Sudan, Moves Toward Unity
A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford
“The International Criminal Court indicts Africans because it thinks it can get away with it.”
The heads of state of the African Union (AU) last week denounced the International Criminal Court,
agreeing that none of its 53 member-states will honor the court’s
demand that nations arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir if he sets
foot on their soil. The consensus agreement was reached at the 13th summit meeting of leaders of the African Union, held in Libya under the AU’s current president, Moammar Gadhafi.
Gadhafi
also spearheaded an agreement to move closer toward the goal of African
continental unity by giving the African Union commission more powers to
coordinate continent-wide defense, diplomatic and trade policies.
At
least on paper, it was not a good week for European and American
imperialism in Africa. Libya’s Gadhafi said: “I am sure the founding
fathers of Africa are smiling in their graves today.”
The African Union’s rejection of the International Criminal Court’s indictment
of Sudan’s president on charges of crimes against humanity in the
Darfur region signals a dramatic break, not only with the court, but
with American and European attempts to foment regime change in Africa.
Jean Ping, chairman of the AU commission, put it bluntly. Africans, he
said, “are showing to the world community that if you don’t want to
listen to the continent, if you don’t want to take into account our
proposals…we are also going to act unilaterally.”
“Libya’s Gadhafi said: 'I am sure the founding fathers of Africa are smiling in their graves today.'”
In
fact, it would be more accurate to say that there is no such thing as a
‘world community’ without the continent of Africa – and there can be no
credible legal action taken against Africans without Africa’s consent.
The
International Criminal Court has shown itself to be a white man’s tool.
In the last seven years, it has restricted its war crimes and crimes
against humanity investigations solely to the African continent.
Amnesty International claims that Africa’s credibility has been
undermined by its refusal to comply with the international court’s
order. What racist, Eurocentric nonsense! When 53 nations representing
a continent of the world’s people reject the machinations of the court,
it is the court that is revealed to be devoid of all credibility. And
that goes for Amnesty International, as well.
Human
Rights Watch was even more arrogant, accusing Libya of “bullying” the
other heads of state at the African Union summit. Human Rights Watch
has a twisted idea of who the real bullies are in this world. Global
imperialists get a free pass, while insults and indictments are
reserved for Africans. Yet these European- and American-based
organizations wonder why they’re not welcomed in many countries. As
Sudan’s foreign minister declared, correctly: “Most Africans believe
[the court] has been set up against Africa and the Third World.”
The
International Criminal Court indicts Africans because it thinks it can
get away with it, but ignores European and American culpability in
atrocities around the globe, including in Africa. The United States
refuses even to join the court, and has always ignored international
law as a matter of policy. If the U.S. and Europe are allowed to act
unilaterally in their perceived interest, then it’s about time the
continent of Africa act forcefully and collectively in Africa’s own
interests.
|
Wed, 8 July 2009
 A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen FordThe
drive to replace the U.S. dollar as the de facto global currency brings
the American empire that much closer to ultimate dissolution. U.S.
imperialism’s accelerated decline is best dated to the invasion of Iraq
six years ago. In the face of Washington’s general threat to establish
itself as the “New Rome,” “much of the planetary community conspired to
find ways to break the unequal ties that bound them to the empire.” 
The Shrinking American Empire
A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford
“Imperialists believe that everything can be made into a weapon with which to bludgeon the rest of humanity into submission.”
The day before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, back in March of 2003, I wrote a piece called “They Have Reached Too Far”
– “they” being U.S. imperialists. I was on that day, as U.S. tanks
revved their engines in the sands of Kuwait, preparing to cross into
what Washington thought would be a glorious future of global
domination, that a crack opened up in time, and it was clear as a
desert day that the U.S. empire would be swallowed up in that widening
crack – maybe in my lifetime.
George
Bush and his gang had rolled the dice, betting everything on a land and
resource grab designed to save a parasitical system through
world-defying theft and awesome – Shock and Awesome – intimidation. But
there was not the slightest doubt in my mind that they would fail
catastrophically, although no one could predict precisely how the
disaster would unfold.
It
was also clear that the U.S. aggression against Iraq should not be
narrowly interpreted as all about Israel or about oil or about further
expansion of U.S. spheres of geopolitical dominance or about beating
back the challenge of the euro. It was simultaneously about all
of those things, and more. Empires seek to dominate the very planet, to
set the terms for every human transaction. Nothing is beyond the
ambitions of empire. Imperialists believe that everything can be made into a weapon with which to bludgeon the rest of humanity into submission.
So I wrote, back in 2003, that the impending Iraq war was
“an
oil currency war, a preemptive strike against the euro’s potential to
challenge the U.S. dollar as the sole denominator of petroleum
purchases. By seizing the Iraqi oil fields and positioning itself to do
the same in Saudi Arabia, Iran and throughout the Persian Gulf, the
Caspian Sea and South Asia, the U.S. can stop the euro cold and rule as
its own OPEC, awesomely armed and dreadfully dangerous.” The dollar
would “remain supreme, backed by the oil reserves of the globe.”
“The
American threat to humanity was so general, and so generally perceived
and felt, it achieved the opposite of what Washington had wished.”
And
that was part of the overall Plan: to set the terms of trade in oil and
everything else on the planet, extracting wealth from all the world’s
people while creating nothing but terror and, hopefully, submission.
But the American threat to humanity was so general, and so generally
perceived and felt, it achieved the opposite of what Washington had
wished. Rather than the world acclimating itself to the rule of the
“New Rome,” as the imperialists were openly calling themselves, much of
the planetary community conspired to find ways to break the unequal
ties that bound them to the empire.
The
Iraq invasion greatly accelerated the process of U.S. imperialism’s
decline, so much so, that only a few years later the American Lords of
Capital found themselves turning to a Black man to put a dramatically
different face on their imperial enterprise. But Barack Obama cannot
save them. The U.S. dollar’s days as the world’s reserve currency are
numbered, and when the dollar is finally dethroned, only the military
aspect of the imperial husk will remain.
For Black Agenda Radio, I’m Glen Ford. On the web, go to www.BlackAgendaReport.com.
BAR executive editor Glen Ford can be contacted at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com.
|
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