News Did the G8 concerts exceed expectations?

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The G8 concerts generated significant excitement and showcased a variety of musical talent, with standout performances from artists like Madonna and Snoop Dogg. However, there is skepticism about the effectiveness of the concerts in raising awareness and prompting action on global poverty, with some arguing that the event felt more like a music festival than a serious political statement. Concerns were raised about the lack of promotion in the U.S., leading to a perception that the event was poorly advertised and failed to engage a wider audience. Despite claims of record participation, critics question whether the event truly mobilized public consciousness or resulted in meaningful change. Ultimately, while the concerts were musically enjoyable, their impact on addressing poverty remains uncertain.
  • #51
Talking about poverty in africa. i hope this help to clarify what is happening there:

NIGERIA
General Sani Abacha was the reportedly corrupt dictator of oil-rich Nigeria. He 'rigged' elections. More than 100 government executions occurred in 1994, and numerous pro-democracy demonstrators were killed by police.
"Shell Oil provides most of the country's wealth by extracting oil from the Ogoniland region, while in the process causing severe environmental destruction and devastating the local economy."
"More than 700 Ogoni environmentalists protesting the destruction of their way of life, were executed."
In November 1995, environmental leader Ken Saro-Wiwa and 8 associates, were hanged despite an international outcry.
"Shell supported Abacha's policies by its silence."
"Despite an outcry that Nigerian oil be boycotted, the US government refused to do so."
~~

UGANDA
General Amin once ruled Uganda.
When Amin had been a non-commissioned officer in the British Army he had helped to manage Britain's concentration camps in Kenya.
"Amin was picked by the British to replace the elected Ugandan government in a 1971 coup."
"Amin brutalized his people with British and US military aid and with Israeli and CIA training of his troops."
He murdered friends, clergy, soldiers, and ordinary Ugandans.
~~

LIBERIA
Pro-American Samuel Doe came to power in a bloody 1980 coup.
He received 'US aid and corporate kickbacks'.
Under his regime, the gross domestic product decreased by 13%.
Those who protested were jailed or killed.
Doe purchased over sixty $60,000 Mercedes Benz cars for his government ministers.
~~~

MOROCCO
King Hassan ll ruled Morocco.
'95% of the population lives in abject poverty.'
In 1975, Hassan took his nation into a war in the Western Sahara that was costing the country over $l million a day.
The US backed Hassan 'diplomatically and financially in his war to annex the area'.
The US also took an active role in stopping coup attempts against the King.
Opposition figures were 'arrested and tortured'.
~~~

ZAIRE/CONGO
"When Zaire's first elected President, Patrice Lumumba, appeared to be getting too close to socialism, US companies feared they might lose control of Zaire's precious cobalt, copper, and diamonds.
"So the CIA stepped in, assassinated Lumumba, and replaced him with Mobutu Sese Seko.
After 1965, Mobutu was "the US's main man in Central Africa."
Mobutu amassed an estimated $5 billion personal fortune at his nation's expense.
In 1974, when the US sent $1.4 million to assist troops fighting a civil war, "Mobutu pocketed the entire sum."
Malnutrition takes the lives of one-third of Zaire's children, and one child out of two dies before age five.
Mobutu's regime imprisoned and tortured its opponents.
 
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  • #52
So basically if we hadnt interfered with Africa we wouldn't need to sort it out now. Even i could see that it would come back to bite them in the ass.
 
  • #53
Interesting perspective -

SPIEGEL INTERVIEW WITH AFRICAN ECONOMICS EXPERT

"For God's Sake, Please Stop the Aid!"

The Kenyan economics expert James Shikwati, 35, says that aid to Africa does more harm than good. The avid proponent of globalization spoke with SPIEGEL about the disastrous effects of Western development policy in Africa, corrupt rulers, and the tendency to overstate the AIDS problem.

http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/0,1518,363663,00.html
 
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  • #54
alexandra said:
Oh, another thing - let's just see what the results of this event actually are. Not long to wait now. We already have the answer about climate change: what are our great leaders going to do? Nothing, that's what!
Well, the G8 summit is over now - I quote from some articles analysing the results...

