Le tre "M" del colonialismo:
MISSIONARI - preti cattolici nell'Ottocento, ONG (e preti cattolici) nel
2000;
MERCANTI - Rockfeller nell'Ottocento, Soros (e Rockfeller) nel 2000
MILITARI - eserciti dei paesi coloniali nell'Ottocento, NATO (ed
eserciti dei paesi coloniali) nel 2000.
---
DIANA JOHNSTONE: "UNA CROCIATA UMANITARIA"
http://www.inthesetimes.com/johnstone2420.html
[The following is one of two responses, the other is
by Edward Herman, to an egregious but by this time
typical In These Times piece on the Balkans. Typical,
that is, since the publication's editor, David Moberg,
signed on to the 'progressive' version of the
Blair/Clinton Doctrine of soi-disant moral imperialism
and Third Way neo-colonialism for allegedly backward
peoples. I'm not sure if the hardcopy version of it is
longer, or if this is all there is.]
In These Times
September 4, 2000
A Humanitarian Crusade
By Diana Johnstone
Few issues have provoked as much debate among
progressive Americans in recent years as the war in
the Balkans. In the following article, Diana Johnstone
responds to Paul Hockenos' essay "Human Wrongs: How
the Great Powers Failed the Balkans," which appeared
in the August 7 issue of the magazine.
In the obscure mix of motives behind such an action as
NATO intervention in the Balkans, some motives - and
not those most openly proclaimed - may turn out to be
more operative than others. NATO's professed objective
of creating a multi-ethnic, humanitarian democracy in
Kosovo - no doubt the sincere desire of some of the
many lesser supporters in NATO's "humanitarian
crusade," especially intellectuals who have mistaken
Balkan windmills for Hitlerian dragons - is a
resounding failure. Rather than "stability" the
operation has produced many of the effects Hockenos
claims it wished to prevent.
For Hockenos, criticism of the new doctrine of
"humanitarian intervention" has strict limits. It is
all right to want to make it more effective by using
ground warfare rather than air strikes, and by
following up military intervention with "credible,
professional peacekeeping missions that will help
indigenous democratic forces create self-sustaining
democratic institutions and political cultures." In
fact, Hockenos himself, having worked for the OSCE
administration of Bosnia at Banja Luka, has been
actively engaged in the enterprise of teaching
democracy to the local people. This is no doubt an
inspiring and rewarding project, but so was the
imperial civilizing mission of the 19th century. The
Christian missionaries have been replaced by
progressive NGOs.
Idealistic or cynical, those embarked on this crusade
readily partake of a consensus that fiercely rejects
any suggestion that the mission itself might be
basically flawed - that freedom and democracy must be
developed by the people themselves, not by occupying
armies and foreign administrators who know what is
best, as dictated by IMF economists. Imbued with their
own righteousness, the transnational benefactors
indignantly reject the suggestion that the Great
Powers and their armies that make their humanitarian
work possible might have ulterior motives, and might
even be largely responsible for stirring up the
conflicts and instability that allow them to intervene
in the first place.
---
GILLES D'AYMERY: "IL MISSIONARIO, IL MERCANTE, IL MILITARE"
http://www.swans.com/library/art6/ga092.html
Swans
Armies of Compassion
The Missionary, the Businessman and the Military
by Gilles d'Aymery
August 7, 2000
Note from the Editor: Here is a chance we could not
let pass. This week's real investigative piece is the
result of two totally separate and unrelated events.
First, the discovery by chance of an intriguing Web
site in the Central Asian cyberspace and second, the
remarks that Elizabeth Dole gave at the Republican
National Convention in Philadelphia.
Now, please do not ask why I spent fifteen minutes
listening to Mrs. Dole's rhetoric. The lame excuse is
that her Viagra spokesman of a husband is an old
friend of Swans (irony intended). And don't ask either
why and how I ended up associating those two seemingly
disparate events. Another mystery of life, I guess.
But there is no mystery behind the lesson, "Always
consider the source" and none either behind the veil
of the so-called philanthropic endeavors of
egomaniacs. In the words of Shirley Chisholm, "When
morality comes up against profit, it is seldom that
profit loses."
You will find a series of Web resources at the end of
the article.
"Ladies and gentlemen, in my eight years as President
of the American Red Cross, I saw things that will
haunt me the rest of my life -- the evil that humans
can inflict on one another -- saw it in the dim eyes
of starving children in Somalia and in the paralyzing
grief of parents in Oklahoma City.
