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The Myth of American Generosity
By Mike Whitney
Al-Jazeerah, January 9, 2005
“They’ve seen our resolve in dealing with terrorism. They also need to
see our compassion. It’s the goodness of America that leads to its
greatness.” Senator Sam Brownback (R- Kansas)
Have you ever seen anyone “flip-flop” more on an issue than George Bush
on Tsunami relief?
First he pledged $15 million. (Until UN humanitarian aid chief, Jan
England referred to the gift as “stingy”) Then it was bumped up to $35
million. (which lasted two days) Now, it’s been inflated to a whopping
$350 million.
What gives?
There’s nothing humanitarian about humanitarian aid. The money that’s
been pouring in from private citizens around the world was given from
the kindness of their hearts. That’s not what’s happening with our
friends at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The ever-changing amount of relief
reflects a political agenda that’s aimed at greater economic involvement
in the stricken region. Calculated generosity is not generosity at all,
but self interest.
Now that they’ve seen the extent of the tsunami’s damage, the Bush clan
is swarming to the scene like pit bulls to a pork-chop. The colossal
devastation has created the right environment for projecting America’s
state-sponsored industries (Halliburton, Bechtel, Flour etc) into the
area for what will undoubtedly be a massive reconstruction project.
Just think, this time we didn’t even have to flatten vast swaths of the
countryside like we did with “Shock-and-Awe” in Baghdad. Mother Nature
has conveniently taken care of all of that for us; free of charge. All
Bush needs to do is whip-up the standard public relations campaign, and
“conference-call” his buddies at Halliburton to roll up their sleeves
for their next big job.
The Bidding War
The amount of relief being promised by the various donor-countries has
escalated into a bidding war. Each nation is stumbling over the other to
get a shoe in the door for future projects. So far, Australia has taken
the lead, promising $810 million to the effort. No one remembers
Australia being so magnanimous during similar crises, (like the
Ethiopian famine or the Iran earthquake in Bam) which makes an ulterior
motive even more likely. This brings us to the central point about
humanitarian aid; it’s really just a shell game that’s used to conceal
geopolitical and economic aims. Australia is certainly not the
exception. Its lavish gift is just a way of jostling
with the competition to endear itself to the victim nations.
Did you know that humanitarian aid is normally proffered with strict
requirements? For example, oftentimes a donor country will insist that
up to 90% of the aid-package be provided by corporations from their own
country.
This means that the generosity of taxpayers is no more than a subsidy
for big business.
Maybe, this is no big deal. After all, in an imperfect world, even
charity comes with strings attached. The larger problem is the fact that
countries make these promises of aid with no intention of meeting their
obligations. Consider the enormous devastation at Bam, Iran last year
when 26,000 civilians were killed an earthquake. Donor nations promised
over $1 billion in relief following the disaster, and yet, officials say
that less than $18 million has been received. That’s less than 2%!!!
“The record is even worse in the case of Hurricane Mitch, which swept
through Honduras and Nicaragua in 1998, killing more than 9,000 people
and making 3 million homeless. Governments promised to send more than
$3.5 billion, while the World Bank, IMF and EU pledged $5.2 billion. In
the end, less than a third of the money was raised.” (UK Guardian)
The Bush administration has been particularly “stingy” in honoring its
promises. The $15 billion pledged to AIDS assistance two years ago has
translated into millions not billions, and most of that has been
directed towards “abstinence-only” programs. Reconstruction money for
Afghanistan and Iraq has been equally paltry. Afghanistan has received
only a pittance of what was supposed to be a modern-day “Marshall Plan”.
To date, there are no major reconstruction projects even underway in
Afghanistan; a dismal reflection of the administration’s misleading
foreign policy. (As John Pilger notes in a recent article, “Just 3% of
all international aid spent in Afghanistan has been spent for
reconstruction”)
Iraq is no different. Less than 2% of the $18 billion allocated by
Congress has been devoted to reconstruction programs. Is there any
wonder why the lights only go on for 4 hours a day in Baghdad?
This also explains why the incredulous Kofi Annan warned two days ago
that much of the $3 billion of aid probably won’t materialize.
“If we go by past history, yes, I do have concern ... we've got over
$2-billion but it is quite likely that at the end of the day we will not
receive all of it,” Annan said.
Fellow UN staffer Rudolf Muller added, "A lot of the money will be
swallowed up by the military or will have been diverted from existing
loans." In other words, the pledges of support will “vaporize” in a
bureaucratic, paper-shuffle. That’s why the Secretary-General is asking
for $60 million for immediate relief to provide food, water, sanitation
and medicine to the (potentially) 500,000 refugees of the tsunami.
Annan’s sobering words were unwelcome at the White House where Bush’s
“Friend of Humanity” campaign is in full swing. The administration’s
public relations wizards have taken on the disaster with unusual zeal.
