Lake is a Senior Editor for Web Features.
A Job Poorly Done
One of the main excuses given by the United States and its coalition of the willing to invade Iraq was that the human rights abuses such as torture and executions committed by Saddam Hussein were so horrendous that he deserved to be overthrown and sentenced. While Saddam Hussein clearly deserves to be tried and sentenced, the United States and its allies are also in need of some serious restructuring in how they approach the occupation of Iraq. Today, Manfred Nowak, the UN’s chief anti-torture expert revealed to reporters that torture is worse in Iraq now than before the fall of Saddam. He described the situation in Iraq as “out of control” and added that abuses were clearly being committed by both insurgents and occupiers. While the United States has tried to downplay its abuses in Iraq, it is clear that it is failing terribly in its original goals of establishing a democratic and free Iraq, and has actually exacerbated the problems such as torture and poor quality of life.
Order is something that has not been observed in Iraq since the fall of Saddam. With atrocities committed by insurgents seeking a voice and coalition soldiers fearing for their lives, Iraq has gone from organized, institutionalized terror in the days of Saddam to arbitrary abuses aimed at random civilians. While the former is certainly terrible, it at the very least managed to fit itself into the lives of common Iraqis. People continued their lives, even though they were obviously aware of the atrocities that were being committed. However, the latter has turned Iraq into total chaos. Civilians are afraid to do anything beyond staying in the relative safety of their own homes, and many random acts of terror are being committed. In essence, civilians are unable to really continue on with their lives.
Now, with this new report by the UN, Iraqis cannot even have the comfort of knowing that at the very least torture has been reduced to pre-Saddam levels. Basically, not only do they fear for their lives everytime they need to do something as mundane as shopping or school, but they also have to be completely aware of the atrocities of torture and war. Reducing torture is and should have been one of the first goals of the coalition forces if the minds and hearts of the Iraqi people are to be won. Instead, coalition forces have joined in with the insurgents in taking part of horrendous acts of torture and hate.
In order to gain the respect of the international community and more importantly, the Iraqi people, the United States must be able to show that it is capable of restoring order in Iraq. Whether it is through increasing troop presence, asking for international assistance, or using diplomatic methods, the United States, as the leader of the coalition, should be open to any method of containing the violence and abuses, regardless of costs. Otherwise, the situation in Iraq will continue to worsen, and the United States will find itself trapped in a corner, incapable of restoring order in Iraq and deprived of support from the international community. Although the costs may be high (both in US lives and dollars), the US must finish what it began, for the lives of millions of Iraqis are at stake.
The Lost Continent
As unprecedented economic growth in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America elevate these formerly poverty-stricken regions to middle or even high income status, Africa continues to wallow in its own pool of misery, and few are willing to lend a hand. Corrupt governments, wars, culture and all sorts of other reasons are given by wealthy donor nations in order to escape the burden of providing adequate aid to Africa. While Africa does indeed face many of these problems, the most pertinent and immutable barrier to economic growth is the poverty trap that much of Africa is constrained by.
While some poor nations are able to improve their economic situation through just natural market forces, Africa is entrapped by an unfavorable climate and environment, as well as a history of neglect and abuse by European powers. This entrapment comes in the form of not being able to accumulate capital, as well as a high population growth rate due to high infant mortality and over compensation. In this manner, Africa’s per capita GDP is actually decreasing from year to year as the rate of economic growth is slower than the rate of population growth. Aside from this poverty trap, wars caused by arbitrarily drawn borders continue to plague this already poor continent.
A common misconception by many people in the US is that the United States is spending a significant portion of its wealth in helping poverty-stricken nations. The UN Millenium Project, championed by economist Jeffrey Sachs, is designed to end extreme poverty by asking for just 0.7 percent of donor GDP to be used not only for short-term aid, but to help nations get themselves out of the poverty trap. In comparison, development assistance from the United States in 2003 is only 0.15 percent of GDP, leaving the United States 0.55 percent, or over 45 billion dollars short of the goal set by the UN Millenium Project. Most individuals would say that private donors from the US help fill this gap, it is crucial to recognize that even with private donations, aid from the United States is still far below 0.7 percent of US GDP.