"But I have also been uplifted by the extraordinary
power of the American heart -- by those armies of
compassion, who are willing to cross town or cross the
globe to minister to those they've never met and will
never see again.
"People who go where government cannot, and others
will not, who carry our values of peace and democracy
around the world, putting service before self. Such
kindness and generosity are not legislated by any
Congress. They arise from faith, neighborliness, and
yes, occasional saintliness. Indeed, I learned long
ago that you don't have to be a missionary to be
filled with a sense of mission."
[Excerpt] Remarks of Elizabeth Dole
Republican National Convention
3rd Session
Tuesday, August 1, 2000
>From all the sanctified words and holy platitudes
pronounced by the Republican luminaries in
Philadelphia last week, these few lines caught my
attention.
They reminded me of another time when Europeans were
hard at work adding colonies to their respective
empires. In those times, the white Europeans,
confident of their civilizing mission, were sailing
across the oceans and marching steadfastly and
relentlessly toward faraway lands, "carrying their
values of peace and democracy around the world"
(including in America). Those admirable endeavors were
carried out by a famous trio -- missionaries,
businessmen and troops -- all "armies of compassion"
advancing the values of liberty and freedom. Most
often, missionaries would be sent first to spread the
good word. Then, depending on the situation on the
ground, the army would be sent next to pacify the
region and finally the businessmen would go to do what
they do best; or the businessmen would go second and
the army would be called in to enforce order and
stability. Whatever the scenario, from Algeria to
America, from India to South Africa, from the Middle
East to Indochina, the trio always acted with perfect
chronology and in concert. The reasons for this
worldwide European expansionism, we now know, had more
to do with competitive forces of the nascent era of
capitalism, the opening of new markets and the need
for raw materials than with compassion and generosity.
Nowadays, America, confident of her manifest destiny,
carries on the tradition. And indeed, Mrs. Dole is
correct, "you don't have to be a missionary to be
filled with a sense of mission." Today, we are sailing
across oceans and marching as steadfastly and
relentlessly toward faraway lands as our European
brethrens did in the past. We pacify - that is, we
bring peace to the regions (according obviously to our
definition of the term "peace"), we bring order and
stability in the name of democracy - that is, our way
of spreading the good word (we do throw a few bibles
in the bargain), and we create a safe environment for
our business people (we are PC now) and our investors.
And we talk about "kindness and generosity" and
"faith, neighborliness, and yes, occasional
saintliness." But behind the sanctimonious tirades, we
are still after new markets, appropriation of raw
materials at the lowest possible price and competitive
forces within a more strident and possibly imploding
capitalism (a.k.a. free market economy). I grant you,
we do not gobble up the lands anymore. We simply suck
them out.
By now, if you are still with me there is a good
chance that you either know me personally (you are
reading this out of courtesy and friendliness -- thank
you, please carry on) or, and hopefully and, you have
an open mind (I hear this is fast becoming a rarefied
commodity). But I'd like to illustrate the previous
paragraph with a case in point.
A week or so ago, I asked William (Will) Daley -- a
young man who hopefully will take over my
responsibilities of Network Administrator and Jack of
all trades at the non-profit organization where I've
been working for the past 10 years so that I can
dedicate more time to Swans and ineluctably join the
ranks of the poverty-laden masses -- to do a search on
the Web about Internet Domains and Sub-Domains. Will
came up with the right document following a search on
Google that lead him to a site in Central Asia. But
Will went one step further. He said, "Hey dude, come
and check this out" (I hear that to be called a dude
means that I am "cool." So much to learn, so little
time…) and he showed me a large quantity of technical
documentation posted on that site, presumably
unlawfully (if any of you are computer savvy in UNIX,
Java, CGI, networking, etc., I strongly recommend you
visit the site before they pull it down to remove all
the allegedly infringed copyright documentation).
Well, in a system which is legally codified to rob
from the poor, at least here, the poor are taking
advantage of the wealthy (no class welfare intended;
we all know that classes do not exist, so say the
textbooks). But what really caught my attention was
one short sentence on the Home Page that read: "This
Network is developed with NATO, OSI and EurAsia
support."
Hmmm…
So here we are, on the Web site of the Academy of
Sciences of Uzbekistan… Uzbewhat? What's that?
