We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Thursday, August 20, 2015

America’s Imperial Footprint in Africa

Click here to access a 25:24m interview with Eric Draitser originating from WBAI, a listener sponsored radio station in New York.

In this interview Draitser provides an excellent overview primarily of US military involvement in Africa to check China's influence in the continent. Maybe not so coincidentally with this involvement there has been a rise in terrorist activity resulting in chaos and destabilization of existing governments. He also contrasts China's infrastructure investment programs with loans from US based investment agencies that often result in unpayable sovereign debts.