Another common misconception is that Africa is far too corrupt and is in need of serious reforms before a substantial aid increase can be made. On the contrary, many countries in Africa are far less corrupt and have far fewer human rights issues than her fast-growing Asian counterparts. Countries like Mali, Ghana and Senegal are shining examples of well-governed, poverty-stricken nations in need of more aid. As long as aid given to African countries are monitored carefully to ensure that it is not being siphoned away by corrupt officials or used for other illegitimate reasons, it will be effective in raising the living standards of the African people.
Africa continues to be forgotten and neglected by the world. If people are not willing to pay more attention to this lost continent, then it will never be able to free itself from the poverty trap caused by years of neglect and just plain bad luck. Because we are lucky enough to live in the wealthiest nation on the planet, it is time to make an effort to help those that are not as lucky as we are.
For more information about what we can do about poverty, please read The End of Poverty by Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs.
The End Justifies the Means
In recent years, China has been chastised for a whole range of reasons. Westerners say that there is no way that China’s economy will continue to grow and China will descend as fast as it ascended the geopolitical ladder. Whether it is for human rights, or its authoritarian government, Western observers will always challenge China’s method of achieving phenomenal economic and military growth. However, much of this criticism is unwarranted and undeserved. While there are some key similarities, the fundamental governing structure that China operates on is radically different from Western ones.
While many Westerners measure the efficiency of their government by gauging how free the citizens are, the Chinese government uses economic growth as its measuring stick and so far, so has most of the population. In a country that has been plagued by stagnation and Western intervention in the past several centuries, the Chinese people are sick of being viewed as second class citizens in the international community. In order to gain respect and power, the Chinese government as well as a lot of its citizens recognize that economic growth is the only means to reach the goal of Chinese superpower. While China is substituting its crumbling socialist, planned economy with an open-market capitalist one, this radical swap takes all precedent in the policies of the Chinese government. Although many observers are pessimistic about how long China can maintain this kind of growth before the people rise up and demand a democracy, it is key to recognize that much of China is still impoverished. The existence of this impoverishment signifies to the Chinese people that China still needs rapid economic growth, regardless of whether it is under the authoritarian CCP or a democratic government. When the Chinese people reach a certain level of quality of life, they will automatically begin to demand more rights and freedoms. Just like the Taiwanese KMT, when that time comes, the CCP will begin to alter the current system in order to appease the population, even if it means getting elected through a democratic process. What is commonly forgotten by many Westerners is that the CCP will do anything to stay in power, even if it has to get elected.
Expedience and efficiency are two key cornerstones of the ruling CCP. A quick comparison between democratic India and authoritarian China unveils several key differences in their decision making process. Both countries has dealt with its fair share of Western imperialism and civil war. But while China began its rapid economic ascension right after the death of Mao, India took several more years before it could even launch its own reform programs. Why did this happen? Why didn’t India, which has been a democracy since 1947, have a massive advantage over China even though the latter suffered through the ill-planned Great Leap Foward of 1959-1961 and the absolute mayhem known as the Cultural Revolution? The reason is that while the CCP has had a single unified goal since the rise of Deng, India has been wrought with political in-fighting. The CCP is able to streamline its decision making process, minimalizing the lag time that democratic governments often experience.
The CCP will not be in power at the end of the 21st century, but it is reasonable to believe that they will eventually lead China to prosperity and respect. Even with all of its imperfections, the CCP has managed to get the job done. One day, we will see China transform into a country that is democratic and respects human rights. But Western observers must be patient, as forced democracies are never a good thing.
Bush: Finally Right About Something
For all of Bush’s miscalculations in international affairs, he has finally said something that is undoubtedly true and pertinent to perserving what respect the United States has left in the world. During a Washington news conference, Bush said that withdrawing from Iraq would be “leaving before the job is done”. While the United States should not have gotten itself into the messes known as Iraq and Afghanistan, Bush is actually correct for once: if the United States withdraws from Iraq now, not only would there be blowback from the international community, but the ensuing civil war that would befall Iraq would breed more terrorists and undermine US credibility severely.
Since the beginning of US military action in Iraq, there has been widespread criticism and opposition from the international community. Even after Saddam’s capture and ostensible US victory in Iraq, the international community has continued to condemn the United States for instigating the mayhem that is now Iraq. However, if the United States were to withdraw from Iraq while it is still in the midst of civil restlessness and de facto civil war, it would receive backlash far more severe than anything it has received since the beginning of the war. If the United States were to retain any morsel of credibility after the Iraq mess is over, then it will have to prove to the international community that Iraq can be a stable and functioning democracy. Withdrawal would be tantamount to surrendering, not only to the many factions in Iraq, but also to pressure from those who believe that failure is certain.