Impossible to pronounce! Well, that's a country in
Central Asia, a former republic of the deceased Soviet
Union, part of what is now known as NIS (Newly
Independent States). Don't know it, can't find it on
your obsolete world map, don't even have a world map?
Don't worry, it's there, surrounded by Kazakhstan on
the west and north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikstan on the
east, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan on the south and
west, and it has access to the Aral Sea. The capital
is Tashkent. That's all I can tell you. Just notice
that they all have names that rhyme and they all have,
or almost all have, a rare commodity in common. More
about this later.
As for its supporters, you all know about NATO, this
ever so friendly humanitarian organization, defender
of widows and orphans and always ready to bring peace
and stability to a region.
OSI is the acronym for Open Society Institute, one of
the myriad organizations of the Soros Foundations
Network, which is "dedicated to building Open
Societies around the world." In 1997, the
organizations of the Soros Foundations Network spent a
total of $428 million and are now spending about $500
million. Their motto? "The concept of Open Societies
is based on the recognition that people act on
imperfect knowledge and NOBODY IS IN POSSESSION OF THE
ULTIMATE KNOWLEDGE." Mrs. Dole, a good-natured
born-again Christian, may slightly disagree with the
last proposition but would be comforted by the zeal
with which Mr. Soros pursues his mission of supporting
the development of open societies. Such a missionary
fervor includes "an array of initiatives concerned
with arts and culture, children and youth, civil
society development, economic reform, education at all
levels, legal reform and public administration, media
and communications, publishing, and health care," in
"over 30 countries around the world, principally in
Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union
but also in Guatemala, Haiti, Mongolia, and Southern
Africa." I strongly recommend you spend a few hours as
I've done in the past few days to familiarize
yourselves with the style and tone packaging those
grandiose generalities. George Soros will be
remembered as a man with a rich and enlightened
mission!
EurAsia (or Eurasia) is a private non-profit
organization based in Washington D.C. and mostly
financed by USAID (i.e., American tax dollars). Of
course, Eurasia has its own mission statement:
"Building institutions . . . Benefiting individuals."
"The Eurasia Foundation promotes the advancement of
democratic institutions and private enterprise in
twelve host countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus,
Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova,
Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and
Uzbekistan. The Eurasia Foundation believes that
societies function best when citizens take
responsibility for their own civic and economic
future. Foundation programs seek to promote the skills
and vision necessary to bring the greatest social and
economic benefits to individuals and their societies."
Ain't that sweet?
Have you heard of the Silk Road Strategy Act of 1999?
It's a bill that the 106th Congress passed "to amend
the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to target
assistance to support the economic and political
independence of the countries of the South Caucasus
and Central Asia." Congress made two significant
findings (among seven) for setting the new policy.
They were:
The development of open market economies and open
democratic systems in the countries of the South
Caucasus and Central Asia will provide positive
incentives for international private investment,
increased trade, and other forms of commercial
interactions with the rest of the world.
The region of the South Caucasus and Central Asia
could produce oil and gas in sufficient quantities to
reduce the dependence of the United States on energy
from the volatile Persian Gulf region.
Did you read "oil?" Really? You really did. OIL.
Accordingly, continues the Silk Road Strategy Act,
It shall be the policy of the United States in the
countries of the South Caucasus and Central Asia--
(1) to promote and strengthen independence,
sovereignty, democratic government, and respect for
human rights;
(2) to promote tolerance, pluralism, and understanding
and counter racism and anti-Semitism;
(3) to assist actively in the resolution of regional
conflicts and to facilitate the removal of impediments
to cross-border commerce;
(4) to promote friendly relations and economic
cooperation;
(5) to help promote market-oriented principles and
practices;
(6) to assist in the development of the infrastructure
necessary for communications, transportation,
education, health, and energy and trade on an
East-West axis in order to build strong international
relations and commerce between those countries and the
stable, democratic, and market-oriented countries of
the Euro-Atlantic Community; and
(7) to support United States business interests and
investments in the region.
Time for you to read again Mrs. Dole's moving remarks…
You know, those "people who carry our values of peace
and democracy around the world, putting service before
self." NATO, Open Society Institute, Eurasia
Foundation…. Silk Road Strategy Act…All armies and
tools of compassion "willing to cross town or cross
the globe to minister to those they've never met and
will never see again." So much generosity, so much
goodness. Soros and Dole, our divine saviors; NATO,
our heroic pacifier. My eyes are filled with tears of
admiration.
