Comment & analysis

Rape of bodies, rape of resources, rape of a nation

INTRODUCTION

Forceful evictions are still common in Kenya.

Common sense tells us that there are only two ways of committing a crime. That is, by doing the wrong thing - commission or by not doing the right thing – omission.

The war machine of Israel is drawing fresh blood from Gaza. While a 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire has been agreed to as at the time of writing this essay, estimating the cost is itself a horrific venture.

Whenever a disease breaks out, we are bombarded with doomsday predictions. Coverage of ebola has conformed to this pattern. Major newspapers have bombarded us with page after page of pharmaceutical puffery; some journalists speak as though we are headed for an apocalypse.

Two weeks ago, Black Agenda Report asked why black America's enlightened and powerful political class of preachers, politicians, media figures, celebrities and business leaders were conspicuously silent while US F-16 fighters, drones and artillery bombarded defenseless Palestinians penned up in G

President Obama’s US-Africa Leaders Summit came hot on the heels of the BRICS 6th Summit in Fortaleza Brazil where the new BRICS bank – New Development Bank – was formed, which is seen as a contemporary, if not a rival to the Bretton Woods institutions, that is IMF and the World Bank.

Lots of questions came to my mind. What’s the importance of the “The US-Africa Summit”? From whose perspective shall we measure its relevance? From the US leaders’ perspective (especially President Obama)? From African leaders’ perspective? From US citizens’ perspective?

The US-Africa Leaders Summit currently taking place in Washington points to Africa’s growing strategic importance to US interests. The theme of the Summit is “Investing in the Next Generation” and aims to advance the US’s focus on trade and investment in Africa.

“… To be committed to justice we must believe that ethics matter, that it is vital to have a system of shared morality.” - Bell Hooks