is the United State's foreign policy becoming racist?

[taxidriver]

I've been thinking about this for a while now, especially after taking a few foreign policy courses this spring. here's what's on my mind:

the 1994 rwanda genocide, in which about 800,000 tutsis were killed.

the U.S. did nothing.

shortly after this, similar trouble springs up in the Balkans, and we rush to their rescue. troops are still their to this day.

2003-4, haiti crumbles in on itself and we support a coup d'tat against aristide. lots of people die.

so, one of these things is not like the other, eh? is the differing factor that the Balkans was a strategically important region, or Africa is 'Savage, godless, dark nation full of AIDS'?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

1. It has always been racist

There was a book that is now out of print written by an LA Times reporter by the name of Gerald Colby documenting our use of religion as a tool in the Amazon in pursuit of oil. I read it several years back...you can still find used copies of it.

Here's a blurb about it...basically a bible publisher, missionaries and the CIA teamed up to seduce Latin America via religion into letting the US run herd over their nations:


Colby, Gerard with Dennett, Charlotte. Thy Will Be Done -- The Conquest of the Amazon: Nelson Rockefeller and Evangelism in the Age of Oil. New York: HarperCollins, 1995. 960 pages.
This book began when the authors traveled to the Amazon in 1976 to gather material on the Summer Institute of Linguistics, also known as the Wycliffe Bible Translators. SIL, founded in the 1930s by William Cameron (Cam) Townsend, was known throughout the Cold War for its pioneering linguistics and missionary work in remote places. Five years after their trip, the authors decided to put Nelson Rockefeller in the book. Rocky was involved with an Amazon development plan during World War II, when he was Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs. This position gave Rocky, with the help of Hoover's FBI, jurisdiction over all U.S. intelligence in Latin America. Rocky's spook credentials proved useful throughout his career.
The authors ended up with two books in one, as they weave between SIL and Rocky, using this as a literary hook to describe how American religious and economic imperialism conquered the Amazon. There are some loose funding connections between SIL and Rocky, but the major link is their willingness to encourage exploitive U.S. aid, including CIA covert actions, to keep the world safe for Jesus and Big Oil. In addition to the Amazon (Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia), some attention is paid to other places where SIL was active, such as Guatemala, Mexico, and Southeast Asia.

http://www.namebase.org/sources/XS.html

[cally]

2. America's foreign policy has

always been racist. Why did we incarcerate Japanese-Americans and not Germans? We allow genocide. We give foreign aid to white countries but not those most in need. Nothing new here except that * is worse.

[taxidriver]

3. what's the picture in your message of? all the people on the mall.

[cally]

12. Wash. DC pro-choice rally...nt

[Kellanved]

19. err... AFAIK you did

http://feingold.senate.gov/releases/03/10/2003A01721.html

[cally]

21. Thanks for the link

I didn't know that. :dunce:

[scarletwoman]

4. "becoming"?!? It has ALWAYS been racist!

I don't have time to post a full documentation, but if you take a close look at ALL our foreign interventions you will note that there's a very simple theme running through them: Third world nations (where all those darker-skinned folk live) are brutalized at will, for the enrichment of the white capitalists.

Haven't you figured out by now that "USA! WE'RE NUMBER ONE!" is simply our own code for "Master Race"?

We live in a PROFOUNDLY racist country -- it's so ingrained into the culture that most people don't notice it, but it colors (so to speak) nearly ALL our perceptions of the world.

Here's a small example: How many times have heard something like this, "Well, the Democrats wouldn't have won that election without the Black vote." It's a statement that passes by without a second glance, but how many people understand what it's REALLY saying?

It's saying that "Black votes" aren't REAL votes, because Black voters aren't REAL voters like WHITE voters.

Think about it...

sw

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. Well-said

[taxidriver]

7. yeah, its dissapointing. too bad Clinton and FDR weren't exceptions.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

5. I Agree With NSMA, Cally and ScarletWoman

With a very few exceptions, US foreign policy has a history of racism.

DTH

[PATRICK]

8. colorblind when the black

was the color of their oil. They treat them in any way as is customary with their history and culture to get their resources and weaken them as independents.

THEN, of course, you get the full blown racism more as insult added to injury.

Or plain old racism.

The only reason Africa has been an issue is the black voting population in the US. The toss a few promises for AIDS meds and food, then overthrow their governments for tighter grasp on the IMF ruined export economies.