Here is an example of such generosity: "Since the U.S.
Trade and Development Agency's inception in 1981, we
have been associated with approximately $16 billion in
exports -- or nearly $37 in exports for every dollar
invested in TDA activities" (Source tda.gov). Oops,
wrong example!
Did I mention that the South Caucasus and Central Asia
are geographically located in the Russian Federation's
southern backyard? Turn the case on its head for one
minute and imagine the same scenario with this time
Mexico being the target of Russian armies of
compassion…
Who's the idiot that uttered that we had reached the
end of history? Looks quite alive to me. History is
still very present, though it repeats itself at an
accelerated pace. Perhaps, like the new economy of
late we now have a new history. What has changed is
that the missionaries, the business people and the
troops are now roaming the world together, hand in
hand advancing the civilizing mission of the Occident.
But the purpose remains the same: pilfering and
enriching themselves. Don't you love this age of
compassionate humanitarianism?
Those armies of compassion…An old story indeed!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Resources regarding this article
The Network of Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan This
is the culprit. Be aware that the site is often down
and quite slow.
Silk Road Strategy Act of 1999 The bill is posted on
Eurasianet.org (Soros).
Uzbekistan International Involvement Links Also on
Eurasianet.org (Soros).
Eurasianet.org A project of the Open Society
Institute.
Central Eurasia Academy Link From the friends at
Eurasianet.org (Soros).
Soros Foundations Network The main site of dedicated
to George Soros' missionary "philanthropy." Myriad
pages and activities. Of interest is the FAQ on what
is an "open society".
The Eurasia Foundation Nicely financed by USAID.
Eurasia Foundation's Links to NIS-related sites Visit
the entire region through this page.
List of academic programs (Harvard U.) This will give
a good idea of the interests the region attracts.
USAID for Uzbekistan US generosity in display. The
site has pages about the other countries in the
region.
NATO The main site of our heroic pacifier. Look for
NATO ASI (Advanced Study Institute).
NATO Advanced Research Workshops Continuing
Education.
U.S. Trade and Development Agency A return of $37 for
every $1 invested...
The Silk Road Foundation A privately funded
organization. There are many more like this one.
Swans - http://www.swans.com
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
MISSIONARI - preti cattolici nell'Ottocento, ONG (e preti cattolici) nel
2000;
MERCANTI - Rockfeller nell'Ottocento, Soros (e Rockfeller) nel 2000
MILITARI - eserciti dei paesi coloniali nell'Ottocento, NATO (ed
eserciti dei paesi coloniali) nel 2000.
---
DIANA JOHNSTONE: "UNA CROCIATA UMANITARIA"
http://www.inthesetimes.com/johnstone2420.html
[The following is one of two responses, the other is
by Edward Herman, to an egregious but by this time
typical In These Times piece on the Balkans. Typical,
that is, since the publication's editor, David Moberg,
signed on to the 'progressive' version of the
Blair/Clinton Doctrine of soi-disant moral imperialism
and Third Way neo-colonialism for allegedly backward
peoples. I'm not sure if the hardcopy version of it is
longer, or if this is all there is.]
In These Times
September 4, 2000
A Humanitarian Crusade
By Diana Johnstone
Few issues have provoked as much debate among
progressive Americans in recent years as the war in
the Balkans. In the following article, Diana Johnstone
responds to Paul Hockenos' essay "Human Wrongs: How
the Great Powers Failed the Balkans," which appeared
in the August 7 issue of the magazine.
In the obscure mix of motives behind such an action as
NATO intervention in the Balkans, some motives - and
not those most openly proclaimed - may turn out to be
more operative than others. NATO's professed objective
of creating a multi-ethnic, humanitarian democracy in
Kosovo - no doubt the sincere desire of some of the
many lesser supporters in NATO's "humanitarian
crusade," especially intellectuals who have mistaken
Balkan windmills for Hitlerian dragons - is a
resounding failure. Rather than "stability" the
operation has produced many of the effects Hockenos
claims it wished to prevent.
For Hockenos, criticism of the new doctrine of
"humanitarian intervention" has strict limits. It is
all right to want to make it more effective by using
ground warfare rather than air strikes, and by
following up military intervention with "credible,
professional peacekeeping missions that will help
indigenous democratic forces create self-sustaining
democratic institutions and political cultures." In
fact, Hockenos himself, having worked for the OSCE
administration of Bosnia at Banja Luka, has been
actively engaged in the enterprise of teaching
democracy to the local people. This is no doubt an
inspiring and rewarding project, but so was the
imperial civilizing mission of the 19th century. The
Christian missionaries have been replaced by
progressive NGOs.