The United States needs to help the Iraqi people resurrect the crippled economy and bring stability to the nation. While most individuals would champion democracy, the future government doesn’t necessarily have to be one that is democratically-elected; they just need to be able to bring stability to the country and run it efficiently. Whether this is through a democratically elected government or a dictatorship, as long as the government is credible to the Iraqi people and not a puppet of the United States, then it should be recognized and supported. Democracy certainly should be the goal of any developing country, but forced democracy can lead to civil war and factionalism as shown by Iraq and Afghanistan.
If the United States withdraws from Iraq immediately, the country will go into civil war and thousands more will lose their lives. Moreover, the United States will lose more credibility among the international community and would have made permanent enemies in the Middle East. But if the United States will take responsibility for what it started, then there may still be hope in this war torn country.
The Shadow Over East Asia
While the Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe maintains that Japan wants to improve relations with its neighbors China and South Korea, today’s visit to Yasakuni by Prime Minister Koizumi says otherwise. Not only does this visit agitate the Chinese and South Korean governments, but it complicates future negotiations by demonstrating to the world that it isn’t sincere about improving relations with China and South Korea. If Japan is truly determined to end the row between the three nations, then its Prime Minister must be willing to make concessions.
Since the visits by Koizumi began in 2001, he has continued to help exacerbate the already poor relations between Japan and its neighbors. Koizumi’s visits are simply not acceptable. As the head-of-state, he needs to recognize that his actions affect the relationship that Japan has with the world. Even though some conservatives including the probable future Prime Minister Shinzo Abe call this a mere misunderstanding, it is unequivocal that Koizumi’s visits to Yasakuni is the main obstacle to a stable East Asia. China and South Korea have no misunderstandings about the visits to Yasakuni; war criminals that committed atrocities against the Chinese and South Korea people are honored at Yasakuni, and it is reasonable for them to expect the Japanese Prime Minister to make an effort to not honor these loathsome people.
Not only does China and South Korea have the right to oppose these visits, but they are rightly offended and should be angered. By honoring many infamous war criminals, the Japanese PM is desecrating all those who died at the hands of the Japanese occupiers. In fact, it seems like Koizumi is almost keen on undermining a positive and constructive relationship between Japan and its neighbors. Just like the West won’t accept a German head-of-state who honors Hitler, how can China and South Korea cooperate with Japan if the Prime Minister continues to honor despicable people who killed tens of millions of people?
If these visits are continued by the next Japanese PM, incipient Nationalism in South Korea and China may eventually fragment the already delicate relationships. Instead, if Japan can finally respect its neighbors and atone for its past atrocities, it will finally get rid of the shadow of history that is currently casted over East Asia.
No End in Sight
As flights around the world were delayed and extra precautions were taken, by the end of the day, there is still no solution in sight that would permanently end the threat of terrorism. President Bush reminded the world that we are still at war with “Islamic fascists”. But perhaps it is time for the United States and the Western powers to suppliment the physical war with something that would undermine one of the key foundations that Islamic radicalist terrorism is built upon: poverty.
After 9/11, the United States declared war against terrorism, but failed to recognize that poverty caused by economic neglect is one of the chief reasons that terrorist cells like Al Qaeda are able to find so many new recruits. As perfectly portrayed in Paradise Now and Syriana, many young men in Islamic countries find themselves impoverished and unemployed. Often with no hope and no reason to believe that life will improve, their frustration and anger manifests itself in the form of radical Islamic organizations which target the United States and Europe for a plethora of reasons. These organizations then promise the young men that martyrdom will give them eternal bliss and provides them with the necessary contrivances. Just like this, dissatisfaction and despair has mutated into terrorism.
In order to mitigate the appeal of terrorist organizations, the developed countries must help the impoverished Middle Eastern nations develop. Instead of assisting the impoverished Islamic countries, the West has only alienated them and exacerbated their already troubled economic and political situation. In more developed Middle Eastern countries such as Qatar or the United Arab Emirates, terrorist cells have a much weaker, if any at all, presence. If the West continues to vilify and isolate Islamic countries like Iran and Syria, it is doing a disservice to the whole world by cornering them and engendering more radicalist ideals.