They’ve dispatched a phalanx of dignitaries to demonstrate the core
principle of American munificence; giving with one hand while stealing
with the other.
Wasn’t it odd to see Clinton’s florid face exhumed from obscurity and
slapped up on the front page; ready to join the ranks of Bush loyalists?
Apparently, the goal of proving America’s bigheartedness is not limited
by party affiliation. It’s truly a bipartisan charade.
Did we mention that not one measly bottle of water has been sent to
Falluja, where 70% of the city lies in ruins after a two month
Dresden-type beating that “systematically” destroyed all the major
infrastructure including water purification facilities, sewage treatment
and the electrical grid? Falluja is now “The City of Dogs”, where
scavenging canines feed on the dead bodies left in the streets during
the American siege. Are the people of Indonesia and Sri Lanka more
deserving than the 250, 000 Iraqis refugees who now live in tent cities
because the US demanded retribution for the deaths of 4 corporate
mercenaries? Or is the Bush-tsunami in Falluja just another
manifestation of Divine intervention?
Bush’s largesse is bestowed with Machiavellian ruthlessness. Falluja
gets the iron-fist while the candies and sweetmeats are hand-delivered
to Thailand. It’s all part of the political reckoning that employs
philanthropy with the same deadly intent as precision weaponry.
The Flag-wrapped Media
The media has played a vital role in perpetuating the myth of American
generosity. Their task is to create an acceptable narrative for American
benevolence and then to reiterate THE VERY SAME MESSAGE FROM EVERY
SOAPBOX IN THE NATION. This is the real meaning of propaganda, which
comes from the root; “to propagate”. (It does not simply mean
misinformation, but implies the intentional repetition of the same lie
over and over again.) This can only be accomplished if every newspaper
and TV station covers the same story the very same way. (a near
impossibility in a free country, one would think)
In a mind-boggling display of unity, over 200 stories appeared in US
newspapers announcing the “CHANGE IN AMERICA’S IMAGE”. (1-5-05) (Kremlin
ideologues must be looking on with admiration at the astonishing
uniformity of the “free market” propaganda system. Quite clearly, it has
no rival.) Similarly, every paper in the country has produced the
requisite full-page pictures of smiling, white Americans distributing
CARE packages to the mud-splattered, dark-skinned natives.
TV, of course, produced the same dismal results providing a week long
celebration of American goodwill.
Who says this ain’t a great country?
Interestingly, the media gambit to “boost America’s image”, dwarfed the
coverage of Alberto Gonzales, the administration’s foremost apologist of
torture. Gonzales who created the legal rationale for abusing prisoners
in “cruel and inhuman” ways, is being elevated to the “highest
law-enforcement officer in the country”, Attorney General. How’s that
for irony? Think a few wary Muslims might be watching the Senate
hearings rather than the American “charm offensive” being waged in the
Southeast Asia?
Even with the massive media blitz, it’s all uphill for the Peerless
Leader and his corporate cadres. You can fool some of the people some of
the time, but as the numbers indicate, America’s popularity is headed
for the bottom of the tank. “In Indonesia, whose Muslim population is
overwhelmingly moderate, polls taken after the U.S. invasion of Iraq
showed plummeting support for the United States. America's "favorable"
rating fell from 61 percent to 15 percent from summer 2002 to summer
2003, according to the Pew Research Center.” (Ass. Press) It’ll take
more than a few smiley photo-ops and chocolate bars to turn those
numbers around.
The administration is using the cover of humanitarian aid to insert
itself into the economic future of the region. Whatever aid it provides
will mean bigger profits for American corporations and greater
involvement for the US Military. Secretary Rumsfeld has already used the
tragedy to sidestep the congressional ban on aid to the Indonesian
military; a clear attempt to shore up a brutish regime that provides
access to Indonesia’s vast resources. Even greater support is bound to
follow the current disaster.
A “debt-relief” proposal recommended by the IMF will undoubtedly bring
about the same economic conditions that have crippled third world
nations across the globe. On the surface the offer looks like a gift,
but in reality it requires strict compliance with the rigorous
guidelines of economic restructuring. (In other words, privatizing all
publicly owned assets, reducing subsidies to public education, removing
protective tariffs, eliminating public health-care, banning unions, and
permitting damaging flows of capital to move in and out of its markets
without regulation.).
The acceptance of this economic regime effectively hands over national
sovereignty to a cartel of international bankers and financiers. It’s
designed to ensure that real democracy cannot flourish.
These are the real implications of American generosity. The $350 million
may be dressed up to look like bounteousness, but it’s just another bone
tossed to Bush’s friends in big business. A year from now, the “tired
and huddled masses” battered by the tsunami will still be living in
refugee camps, drinking brackish water and huddling in lean-tos. The
money will have changed nothing, except to pave the way for a greater
American presence in the region.