Becoming racist? Is that an attempt at humor? The only real color blindness is when they are ignoring all human needs in toto. One might suspect they intend to ravage and steal all of Africa. I am thinking of what sounded like innocent romanticism from a Goldwater Conservative decades ago about Africa's future and mineral resources. It was all about Rhodesia and apartheid South Africa of course. PNAC dreams of colonialist glory were started long ago. It seems more than one coup or string of coups was barely prevented that we had a visible hand in. White mercenaries.

[leesa]

9. Becoming?? Racism and bigotry are an American heritage that is alive

and well! Why the heck do you think Americans could give a shit if we bomb brown-skinned foreigners?

[IkeWarnedUs]

10. yes

And the sky is becoming blue.

[Bandit]

25. Sometimes it is black ~ are you being racist?

:silly:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

11. Racist and capitalist

Come on, what are we doing about the situation in Sudan right now? How many Americans even know there is a situation in Sudan? Not only is our government racist, but our media is too, in that it rarely gives out information about what is going on in Africa, especially when thinks are starting and could be stopped with a little national attention.

But I think there is a little more to it than mere racism. There's also the support of multi-national corporate interests. One reason the US did nothing to help Rwanda and is doing little to help Sudan is that these countries don't have anything for the mult-nationals to exploit. If they had a lot of oil or diamonds, there would be more interest. Let's not forget how many dictatorships we've propped up in Central America just so United Fruit could get its bananas cheaply.

[jayavarman]

13. Check out this year . . .

I know our foreign policy is not perfect, but digging into this list makes it difficult for me to say that our foreign aid policy is "racist" . . . in fact, the data may allow one to argue the opposite . . . . Research & decide for yourself

United States 2004 Foreign Aid
Lane Vanderslice

(February 7, 2004) The United States foreign aid budget has finally been decided on by Congress. Hunger Notes presents the main Congressional allocations, which will determine how the United States spends money for foreign aid in 2004. Foreign aid involves much more than aid to poor people. We have included some links to agencies such as USAID that implement these programs and provide further detail.

EXPORT AND INVESTMENT ASSISTANCE

No funds appropriated

DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

USAID Child Survival $1,835 million (The total is divided into 7 program categories shown here, which for some unexplained reason do not add up to the total. ):

$330 million child survival and maternal health
$28 million for vulnerable children (other than those affected by HIV/AIDS)
$516.5 million for HIV/AIDS
$185 million for other infectious diseases, including TB and malaria

$375 million for reproductive health/family planning
$400 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
$491 million for the Global HIV/AIDS Initiative

This is a USAID program principally implemented by USAID's Bureau of Global Health (GH). The links are provided to the specific GH offices involved. The Global Fund is an independent organization with participation by many governments and international institutions such as the World Bank and the World Health Organization. The Global HIV/AIDS Initiative is managed by the State Department.

USAID Development Assistance $1,385 million (Basic Education $235 million specified). This is the second part of USAID assistance, including education, democracy and governance and economic growth (which includes microenterprise development and agriculture, which are especially important for poor people).

International Disaster and Famine Assistance $255.5 million ($20 million available for famine prevention). This is the financing provided to USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance.The $20 million is the beginning of an important new initiative to reduce famine. The United States has provided billions of dollars in food assistance to countries such as Ethiopia to combat famine over the last 30 years or so. However, much less has been provided in development assistance to prevent famine. The $20 million is the beginning of a U.S. effort to address the structural causes of famine.

Millennium Challenge Corporation $1 billion ($650 million from Foreign Operations Appropriations, $350 million from elsewhere. This is one of four major development initiatives by the Bush administration, including, in order of magnitude: 1) assistance to Iraq, 2) assistance to Afghanistan, 3) the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and 4) the overall AIDS initiative. The Millennium Challenge Corporation is just in the process of being set up. It is designed to reward governments of countries that demonstrate effective political policies (e.g., low levels of corruption) and economic policies.

Debt Restructuring $95 million (Tropical Forest Conservation Act $20 million; $75 million for first of two contributions to the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Trust Fund).

Migration and Refugee Assistance $21 million (most funds available in State Department Appropriation bill).

