Radley Balko questions the motives of the people behind Live 8:
Let's call this what it was: an enormous, ego-massaging, feel-good, group masturbation session, televised live.
This characterization is rather harsh. The Live 8 supporters are well-intentioned, if a little mistaken about what will actually help alleviate Africa's problems. Jeff the Baptist is more on target:
The disease is rampant and systemic government corruption. Many of the people in Africa are starving because food, water, and medical care is used as a political weapon against opposition to the government. The cure is free democracy across the continent. If the G8 wanted to eradicate poverty in Africa within a few years (or at least reduce it to developed world levels), there are two things they could do. They could train and finance democratic rebels (the Afghan model) or they could use their militaries to unleash a wave of violent regime change (the Iraq model). Simply giving money to corrupt regimes will be as unprofitable as it was at Live Aid.
I wonder if, instead of funding direct aid, the money raised from Live 8 were used to hire professional mercenaries to overthrow the corrupt regime of a small African state and establish a democratic government, we would have a better result for Africans.
Or perhaps if the mass demonstrations for debt relief at the G8 Conference loudly promoted regime change in a selected African state, say, Togo, and convinced a coalition of European governments to invade that nation and establish a democracy there. That would be a productive change.
If, of course, they are serious about real change for Africans. If.
UPDATE: Richard Tren has related thoughts here.
ANOTHER UPDATE: I would add that, to their credit, the Live 8 people are at least trying to do something. At the very least, they will have raised awareness of Africa's awful condition.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
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4 comments:
somebody has done some extensive trackbacks (even did my blog post on this) questioning the motives of live8. although i'm okay with live8, i question that we never think creatively about what it takes to make changes to 'make poverty history' and from what i understood talking to many friends and the youth of my church & other churches.. the word didn't get out enough as they hadn't a clue of what 'one campaign' 'live8' or 'make poverty history' were. i just don't think it hits and makes a lasting mark.
Gavin,
If I read you correctly, your question is something like this: "Where's the follow-up? Where's the plan?" And like you, I've seen nothing post-Live8 that points to a longer term strategy.
Thankfully, the Live 8 people have put Africa on the front burner. Now we can take that issue (and specifically Dafur) and run with it.
i really don't suggest anything. and commenting early in the morning (i think it was actually 4-5am not 2am) has been noted as never a good thing.
anyhow, i think this big event to raise awareness is good, but it is the changing of habits and culture that will help to bring about making poverty history, not just shouting from the concert stage to the 8 most powerful country leaders for them to do it. that might be a start, but i doubt that the people who attended the concerts really put stock into what part they play in making poverty history, which is a lot of follow up and planning. so yes, maybe i said that. &:~D
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