The West should not be sycophantic, but it also shouldn’t be reproachful. It needs to find a middle ground to deal with terrorism and the underlying roots of the so-called “Islamic fascism”. Although a war may destroy Al Qaeda, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t others who are immediately willing to succeed it. If the West continues on the path of war, then there really will be no end in sight.
Cuba: Time For a Chance
It has been fifty years since Che Guevara and Fidel Castro began their struggle against US supported Fulgencio Batista in the Sierra Maestra mountain range. Since the Communist’s policies took hold in 1961, the United States has maintained a crippling embargo against the tiny Communist nation. However, with the recent hospitalization of the aging Castro and his impending death, it is probably about time that the United States take a different approach in dealing with Cuba.
For most of Cuba’s modern history, it has been a poor and mainly agriculture country due to several reasons, one of which would be its poor relations with the United States. Its lack of access to the largest market in the world severely hampers its economic development, especially because it is of considerable distance from the rest of the major international markets. Initially, this embargo was ostensibly meant to cripple the authoritarian government, instead, it has only helped fuel Cuban nationalism by giving the Communist government an issue for the population to rally around. In this manner, it is able to suppress all mention of more pressing issues such as human rights.
Although the hawks in Washington will continue to advocate a more punitive and aggressive attitude towards Cuba, it is clear that the embargo has done nothing to weaken the Communist government. Instead, the embargo has arguably helped the Communist government by not allowing the import of capitalism and democracy into the country through economic means. Essentially, the United States has helped blind the Cuban people.
With the impending death of Castro, it is time for the United States to finally solve the Cuban conundrum once and for all. In order to avert the rise of the radicalist Raul Castro, the US must take a more constructive approach and end its embargo against Cuba. Among other things, it would make it substantially more difficult for Raul Castro to demonize the United States and use it as a scapegoat. The worst case scenario(if you could call it that) would be that Cuba evolves into something much like China with a blazing economy and an antiquated government. However, even if that was the case, China has shown us that as a country liberalizes its economy, market forces also put pressure on the government to liberalize. If the United States does not adjust its policy towards Cuba, it will continue to exacerbate the unpredictable economic and political situation. It is obvious that past Cuban policies have not worked and have blinded the Cuban people, perhaps now it is time to give the Cuban people a chance.
The Dragon and The Rising Sun
The Sino-Japanese relationship has always been a fragile and often volatile relationship. But as China’s economy matures and it begins to play a bigger role internationally, it comes to be no surprise that it is on a collision course with Japan to be East Asia’s premier super-power. In order to ensure the stability and growth of Asia, these two powers cannot be at odds with each other.
Today, the Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe began the healing process that will hopefully untangle the mess that is the Sino-Japanese relationship. As the favorite for Prime Minister in the upcoming elections, he is one of the first politicians to confront this issue and seems to be a reasonable voice in the often emotion-filled atmosphere that is the Sino-Japanese dialogues. He began by citing some figures which compared the public attitudes of the respective countries. Not surprisingly, the results of the polls show that very few people in either country view the other in a positive light. In order to cultivate a better relationship between the two powers, Abe said that they must work out the “misunderstandings between the two countries”. Yet as he says this, he refuses to discuss the infamous and embarrassing Yasukuni Shrine which is one of the main obstacles to a healthy Sino-Japanese relationship. But how can the Chinese and the Japanese work out their differences?
Simply said, the Japanese Prime Minister must stop visiting the controversial Yasukuni Shrine. The visits to Yasukuni is tantamount to a German leader visiting the graves of Hitler and Himmler. Although the Prime Minister may consider this to be a private visit, as a public figure, he represents the people that voted for him and needs to be wary of his actions. If the Japanese Prime Minister continues to visit Yasukuni as Koizumi is doing, it is simply impossible for the Chinese people to forgive Japan for all the atrocities it committed during World War 2. Moreover, this isn’t a matter of CCP-encouraged nationalism but is more of a matter of the deep scars that the Japanese occupation left on the Chinese people. In order for these scars to heal, the leader of the Japanese people must be willing to forego these unnecessary visits to Yasukuni and put an end to this issue.
