Two Militaries - keeping despots in power
"It never happened. Nothing ever happened. Even while it was happening it wasn't happening. It didn't matter. It was of no interest."
-- H. Pinter, discussing public apathy toward war crimes during his acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize
Sometimes nations invade other nations. Usually the reason is simple (despite the propaganda involved) - a resource grab.
But if it can be arranged that you can give your own citizens' tax money to fund the military of a despot, who in return will provide the resources you want.... well then, why bother trying to help the oppressed citizenry?
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(Photo credit: Unknown) An example: In Burma the world has stood by for decades and done little to alleviate the mass suffering in the country. Buddhist priests and lay people have been slaughtered by the hundreds of thousands by Burma's brutal military dictatorship SLORC. The democratically elected president was jailed, her cabinet disbanded, many killed. SLORC is allegedly kept in power by receiving hundreds of millions of dollars each year from Big Oil to gain access to Burma's large oil and gas reserves. Use of slave labour has been documented in these areas. It has been alleged that so long as the oil keeps flowing, the number of countries rushing in to "restore democracy and human rights" will continue to be... zero. A few of the major oil companies and countries which some have alleged to be doing business with the SLORC dictatorship, and thereby perpetuating it:
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(Photo Credit: The Zimbabwean, Oct.) Another example: In Zimbabwe the world has stood by for decades and done little to alleviate the mass suffering in that country. Hundreds of thousands have allegedly been maimed, tortured, and murdered by that country's brutal dicatorship. Once a land with a very high living standard, literacy rate, and life expectancy, the dictatorship has destroyed things to such an extent that now the average life expectancy is 37 years for males, 34 for females. Child mortality is extremely high. Inflation is currently the highest in the world. It has been alleged that the dictatorship is kept in power by foreign corporate involvement in Zimbabwean mines. Gold, cobalt, copper, coking coal, diamonds... these are a few of the items mined. Including almost 90% of the world's platinum supply. Use of slave labour has been documented in these areas. It has been alleged that so long as the mines stay open, the number of countries rushing in to "restore democracy and human rights" will continue to be... zero. A few of the mining companies and countries which some have alleged to be doing business with Zimbabwe's dictatorship and thereby perpetuating it:
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