By Mike Whitney
Al-Jazeerah, January 9, 2005
“They’ve seen our resolve in dealing with terrorism. They also need to
see our compassion. It’s the goodness of America that leads to its
greatness.” Senator Sam Brownback (R- Kansas)
Have you ever seen anyone “flip-flop” more on an issue than George Bush
on Tsunami relief?
First he pledged $15 million. (Until UN humanitarian aid chief, Jan
England referred to the gift as “stingy”) Then it was bumped up to $35
million. (which lasted two days) Now, it’s been inflated to a whopping
$350 million.
What gives?
There’s nothing humanitarian about humanitarian aid. The money that’s
been pouring in from private citizens around the world was given from
the kindness of their hearts. That’s not what’s happening with our
friends at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The ever-changing amount of relief
reflects a political agenda that’s aimed at greater economic involvement
in the stricken region. Calculated generosity is not generosity at all,
but self interest.
Now that they’ve seen the extent of the tsunami’s damage, the Bush clan
is swarming to the scene like pit bulls to a pork-chop. The colossal
devastation has created the right environment for projecting America’s
state-sponsored industries (Halliburton, Bechtel, Flour etc) into the
area for what will undoubtedly be a massive reconstruction project.
Just think, this time we didn’t even have to flatten vast swaths of the
countryside like we did with “Shock-and-Awe” in Baghdad. Mother Nature
has conveniently taken care of all of that for us; free of charge. All
Bush needs to do is whip-up the standard public relations campaign, and
“conference-call” his buddies at Halliburton to roll up their sleeves
for their next big job.
The Bidding War
The amount of relief being promised by the various donor-countries has
escalated into a bidding war. Each nation is stumbling over the other to
get a shoe in the door for future projects. So far, Australia has taken
the lead, promising $810 million to the effort. No one remembers
Australia being so magnanimous during similar crises, (like the
Ethiopian famine or the Iran earthquake in Bam) which makes an ulterior
motive even more likely. This brings us to the central point about
humanitarian aid; it’s really just a shell game that’s used to conceal
geopolitical and economic aims. Australia is certainly not the
exception. Its lavish gift is just a way of jostling
with the competition to endear itself to the victim nations.
Did you know that humanitarian aid is normally proffered with strict
requirements? For example, oftentimes a donor country will insist that
up to 90% of the aid-package be provided by corporations from their own
country.
This means that the generosity of taxpayers is no more than a subsidy
for big business.
Maybe, this is no big deal. After all, in an imperfect world, even
charity comes with strings attached. The larger problem is the fact that
countries make these promises of aid with no intention of meeting their
obligations. Consider the enormous devastation at Bam, Iran last year
when 26,000 civilians were killed an earthquake. Donor nations promised
over $1 billion in relief following the disaster, and yet, officials say
that less than $18 million has been received. That’s less than 2%!!!
“The record is even worse in the case of Hurricane Mitch, which swept
through Honduras and Nicaragua in 1998, killing more than 9,000 people
and making 3 million homeless. Governments promised to send more than
$3.5 billion, while the World Bank, IMF and EU pledged $5.2 billion. In
the end, less than a third of the money was raised.” (UK Guardian)
The Bush administration has been particularly “stingy” in honoring its
promises. The $15 billion pledged to AIDS assistance two years ago has
translated into millions not billions, and most of that has been
directed towards “abstinence-only” programs. Reconstruction money for
Afghanistan and Iraq has been equally paltry. Afghanistan has received
only a pittance of what was supposed to be a modern-day “Marshall Plan”.
To date, there are no major reconstruction projects even underway in
Afghanistan; a dismal reflection of the administration’s misleading
foreign policy. (As John Pilger notes in a recent article, “Just 3% of
all international aid spent in Afghanistan has been spent for
reconstruction”)
Iraq is no different. Less than 2% of the $18 billion allocated by
Congress has been devoted to reconstruction programs. Is there any
wonder why the lights only go on for 4 hours a day in Baghdad?
This also explains why the incredulous Kofi Annan warned two days ago
that much of the $3 billion of aid probably won’t materialize.
“If we go by past history, yes, I do have concern ... we've got over
$2-billion but it is quite likely that at the end of the day we will not
receive all of it,” Annan said.
Fellow UN staffer Rudolf Muller added, "A lot of the money will be
swallowed up by the military or will have been diverted from existing
loans." In other words, the pledges of support will “vaporize” in a
bureaucratic, paper-shuffle. That’s why the Secretary-General is asking
for $60 million for immediate relief to provide food, water, sanitation
and medicine to the (potentially) 500,000 refugees of the tsunami.
Annan’s sobering words were unwelcome at the White House where Bush’s
“Friend of Humanity” campaign is in full swing. The administration’s
public relations wizards have taken on the disaster with unusual zeal.
