As most but not all of you are aware, my academic interests and social interests are in people who are kept in a low position by forces outside of their own control. Effectively this means puppies and kittens, children, underprivileged adolescents, and among the plethora of other things, localities in the world where the indigenous people are at the whim of externalities.
My master's thesis was on the Congo and the external forces keeping it destabilized in this world that purports order and democracy for all. Don't get me wrong, I believe in democracy, and I believe in the eventuality of order to come...it's just a matter of at what cost. Take the experience in the US for example, how many lives were lost in the fight against slavery and are still lost in promoting equality for all regardless of race, color, religion and creed? It's the same thing elsewhere, just different problems. Maybe that's oversimplifying but hey, at least we are still on the same page.
So here we have a people who have been kept topsy turvy since the point of their 'discovery' by the Western world (for a start on discussion, easy reading but will break your heart "King Leopold's Ghost") through decolonization and the process of self-government that has been impeded by outside influences since. First there were Cold War interests to protect, then there were just the resources. The resources persist, the people are trying. On the surface of it, the movie Blood Diamond while set in Sierra Leone could just as easily be about the DRC.
In addition to diamonds and other obvious mineral wealth like copper, the DRC is home to vast reserves of Coltan and de Rothschild's EcoTrip brings to light this issue in his episode on cell phones. His program also focuses on the plight of the mountain gorilla, but my interest is in the plight of the humans who live among them. Yes, I know, this is a bit more heavy than my usual post, but it really is worth watching and I am proud to know that someone in the public eye is bringing these issues up. The more we have an interactive dialogue, the less they can be hidden and the truth controverted.
I just started reading "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" last night, which touches on similar points from somebody whose job it was to exploit such countries. It's kinda depressing.
ReplyDeleteThat one came out right after grad school for me and I wish it had come a might sooner. His experiences as a first-hand representative were startling, and the frenzy it stirred would have gone a long way towards defending my position.
ReplyDeleteWe often still people who believe that since stabilization of self is the way towards advancement, that the extrapolation that stabilization of externalities is also the only way, ergo the US and other entities would do nothing *but* secure those externalities. It's interesting how seemingly logical people can follow such a path of thought while all the data points elsewhere as well as there are critical logical fallacies.
I do agree though, that permanent advancement is only achieved through realization that the people of this silly little world need to all be stable and work together. Terrorism as a natural outlet for unstabilized elements shows us a very obvious statement of what happens when we forget that.