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Food Summit Sham
by peptide Wednesday, Jun 4 2008, 7:17am
international / imperialism / opinion/analysis

Always look where they don’t want you to look! Have we all noticed who is grabbing the headlines at the UN food summit? Robert Mugabe may not have supplied ample distraction so invite the Iranian leader, Mahmmoud Ahmadinejad, and guarantee a diversion! Neither leader fails to mouth off given the opportunity. Both men are very high value headline grabbers. Their presence at the food summit, I would suggest, is no accident.

The behaviour of traditional American lackeys is also very revealing. Most of us are familiar with the statement made by former Australian Prime Minister, John Howard; “America has no better friend than Australia!” The comment is interesting for a number of reasons, not least being its obvious inaccuracy. Most Australians have links with Europe, Ireland, the UK and Asia; very few Australians have connections with the USA! The former PM was actually affirming his government’s commitment to enter into a slavish relationship with America, a situation that appalled the majority of Australians.

The current Oz government is led by a groomed and approved for the job, Murdoch selectee by the name of Kevin Rudd. We should never forget the lunch in New York! Murdoch’s influential comment after that meeting -- that Kevin Rudd would make a good Prime Minister -- assured Rudd of victory. Murdoch’s formidable media interests rallied behind Rudd and the rest is history.

In a context where the Australian people booted Howard into the political wilderness for his shameless, servile behaviour, the current PM, Kevin Rudd, must not appear to overtly toe the American line but his foreign minister, Stephen Smith, gives the game away!

Smith’s belittling pledge of faithfulness to Condoleezza Rice at a press conference in Washington revealed the true relationship of the Rudd government to America. Soon after Smith’s disgusting performance in Washington, all doubts of continuing servility were removed when Smith acquiesced to American demands and rushed to recognise the illegal secession of Kosovo, a state that has absolutely no relevance to Australia!

We are therefore assured of Smith reflecting American policy wherever he goes. His latest comments at the food summit regarding Mugabe are no surprise; media attention was easily drawn to the two controversial characters/leaders -- the media is also a predicable beast and is easily manipulated, notwithstanding editorial control from owners like Murdoch. [In the same manner the American people were led to believe that war was justified and that Iraq was in possession of WMD, a flagrant lie orchestrated by neo-conservative strategists.]

The question is why would anyone be interested in diverting attention away from the food crisis? Responsibility is the answer in a word.

Consider the nations responsible for plantation farming, mono-culture etc., all at the expense of local food production and the traditional use of land. Sugar, rubber, coffee, tea, palm oil, cotton and a host of other plantation crops have all displaced food crops in developing nations.

Multinational companies were able to profit from third world exports and imports of wheat, maize and other staples to the third world, a very profitable arrangement. However, the energy crisis and demand for meat protein have increased the price of some crops to the extent where commercial growers are now dedicating huge swathes of land to ethanol production and soy bean (animal food) production. The result is considerably less food staples for export to developing nations.

Multinationals are acutely aware of their image and do not wish to take responsibility for the human suffering their actions create. Their interests in commodity and futures markets always take precedence over the needs of starving humanity.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/02/europe/EU-GEN-UN-Food-Summit-Outrage.php

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