The cessation of the Yasukuni visits will also serve to de-magnify the other history-related issues such as the school text-book issue. Although I believe that Japan should be confronting its history and stop neglecting and obfuscating its past atrocities, I also think that at the same time China needs to do the same. If the visits to Yasukuni are halted and both countries confront their respective histories, I believe that this will cool down the fire that is the Sino-Japanese relationship by eliminating the historical roadblock to efficiency and cooperation. If this fire is not extinguished, then it may burn down not only the structures of a cohesive East Asia, but it may also take down Greater Asia’s foundation for growth and prosperity.
A Call For Peace
In a matter of days, the Middle East has once again shown why it is the most volatile region in the world. But this time, there is a clear aggressor and victim.
Through its incursion into Lebanon, Israel has helped legitimize the Anti-Semitic sentiment that exists throughout the region. Instead of confronting Hezbollah through channels that do not involve artillery shells and the death of innocent civilians, Israel has done a disservice to all those that are working for world peace. True, Hezbollah initiated the attack on Israel, but is the pride of a country worth the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians and the destruction of a country’s infrastructure? When the Israeli foreign minister was asked whether the invasion of Lebanon really was necessary, his response was that if Hezbollah was sending rockets at Israeli cities, then Israel will continue the war. But when did two wrongs make a right? Did he forget the saying “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”?
Much like countless other conflicts, pride plays a huge part in the initial decision for the declaration of war. Even if Israel is successful in crushing Hezbollah, it would have made many other enemies. The problem with war is that it often leads to even more war. When Hezbollah is gone, many other anti-Israel terrorist organizations will form as a result of being able to use this war as a propaganda tool. Only good will and cooperation can permanently put an end to long-standing conflicts.
After this conflict is over, what will be outcome? Perhaps Hezbollah will be neutralized, but the costs are far too great. Israel would have made some new enemies, a country will be in ruins and hundred(perhaps thousands) of innocent lives will be lost. But if Israel is strong enough to end this conflict now by actually listening to the UN and the opinions of the international community, perhaps it can still solve this conflict peacefully and without the lost of many innocent lives. International organizations exist for a reason, perhaps now is the time to use them.
It’s All About the Maos
In the past several days, I’ve had the opportunity to attend several presentations given by upper management expats from several notable US companies such as General Electric, Ogilvy & Mather and HP. Each presentation consisted of a series of powerpoint presentations, tours and of course, Q and A sessions. This being Beijing and us being curious US citizens, some of the most frequently asked questions always revolve around politics and governance. Questions like “Is the government biased towards foreign companies?” and “How difficult is it to do business with the Chinese government?” are asked repeatedly. However, to the surprise of many, the answers to these questions are always the same: the Chinese government wants to do business and wants to make it as easy for companies to invest as possible.
This was a response that went against what many Westerners believed. After all, the Communist Party still rules China and Mao still looks over Tiananmen Square. So why is doing business in China so easy today?
Since China opened up, one of the biggest worries of foreign corporations who were planning to invest in China was government intervention, whether through forced joint ventures or state-backed enterprises. Anyone planning to invest in China faced an ambivalent judicial system and inadequate regulations that were far below international standards. Just ten years ago, all foreign companies were forced to have a local partner if they wanted to make investments. Obviously, these sort of regulations and restrictions scared away many companies and their billions of dollars.
However, since China entered the WTO and began adopting international standards, foreign corporations could invest in China with little restrictions. In fact, foreign companies face lower tax rates and often receive better treatment from the government than local companies. Since then, China’s FDI is now about equal to that of the United States, showing the confidence that companies have in China. One of the executive managers even told us that he expected his company’s revenue in China to double every year, which in fact has been the trend in the past several years.
Oddly enough, being an authoritarian country without a democratic system can help make China a more investment-friendly place. Without elections, many officials do not need to think about future elections and thus are actually more capable of making decisions quickly and efficiently, without the usual bureaucracy. Of course, this is a double-edged sword as it also centralizes decision making, but for many corporations, this allows for smoother negotiations.
By turning China into a business-friendly country, the CCP has effectively been able to make China one of the most favorable countries to do business in. It is no coincidence that every year, China is continously ranked the top country to invest in by multinational companies. Even with its human rights violations and a one party authoritarian government, the investment and growth in China show that in the end, it really is just about making money.