The more than half a billion US dollar loan extended to us by the US EXIMP bank for the GtE project is important for a host of reasons. Your Eyewitness has spoken about the benefits of our industrialization and the overall developmental push that the use of our natural gas delivered by Exxon will bring. Today he wishes to identify a possibly even more important import of the loan – a signal that the US has realized if it really wants to take on its present challenger for world hegemony – China – it gotta move beyond rhetoric and tariffs!!
It gotta duke it out with China to win – if not the “hearts and minds” of the nations in the state system – then the logic of why those nations must see their interests aligned with theirs. And how can the US address those interests?? Let your Eyewitness count the ways – – which ain’t too difficult since China’s already done so to further its challenge. And has been working on them oh so diligently!! Right up there is money to crawl out of the misery in which so many countries were left when the imperialists cut and run.
China has trillions – yes TRILLIONS – of dollars, Euros and other currencies sloshing around in its kitty – on account of the trade surplus it runs with almost every country on planet Earth!! Most of those funds are US greenbacks – since the US kindly built up the Chinese economy after 1972 by setting up factories to supply its markets with everything under the sun – but arms!! So China can – and does – provide loans to poor countries across the globe for their development!! Africa, for instance, is seeing another rush – to “colonize” it if the Yanks are to be believed!! Roads, railways, ports, factories, mines and so on.
Right here we had the loan for the abandoned AFHEP project; the Skeldon Modernization; the CJIA expansion and modernization; the DHB; several roads – and of course the worst cut of all – the quintessentially American Marriott Hotel! Not surprisingly, our turning to the Chinese made the Yanks – who see us as within their Monroe Doctrine “lake” – look at us a tad cross-eyed!! Didn’t we realize we were cosying up – and maybe even sleeping? – with the enemy?? Pressie was pulled under the rug in Washington and had to point out that our development projects are awarded through bidding – and Chinese companies can win cause their banks that are owned by their govt offer loans!!
Why the US couldn’t do the same and compete?? Well, we see the US EXIMP Bank loan where US companies beat out Chinese companies!! As in Cold War I, maybe the US will continue outbidding its rival – and we benefit?!!!
…by Civil Society
One of the notable features of modern states has been the development of an identity for those entities outside of the political parties, government and corporations. These include Churches and other religious bodies, consumer groups, farmer groups, trade unions etc. They have been dubbed “Civil Society” and granted the “legitimacy” to promulgate commonly accepted values.
In most countries, however, these civil society groups are dominated by elites who arrogate upon themselves the legitimacy to represent those values for people who aren’t ever consulted. They assume they know better than the politicians who are actually chosen by the people. Now don’t get your Eyewitness wrong – sure we need voices to articulate societal values outside the political realm.
But he insists there must be mechanisms to ensure the views pushed by these Civil Society groups are in consonance with those who they purport to represent. There have been, for instance, continued demands for the Guyana Human Rights Association to prove its legitimacy.
Who selected the Execs??
…in politics
Some of these Civil Society groups have become so identified with one political party or the other that their distinction strain to suggest a difference!! They are vocally critical or laudatory of “their” party that they sound like choirs!!