They’ve dispatched a phalanx of dignitaries to demonstrate the core
principle of American munificence; giving with one hand while stealing
with the other.
Wasn’t it odd to see Clinton’s florid face exhumed from obscurity and
slapped up on the front page; ready to join the ranks of Bush loyalists?
Apparently, the goal of proving America’s bigheartedness is not limited
by party affiliation. It’s truly a bipartisan charade.
Did we mention that not one measly bottle of water has been sent to
Falluja, where 70% of the city lies in ruins after a two month
Dresden-type beating that “systematically” destroyed all the major
infrastructure including water purification facilities, sewage treatment
and the electrical grid? Falluja is now “The City of Dogs”, where
scavenging canines feed on the dead bodies left in the streets during
the American siege. Are the people of Indonesia and Sri Lanka more
deserving than the 250, 000 Iraqis refugees who now live in tent cities
because the US demanded retribution for the deaths of 4 corporate
mercenaries? Or is the Bush-tsunami in Falluja just another
manifestation of Divine intervention?
Bush’s largesse is bestowed with Machiavellian ruthlessness. Falluja
gets the iron-fist while the candies and sweetmeats are hand-delivered
to Thailand. It’s all part of the political reckoning that employs
philanthropy with the same deadly intent as precision weaponry.
The Flag-wrapped Media
The media has played a vital role in perpetuating the myth of American
generosity. Their task is to create an acceptable narrative for American
benevolence and then to reiterate THE VERY SAME MESSAGE FROM EVERY
SOAPBOX IN THE NATION. This is the real meaning of propaganda, which
comes from the root; “to propagate”. (It does not simply mean
misinformation, but implies the intentional repetition of the same lie
over and over again.) This can only be accomplished if every newspaper
and TV station covers the same story the very same way. (a near
impossibility in a free country, one would think)
In a mind-boggling display of unity, over 200 stories appeared in US
newspapers announcing the “CHANGE IN AMERICA’S IMAGE”. (1-5-05) (Kremlin
ideologues must be looking on with admiration at the astonishing
uniformity of the “free market” propaganda system. Quite clearly, it has
no rival.) Similarly, every paper in the country has produced the
requisite full-page pictures of smiling, white Americans distributing
CARE packages to the mud-splattered, dark-skinned natives.
TV, of course, produced the same dismal results providing a week long
celebration of American goodwill.
Who says this ain’t a great country?
Interestingly, the media gambit to “boost America’s image”, dwarfed the
coverage of Alberto Gonzales, the administration’s foremost apologist of
torture. Gonzales who created the legal rationale for abusing prisoners
in “cruel and inhuman” ways, is being elevated to the “highest
law-enforcement officer in the country”, Attorney General. How’s that
for irony? Think a few wary Muslims might be watching the Senate
hearings rather than the American “charm offensive” being waged in the
Southeast Asia?
Even with the massive media blitz, it’s all uphill for the Peerless
Leader and his corporate cadres. You can fool some of the people some of
the time, but as the numbers indicate, America’s popularity is headed
for the bottom of the tank. “In Indonesia, whose Muslim population is
overwhelmingly moderate, polls taken after the U.S. invasion of Iraq
showed plummeting support for the United States. America's "favorable"
rating fell from 61 percent to 15 percent from summer 2002 to summer
2003, according to the Pew Research Center.” (Ass. Press) It’ll take
more than a few smiley photo-ops and chocolate bars to turn those
numbers around.
The administration is using the cover of humanitarian aid to insert
itself into the economic future of the region. Whatever aid it provides
will mean bigger profits for American corporations and greater
involvement for the US Military. Secretary Rumsfeld has already used the
tragedy to sidestep the congressional ban on aid to the Indonesian
military; a clear attempt to shore up a brutish regime that provides
access to Indonesia’s vast resources. Even greater support is bound to
follow the current disaster.
A “debt-relief” proposal recommended by the IMF will undoubtedly bring
about the same economic conditions that have crippled third world
nations across the globe. On the surface the offer looks like a gift,
but in reality it requires strict compliance with the rigorous
guidelines of economic restructuring. (In other words, privatizing all
publicly owned assets, reducing subsidies to public education, removing
protective tariffs, eliminating public health-care, banning unions, and
permitting damaging flows of capital to move in and out of its markets
without regulation.).
The acceptance of this economic regime effectively hands over national
sovereignty to a cartel of international bankers and financiers. It’s
designed to ensure that real democracy cannot flourish.
These are the real implications of American generosity. The $350 million
may be dressed up to look like bounteousness, but it’s just another bone
tossed to Bush’s friends in big business. A year from now, the “tired
and huddled masses” battered by the tsunami will still be living in
refugee camps, drinking brackish water and huddling in lean-tos. The
money will have changed nothing, except to pave the way for a greater
American presence in the region.