Idealistic or cynical, those embarked on this crusade
readily partake of a consensus that fiercely rejects
any suggestion that the mission itself might be
basically flawed - that freedom and democracy must be
developed by the people themselves, not by occupying
armies and foreign administrators who know what is
best, as dictated by IMF economists. Imbued with their
own righteousness, the transnational benefactors
indignantly reject the suggestion that the Great
Powers and their armies that make their humanitarian
work possible might have ulterior motives, and might
even be largely responsible for stirring up the
conflicts and instability that allow them to intervene
in the first place.
---
GILLES D'AYMERY: "IL MISSIONARIO, IL MERCANTE, IL MILITARE"
http://www.swans.com/library/art6/ga092.html
Swans
Armies of Compassion
The Missionary, the Businessman and the Military
by Gilles d'Aymery
August 7, 2000
Note from the Editor: Here is a chance we could not
let pass. This week's real investigative piece is the
result of two totally separate and unrelated events.
First, the discovery by chance of an intriguing Web
site in the Central Asian cyberspace and second, the
remarks that Elizabeth Dole gave at the Republican
National Convention in Philadelphia.
Now, please do not ask why I spent fifteen minutes
listening to Mrs. Dole's rhetoric. The lame excuse is
that her Viagra spokesman of a husband is an old
friend of Swans (irony intended). And don't ask either
why and how I ended up associating those two seemingly
disparate events. Another mystery of life, I guess.
But there is no mystery behind the lesson, "Always
consider the source" and none either behind the veil
of the so-called philanthropic endeavors of
egomaniacs. In the words of Shirley Chisholm, "When
morality comes up against profit, it is seldom that
profit loses."
You will find a series of Web resources at the end of
the article.
"Ladies and gentlemen, in my eight years as President
of the American Red Cross, I saw things that will
haunt me the rest of my life -- the evil that humans
can inflict on one another -- saw it in the dim eyes
of starving children in Somalia and in the paralyzing
grief of parents in Oklahoma City.
"But I have also been uplifted by the extraordinary
power of the American heart -- by those armies of
compassion, who are willing to cross town or cross the
globe to minister to those they've never met and will
never see again.
"People who go where government cannot, and others
will not, who carry our values of peace and democracy
around the world, putting service before self. Such
kindness and generosity are not legislated by any
Congress. They arise from faith, neighborliness, and
yes, occasional saintliness. Indeed, I learned long
ago that you don't have to be a missionary to be
filled with a sense of mission."
[Excerpt] Remarks of Elizabeth Dole
Republican National Convention
3rd Session
Tuesday, August 1, 2000
>From all the sanctified words and holy platitudes
pronounced by the Republican luminaries in
Philadelphia last week, these few lines caught my
attention.
They reminded me of another time when Europeans were
hard at work adding colonies to their respective
empires. In those times, the white Europeans,
confident of their civilizing mission, were sailing
across the oceans and marching steadfastly and
relentlessly toward faraway lands, "carrying their
values of peace and democracy around the world"
(including in America). Those admirable endeavors were
carried out by a famous trio -- missionaries,
businessmen and troops -- all "armies of compassion"
advancing the values of liberty and freedom. Most
often, missionaries would be sent first to spread the
good word. Then, depending on the situation on the
ground, the army would be sent next to pacify the
region and finally the businessmen would go to do what
they do best; or the businessmen would go second and
the army would be called in to enforce order and
stability. Whatever the scenario, from Algeria to
America, from India to South Africa, from the Middle
East to Indochina, the trio always acted with perfect
chronology and in concert. The reasons for this
worldwide European expansionism, we now know, had more
to do with competitive forces of the nascent era of
capitalism, the opening of new markets and the need
for raw materials than with compassion and generosity.
Nowadays, America, confident of her manifest destiny,
carries on the tradition. And indeed, Mrs. Dole is
correct, "you don't have to be a missionary to be
filled with a sense of mission." Today, we are sailing
across oceans and marching as steadfastly and
relentlessly toward faraway lands as our European
brethrens did in the past. We pacify - that is, we
bring peace to the regions (according obviously to our
definition of the term "peace"), we bring order and
stability in the name of democracy - that is, our way
of spreading the good word (we do throw a few bibles
in the bargain), and we create a safe environment for
our business people (we are PC now) and our investors.