On 'Making Poverty History':
Justice for Africa postponed

ActionAid UK

For immediate release: Friday 8 July
Justice for Africa postponed. The campaign continues.

Hints towards cutting strings on aid

Verdict:
· The summit has failed to deliver justice for Africa. A comprehensive package on aid, trade and debt relief has not materialised.
· The deal announced today will not tackle poverty effectively. Some steps have been made, but it falls far short of what is needed.
· Make Poverty History campaigners have succeeded in putting poverty and Africa at the centre of the G8 agenda, but there is still a yawning gulf between expectations raised and policy promises delivered.

Trade:
· G8 leaders failed to end the scandal of forced liberalisation. There is also deep concern that we will see a further push on liberalising services and non-agricultural markets that will threaten livelihoods and jobs in poor countries worldwide.
· No date has been set to end export subsidies. George Bush’s offer to axe subsidies by 2010 comes at the same time as derisory proposals on cotton subsidies. US cotton exports will be reduced by just 1.7%, dashing the hopes of 10 million cotton farmers in West Africa.
· Despite word games in Gleneagles, in ongoing trade talks in Geneva the US and EU are still pushing to retain subsidies by another name.
· The developing world is deeply disappointed that the announcement on trade contains no increase in poor countries’ access to markets; no special treatment, such as allowing them to protect their farmers; and no undertaking to make multinationals legally accountable for their social and environmental impact.

More: http://uk.oneworld.net/article/view/115047/1/

On climate change (Source: Financial Times - note, this article only outlines the financial (insurance) implications, not the human or long-term environmental implications) :
The cold and costly reality of climate change
By Charles Batchelor
Published: July 8 2005 16:07 | Last updated: July 8 2005 16:07

World leaders meeting at the Group of Eight summit in Gleneagles on Friday promised to take urgent steps to meet the challenge of climate change but failed to set targets or a timetable for action.

Environmental groups criticised the politicians’ lack of urgency at a time when many experts believe the impact of climate change is being felt with increasing ferocity around the world.

More: http://news.ft.com/cms/s/30bd0d0a-efc1-11d9-bd3b-00000e2511c8.html
 
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  • #55
alexandra said:
Well, the G8 summit is over now - I quote from some articles analysing the results...

On 'Making Poverty History':

On climate change (Source: Financial Times - note, this article only outlines the financial (insurance) implications, not the human or long-term environmental implications) :
To be fair the whole summit was abbreviated by the events in London.
I don't think we can say that it was an unwillingness this time to find solutions as at previous summits. It was more a case of the participants' time and attention being overtaken by events
 
  • #56
Art said:
To be fair the whole summit was abbreviated by the events in London.
I don't think we can say that it was an unwillingness this time to find solutions as at previous summits. It was more a case of the participants' time and attention being overtaken by events
Art, you are very generous to the policy-makers. Poverty and starvation in Africa kills thousands every day - the issues are urgent:
The numbers are astounding : 24 000 people die of hunger every day. That’s one person every four seconds. 815 million human beings suffer from malnutrition and 30 million, mostly children under five years of age, die from it every year, according to estimates from the FAO. The largest number of victims live in Africa, where 34 percent of the population is severely malnourished. An recent FAO report, "The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2002," states that "widespread hunger in a world of abundance is essentially the result of poverty." A World Bank study estimated that between 1991 and 2001, when the gross global product doubled and the volume of international trade tripled, the average revenue per person in 81 of the 100 poorest countries declined.
Reference: http://www.alternatives.ca/article511.html
 
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  • #57
alexandra said:
Art, you are very generous to the policy-makers. Poverty and starvation in Africa kills thousands every day - the issues are urgent:
To give credit where it is due as well as the commitment already made by the G8 members for debt relief the US have agreed to increase their aid (I'm not sure by how much - the source I was reading doesn't say), Canada said they would increase by as much as they can afford (bit iffy that one) and the EU have said they will increase their support to 0.7% of GDP by 2015. All together this will amount to an increase from the current level of $25 billion a year to $50 billion a year) There is also a new $3 billion aid package for Palestine and a pledge from all the leaders to set a date for the abolition of food export subsidies at the WTO meeting in December. So all in all not a bad start.
 