Independent Agencies $345 million

Inter-American Foundation $16.3 million

African Development Foundation $18.7 million

Peace Corps $310 million

International Affairs Technical Assistance--Department of the Treasury $19 million

Global Environment Facility $139 million

Contribution to the (World Bank) International Development Association $913 million

Contribution to the Asian Development Fund $144 million

Contributions to the Africa Development Fund and Bank $150 million

Contribution to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

International Organizations and Programs $321 million (UNICEF $120 million, UNDP $120 million, UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture, $5 million)

International fund for Agricultural Development $15 million



ASSISTANCE TO EASTERN EUROPE AND THE FORMER SOVIET UNION

Assistance for Eastern Europe and the Baltic States $445 million

Assistance for the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union $587 million

ASSISTANCE FOR ANTI-DRUG ACTIVITIES

International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement $242 million

Andean Counterdrug Initiative $731 million

USAID OPERATING EXPENSES

USAID Operating Expenses $604 million USAID administers many of the above activities, including USAID Child Survival assistance, USAID Development Assistance, Assistance for Eastern Europe and the Baltic States and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union, and the Andean Counter-drug Initiative. It administers some of the Economic Support Fund. It is thus difficult to assign this funding to a particular analytic category such as development assistance.

Capital Investment Fund $82 million

ECONOMIC AND MILITARY ASSISTANCE TO ALLIES AND STRATEGIC AREAS

Economic Support Fund $2,132 million (The largest recipients by country are: Egypt $575 million; Israel $480 million; Jordan $250 million; West Bank/Gaza $75 million)

International Military Education and Training (IMET) $92 million

Foreign Military Financing Program $4,394 million. (The largest recipients are Israel, $2,160 million, Egypt $1,300 million and Jordan, $206 million.)

Non-Proliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining, and Related Programs $353 million



Not included in this report are U.S. food assistance to developing countries, State Department funding for Migration and Refugee Assistance, supplemental appropriations for foreign aid (none so far for 2004 but a very substantial one in 2003, principally for Iraq and Afghanistan) nor foreign activities of U.S. government agencies, such as Health and Human Services. ($754 million in global assistance is anticipated in the HHS-Labor appropriations.).

Return to United States Page Hunger Notes Home Page

[jayavarman]

15. I should have just given the link

http://www.worldhunger.org/articles/04/global/2004_foreign_aid.htm

you can like to lots of details from the site

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

14. Becoming? Rwanda is just one in a long, long, line of racist policies.

To hell with the "Monica" twaddle. If there is one thing that Clinton should truly be ashamed of it's his actions during the Rwanda genocide. Not to mention the following genocide against the Hutus that took place in the Congo.

And, not to single out Clinton alone, the policies regarding Angola, Liberia, Sierra Leone, to name just a few in Africa, have cost millions of lives in the last 20 years. Needless to say, the same policies continue under the birdrain-in-chief.

[neebob]

16. Becoming racist?

Compared to what - killing off those pesky people who already live on the land you want? Buying a bunch of kidnapped Africans and making them do all your work for nothing the hope of avoiding a beating? Vaporizing a few hundred thousand Japanese people? Rounding up the ones who were born here and keeping them in camps because you think they might blab to the ones you're about to vaporize? Investing in all kinds of commodities that are mined, milled, and manufactured by miserable brown slaves in various parts of the world, who couldn't buy a single tiny diamond with what they make in a lifetime - that is, if they manage to survive the wars you've armed both sides of?

[taxidriver]

22. my post was shortsighted. it was working on the assumption that things had

gotten better, and were slipping away again. oh well.,

[neebob]

24. That's certainly possible

Everything the U.S. government does has become more racist, more sexist, and more religiously fanatical in the last 3-1/2 years. Mostly, though, I think it's just become more overtly greedy.

[gpandas]

17. but our armsmakers will sell to all races...

no racism here, we provide the means for anyone to kill each other.

[Zen]

18. "Becoming?"

n/m

[Fear]

20. how about, there's no oil or any other form of money maker

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

23. The U.S. did more than "nothing" in Rwanda.

It actively discouraged anything being done by the U.N.

[Hamlette]

26. becoming?

I used to work in workers' compensation. If someone died on the job the surviving dependents got benefits. If the surviving dependents lived in Mexico, they got 50% of what a surviving dependent living in the US or Canada got.

Yep. We're racist.

[Kahuna]

27. Becoming? The USA is the most racist country on the planet.

nt

[Karenina]

28. Racism

is the fuel that fed the support of the invasion and destruction of Iraq. It is only the latest in a L-O-N-G history of outrageous atrocities committed against "darker skinned" people, be they caucasian or otherwise on behalf of American corporations coveting their resources. Smedley Butler, a true American hero, is a good place for anyone who wishes to educate him or herself to start learning about what American foreign policy has been and continues to be. The more advanced and/or adventurous may get a kick out of B.C.C.I. Warning: GRAPHIC.