And we talk about "kindness and generosity" and
"faith, neighborliness, and yes, occasional
saintliness." But behind the sanctimonious tirades, we
are still after new markets, appropriation of raw
materials at the lowest possible price and competitive
forces within a more strident and possibly imploding
capitalism (a.k.a. free market economy). I grant you,
we do not gobble up the lands anymore. We simply suck
them out.
By now, if you are still with me there is a good
chance that you either know me personally (you are
reading this out of courtesy and friendliness -- thank
you, please carry on) or, and hopefully and, you have
an open mind (I hear this is fast becoming a rarefied
commodity). But I'd like to illustrate the previous
paragraph with a case in point.
A week or so ago, I asked William (Will) Daley -- a
young man who hopefully will take over my
responsibilities of Network Administrator and Jack of
all trades at the non-profit organization where I've
been working for the past 10 years so that I can
dedicate more time to Swans and ineluctably join the
ranks of the poverty-laden masses -- to do a search on
the Web about Internet Domains and Sub-Domains. Will
came up with the right document following a search on
Google that lead him to a site in Central Asia. But
Will went one step further. He said, "Hey dude, come
and check this out" (I hear that to be called a dude
means that I am "cool." So much to learn, so little
time…) and he showed me a large quantity of technical
documentation posted on that site, presumably
unlawfully (if any of you are computer savvy in UNIX,
Java, CGI, networking, etc., I strongly recommend you
visit the site before they pull it down to remove all
the allegedly infringed copyright documentation).
Well, in a system which is legally codified to rob
from the poor, at least here, the poor are taking
advantage of the wealthy (no class welfare intended;
we all know that classes do not exist, so say the
textbooks). But what really caught my attention was
one short sentence on the Home Page that read: "This
Network is developed with NATO, OSI and EurAsia
support."
Hmmm…
So here we are, on the Web site of the Academy of
Sciences of Uzbekistan… Uzbewhat? What's that?
Impossible to pronounce! Well, that's a country in
Central Asia, a former republic of the deceased Soviet
Union, part of what is now known as NIS (Newly
Independent States). Don't know it, can't find it on
your obsolete world map, don't even have a world map?
Don't worry, it's there, surrounded by Kazakhstan on
the west and north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikstan on the
east, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan on the south and
west, and it has access to the Aral Sea. The capital
is Tashkent. That's all I can tell you. Just notice
that they all have names that rhyme and they all have,
or almost all have, a rare commodity in common. More
about this later.
As for its supporters, you all know about NATO, this
ever so friendly humanitarian organization, defender
of widows and orphans and always ready to bring peace
and stability to a region.
OSI is the acronym for Open Society Institute, one of
the myriad organizations of the Soros Foundations
Network, which is "dedicated to building Open
Societies around the world." In 1997, the
organizations of the Soros Foundations Network spent a
total of $428 million and are now spending about $500
million. Their motto? "The concept of Open Societies
is based on the recognition that people act on
imperfect knowledge and NOBODY IS IN POSSESSION OF THE
ULTIMATE KNOWLEDGE." Mrs. Dole, a good-natured
born-again Christian, may slightly disagree with the
last proposition but would be comforted by the zeal
with which Mr. Soros pursues his mission of supporting
the development of open societies. Such a missionary
fervor includes "an array of initiatives concerned
with arts and culture, children and youth, civil
society development, economic reform, education at all
levels, legal reform and public administration, media
and communications, publishing, and health care," in
"over 30 countries around the world, principally in
Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union
but also in Guatemala, Haiti, Mongolia, and Southern
Africa." I strongly recommend you spend a few hours as
I've done in the past few days to familiarize
yourselves with the style and tone packaging those
grandiose generalities. George Soros will be
remembered as a man with a rich and enlightened
mission!
EurAsia (or Eurasia) is a private non-profit
organization based in Washington D.C. and mostly
financed by USAID (i.e., American tax dollars). Of
course, Eurasia has its own mission statement:
"Building institutions . . . Benefiting individuals."
"The Eurasia Foundation promotes the advancement of
democratic institutions and private enterprise in
twelve host countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus,
Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova,
Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and
Uzbekistan. The Eurasia Foundation believes that
societies function best when citizens take
responsibility for their own civic and economic
future. Foundation programs seek to promote the skills
and vision necessary to bring the greatest social and
economic benefits to individuals and their societies."
