Poor of the World Unite! You Have Nothing to Lose but Your Debt!

It seems that not only Haiti, but the whole world, has been shaken up by this month's catastrophic earthquake that struck the island nation. It is clear that Haitians were rocked to their core, but has the the rest of world of the world been shaken up sufficiently? Western politicians are pledging 100% solidarity with Haiti but where was this solidarity before when they imposed a crippling trade regime and stifling debt?

Well at least now people in the west are calling for a cancellation of this debt, we may have done wrong in past but at least now we are doing something to rectify this, no? not quite; I would like to ask, why can't Haiti cancel their own debt?

After all, it was accrued in the name of the Haitian people, but in name only. In reality it was given to corrupt leaders who, at best, spent it on 'development' projects of which sole purpose was to consolidate the power of a wealthy elite willing to slot Haiti conveniently into a bottom rung of a global trade regime based on inequality and exploitation. At worst it was spent on self aggrandizment or stashed away in swiss bank accounts.

Wester doners were complicit in this process. It is impossible for them to plead ignorance of Haiti's democratic deficit. Democracy functions far from perfectly in 'developed' countries, let alone in Haiti, which is hardly an anomaly in the developing world.

With this in mind, how is it fair that the Haitian people should be made to pay a debt which is simply none of their business? If donors want their money back they should go after the people they actually lent it to. Although repayment by these individuals isn't very likely this is a risk that donors should have taken into account when lending money to 'Haiti'; banking IS risk!

However, it is highly unlikly that Lenders will accept this argument and approach to Third World debt. Declaring a indefinite moratorium on debt will get any country ostracized from the international community and cut off from any flows of international credit, regardless of the type of debt or how it was accrued. This invalidates debt cancellation as a development tool for any single developing country as, although not essential, credit is certainly desirable.

This impies a need for concerted action by poor countries to fight for justice, equality and democracy through the collective renouncment of an unjust and profoundly undemocratic debt. I'm not quite sure this is what is implied by the UN's millennium development goal 8; 'develop a global partnership for development', but it certainly does 'address the special needs of the least developed countries'.

If this is to happen peoples' movements must take power in developing countries, denouncing those corrupt leaders implicit in the accumulation of suffocating debt.

There have been a lot of ifs in this article so I'll finish with just one more. If we truly want real development, equality and justice for all, we must support real democracy which may very well entail a reduction in profits for big business and GDP in the short term as so much of this is based on the exploitation of poor countries that would never be accepted if they were real democracies.

It is generally accepted that the debt crisis is crippling the developing world, click here for an idea of the scale we are talking about, but if we fail to get to the root of the problem - a severe deficit in democracy for the majority of the worlds population - then debt cancellation will simply represent the continuity of a patronizing Western approach to development that ensures real structural change is avoided and a 'manageable poverty' persists, pseudo-democracies flourish and the flow of resources from periphery to center persists. Development will not come from a charitable cancellation of debt but from a proud refusal of those suffering under the debt to recognize it as, in any way, either legitimate or just.

Israel / Palestine: Winners and Losers

We all know the Israel / Palestine situation is an awful one, the conflict and suffering there is an affront to humanity as well as an inflammatory, divisive issue the world over. Many, believing or claiming to be fighting for the Palestinian cause, may be doing more harm than good. Wearing a Kuffiya and shouting anti-Israeli slogans with a raised fist may be fashionable, exciting and sexy but it is the Palestinian poor as well as ordinary Israelis who suffer as thoughtless aggression simply fuels the conflict.

There are two ways the Palestinian people can hope for liberation; by winning the conflict, or resolving it. Aggression is a useful tool for winning a conflict but, as it turns the situation into a zero-sum game, it actively undermines any attempts to resolve it. Even if the Palestinians were to win the conflict with Israel against the overwhelming odds what would the outcome be? Do we really expect regular Israelis to anticipate mercy and justice from victorious Arab armies? In a zero-sum game the stakes are high; survival itself is on the table and atrocities become justifiable.

Instead, the key to resolving the conflict is understanding. This doesn't imply a blind faith in Human goodness, but does stem from the assumption that the majority of people have good intentions the majority of the time. If this were the case, however, why does such a destructive, pointless conflict cease to abate? Do the Palestinians benefit? of course not! Do the Israelis benefit? No, who wants to live in constant fear, always fighting? So who does benefit? well, there are certainly powerful Israeli business interests, benefiting from stolen Palestinian territory and settlement building while happily insulated from the conflict by their wealth. There also exists a powerful military-political-religious elite who control the Israeli population and international public opinion through fear. Furthermore, we can't ignore the presence of such an elite in the Palestinian territories, living in nice houses while the rest of their people suffer in rubble. World Leaders from all over the globe also shamelessly use the conflict to bolster their public support.

A conflict is about winners and losers, once we identify these players and understand the mindsets of both parties, only then can we begin the make progress towards conflict resolution. Inversely, we could simply dismiss Israelis (especially settlers) as racist, cruel people without making any effort to understand the fear they live in. When those supporting the Palestinian cause call for the elimination of the state of Israel, or fire quassam rockets, they are playing directly into the hands of a small Israeli elite who benefit from the conflict using Israeli fear and Western post-holocaust guilt to legitimize the subjugation of the Palestinian people.

In this way, any anti-Israeli hostility will fuel the conflict to a certain extent; this does not imply a pacifist, 'turn the other cheek' approach but rather that, although less sexy and exciting, for anyone fighting for the liberation of the Palestinians, understanding and empathy make far better weapons than bombs or bullets. Be we Palestinian, Israeli, British, French or American we all laugh, cry, fight, make love, we're all human, so when fighting for something you believe in remember this.

In the words of Sun Tzu 'know your enemy'; a minority elite representing the greedy, selfish part of human nature.