G8 summit-A fraud and a circus
so claims John Pilger in this article in the New Statesman. And indeed his claims do make a lot of sense. Amidst all the hype and cheer coming from the G8 summit (before the London bombing) and announcements by UK PM Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown on debt relief and further measures to save Africa, the reality is that much of the aid and relief is inconsequential and trivial.
A few examples include: Under a section headed "G8 proposals for HIPC debt cancellation", it says that debt relief to poor countries will be granted only if they are shown "adjusting their gross assistance flows by the amount given": in other words, their aid will be reduced by the same amount as the debt relief. So they gain nothing.
and The second unmentionable is that debt payments are due to rise sharply from next year, more than doubling by 2015. This will mean not "victory for millions", but death for millions.
and One British arms client is Malawi, which pays out more on the interest on its debt than its entire health budget, despite the fact that 15 per cent of its population has HIV. Gordon Brown likes to use Malawi as example of why "we should make poverty history", yet Malawi will not receive a penny of the "victory for millions" relief.
Combined with the history of exploitation that European countries inflicted on Africa, with each major and even minor power controlling colonies across the continent, the control that western countries and corporations have over many African countries make it almost impossible for the countries to pull themselves up from the dire mess many of them are in. This other Zmag article states the means that western governments esepcially UK use to maintain their control over African nations to prevent them from truly becoming more self-sufficient and less poor.
All this just means that we should not be fooled into complacency and forgetfulness by the grand statements and good feelings generated by pop stars and G8 leaders, but that we realise that the road to eradicate poverty in the world is still a long way untravelled.