Ain't that sweet?
Have you heard of the Silk Road Strategy Act of 1999?
It's a bill that the 106th Congress passed "to amend
the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to target
assistance to support the economic and political
independence of the countries of the South Caucasus
and Central Asia." Congress made two significant
findings (among seven) for setting the new policy.
They were:
The development of open market economies and open
democratic systems in the countries of the South
Caucasus and Central Asia will provide positive
incentives for international private investment,
increased trade, and other forms of commercial
interactions with the rest of the world.
The region of the South Caucasus and Central Asia
could produce oil and gas in sufficient quantities to
reduce the dependence of the United States on energy
from the volatile Persian Gulf region.
Did you read "oil?" Really? You really did. OIL.
Accordingly, continues the Silk Road Strategy Act,
It shall be the policy of the United States in the
countries of the South Caucasus and Central Asia--
(1) to promote and strengthen independence,
sovereignty, democratic government, and respect for
human rights;
(2) to promote tolerance, pluralism, and understanding
and counter racism and anti-Semitism;
(3) to assist actively in the resolution of regional
conflicts and to facilitate the removal of impediments
to cross-border commerce;
(4) to promote friendly relations and economic
cooperation;
(5) to help promote market-oriented principles and
practices;
(6) to assist in the development of the infrastructure
necessary for communications, transportation,
education, health, and energy and trade on an
East-West axis in order to build strong international
relations and commerce between those countries and the
stable, democratic, and market-oriented countries of
the Euro-Atlantic Community; and
(7) to support United States business interests and
investments in the region.
Time for you to read again Mrs. Dole's moving remarks…
You know, those "people who carry our values of peace
and democracy around the world, putting service before
self." NATO, Open Society Institute, Eurasia
Foundation…. Silk Road Strategy Act…All armies and
tools of compassion "willing to cross town or cross
the globe to minister to those they've never met and
will never see again." So much generosity, so much
goodness. Soros and Dole, our divine saviors; NATO,
our heroic pacifier. My eyes are filled with tears of
admiration.
Here is an example of such generosity: "Since the U.S.
Trade and Development Agency's inception in 1981, we
have been associated with approximately $16 billion in
exports -- or nearly $37 in exports for every dollar
invested in TDA activities" (Source tda.gov). Oops,
wrong example!
Did I mention that the South Caucasus and Central Asia
are geographically located in the Russian Federation's
southern backyard? Turn the case on its head for one
minute and imagine the same scenario with this time
Mexico being the target of Russian armies of
compassion…
Who's the idiot that uttered that we had reached the
end of history? Looks quite alive to me. History is
still very present, though it repeats itself at an
accelerated pace. Perhaps, like the new economy of
late we now have a new history. What has changed is
that the missionaries, the business people and the
troops are now roaming the world together, hand in
hand advancing the civilizing mission of the Occident.
But the purpose remains the same: pilfering and
enriching themselves. Don't you love this age of
compassionate humanitarianism?
Those armies of compassion…An old story indeed!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Resources regarding this article
The Network of Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan This
is the culprit. Be aware that the site is often down
and quite slow.
Silk Road Strategy Act of 1999 The bill is posted on
Eurasianet.org (Soros).
Uzbekistan International Involvement Links Also on
Eurasianet.org (Soros).
Eurasianet.org A project of the Open Society
Institute.
Central Eurasia Academy Link From the friends at
Eurasianet.org (Soros).
Soros Foundations Network The main site of dedicated
to George Soros' missionary "philanthropy." Myriad
pages and activities. Of interest is the FAQ on what
is an "open society".
The Eurasia Foundation Nicely financed by USAID.
Eurasia Foundation's Links to NIS-related sites Visit
the entire region through this page.
List of academic programs (Harvard U.) This will give
a good idea of the interests the region attracts.
USAID for Uzbekistan US generosity in display. The
site has pages about the other countries in the
region.
NATO The main site of our heroic pacifier. Look for
NATO ASI (Advanced Study Institute).
NATO Advanced Research Workshops Continuing
Education.
U.S. Trade and Development Agency A return of $37 for
every $1 invested...
The Silk Road Foundation A privately funded
organization. There are many more like this one.
Swans - http://www.swans.com
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