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  • #58
Astronuc said:
Interesting perspective -

SPIEGEL INTERVIEW WITH AFRICAN ECONOMICS EXPERT

"For God's Sake, Please Stop the Aid!"

The Kenyan economics expert James Shikwati, 35, says that aid to Africa does more harm than good. The avid proponent of globalization spoke with SPIEGEL about the disastrous effects of Western development policy in Africa, corrupt rulers, and the tendency to overstate the AIDS problem.

http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/0,1518,363663,00.html


Yah, all I am hearing out of the people who actually have lived or worked in Africa is that these debt relief things and 'throwing money at the problem' haven't worked for decades. Too bad its almost illegal to criticize debt relief.
 
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  • #59
Art said:
To give credit where it is due as well as the commitment already made by the G8 members for debt relief the US have agreed to increase their aid (I'm not sure by how much - the source I was reading doesn't say), Canada said they would increase by as much as they can afford (bit iffy that one) and the EU have said they will increase their support to 0.7% of GDP by 2015. All together this will amount to an increase from the current level of $25 billion a year to $50 billion a year) There is also a new $3 billion aid package for Palestine and a pledge from all the leaders to set a date for the abolition of food export subsidies at the WTO meeting in December. So all in all not a bad start.

When you say aid, are you referring to some kind of loans? if so this is absolutly any viable solution, loans have to be repayd plus interest, so for countrys of the 1st world it's like some kind of profit making busineses.. they "Invest" $25 billion a year, and make a lot of profits on the interests While africans may "Eat" for some time with that money (at least the money they corrupt government doesn't stole) they will have to pay double tomorrow..
 
  • #60
Burnsys said:
When you say aid, are you referring to some kind of loans? if so this is absolutly any viable solution, loans have to be repayd plus interest, so for countrys of the 1st world it's like some kind of profit making busineses.. they "Invest" $25 billion a year, and make a lot of profits on the interests While africans may "Eat" for some time with that money (at least the money they corrupt government doesn't stole) they will have to pay double tomorrow..
No, not loans, more like gifts. In fact I believe there will be far less strings attached to the aid than is currently the case. i.e. previously aid was often conditional on something in return but apparently not so anymore. There will be new strings such as level of democracy etc.. but these new conditions are designed to ensure that this time the money gets to where it is intended for.
 
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  • #61
Art said:
I don't think we can say that it was an unwillingness this time to find solutions as at previous summits.
Really now, I'm quite comfortable thinking that.
 
  • #62
In response to the statement "I don't think we can say that it was an unwillingness this time to find solutions as at previous summits",
Smurf said:
Really now, I'm quite comfortable thinking that.
I have to agree with you, Smurf. In some quarters, the London bombings are even seen as some sort of 'good' thing, as this exchange between Fox News Host Brian Kilmeade and Fox News business contributor and substitute host Stuart Varney, shockingly demonstrates (again, why, why, why am I shocked? I keep on believing in human decency, for some odd reason!):
KILMEADE: And he [British Prime Minister Tony Blair] made the statement, clearly shaken, but clearly determined. This is his second address in the last hour. First to the people of London, and now at the G8 summit, where their topic Number 1 --believe it or not-- was global warming, the second was African aid. And that was the first time since 9-11 when they should know, and they do know now, that terrorism should be Number 1. But it's important for them all to be together. I think that works to our advantage, in the Western world's advantage, for people to experience something like this together, just 500 miles from where the attacks have happened.

VARNEY: It puts the Number 1 issue right back on the front burner right at the point where all these world leaders are meeting. It takes global warming off the front burner. It takes African aid off the front burner. It sticks terrorism and the fight on the war on terror, right up front all over again.

KILMEADE: Yeah.

Reference: http://mediamatters.org/items/200507070005
 
  • #63
alexandra said:
I keep on believing in human decency, for some odd reason!

you know, disagreeing with your priorities does not constitute human indecency :smile:
 

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