Foreign Bailouts

Many Americans are oblivious to the massive amounts of money given to foreign countries. Our tax dollars help contribute to this aid. Here is a quick rundown on some of those countries:

The U.S. will give an estimated $26 billion in foreign aid in 2008—70% more than when President George W. Bush took office (the figure doesn’t include funds related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan). More than 150 countries get financial assistance from the U.S. Here are the six that received the most this year.

COUNTRY	AID	PURPOSE
1. Israel	$2.4 billion	Virtually all of this money is used to buy weapons (up to 75% made in the U.S.). Beginning in 2009, the U.S. plans to give $30 billion over 10 years.
2. Egypt	$1.7 billion	$1.3 billion to buy weapons; $103 million for education; $74 million for health care; $45 million to promote civic participation and human rights.
3. Pakistan	$798 million	$330 million for security efforts, including military-equipment upgrades and border security; $20 million for infrastructure.
4. Jordan	$688 million	$326 million to fight terrorism and promote regional stability through equipment upgrades and training; $163 million cash payment to the Jordanian government.
5. Kenya	$586 million	$501 million to fight HIV/AIDS through drug treatment and abstinence education and to combat malaria; $15 million for agricultural development; $5.4 million for programs that promote government accountability.
6. South Africa	$574 million	$557 million to fight TB and HIV/AIDS; $3 million for education.

Another Day in Kuwait

It was pretty hot today in Kuwait. Usually after Friday prayer I go and have lunch at the Senegalese ambassadors' house for lunch and immerse myself in all that's Senegal. After that I plan to magically appear at some of my students house. I told them that I would be knocking on their doors just for fun.

I have been in Kuwait for six months now and I am really missing home. All of the things I cannot stand about America I would pay cash to see...funny huh?

Football at Kuwait University

I went to Kuwait University to watch a football game between Senegal and Ghana. I was impressed by the diversity at Kuwait University. There were students from all over Africa, Europe, and Asia. After watching the game, which Senegal won 2-1, I accompanied some of the players to the cafeteria for dinner. The food was not the best but it did not seem to bother the students. Aside from the food I really enjoyed myself and look forward to going again and watch some more football games.

Chagossians of Diego Garcia

I just learned about the about one of many horrific crimes committed by western powers. The following is an excerpt from the documentary film:

The Chagos Archipelago was once home to roughly 2,000 Chagossians, a Creole-speaking matrifocal society that had lived on the islands for six generations beginning in the late 18th Century. Descendants of slaves from Mozambique and Madagascar and indentured laborers from South Asia, Chagossians were primarily anglers and coconut farmers. The islands' location and natural resources determined its economy, and a distinctly Chagossian culture emerged during the nearly two centuries of settlement.After World War II, Chagos' isolation brought the United States government to conspire with their British counterparts to forcefully occupy Diego Garcia, the largest island in the group. Based on Cold War planning, the US Navy decided that a military presence was strategically necessary in the region and Diego Garcia was determined to be the island best suited for a base. That it had been home to the Chagossian people for almost 200 years did not alter their decision to depopulate the entire archipelago.Between 1967 and 1973, the Chagossians were systematically uprooted from their homes, jobs, native soil, and lives, only to be unceremoniously dropped on the shores of Mauritius. Suddenly, more than 1000 miles away in a foreign country and without provisions for their resettlement, the islanders found themselves in the strange and foreboding surroundings of the urban slums most have still yet to escape.

After reading up on this atrocity and watching the documentary I was in disbelief for a couple of days. Not that anything "the man" does surprises me anymore. Its just amazing that how little coverage this story has gotten. This military base established by U.S. there is known as "Fantasy Island." Its the largest base outside the U.S. and has played a major role as bombing of Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and secret air strikes on Somalia. We all need to fight for the rights of the Chagossians because their struggle is our struggle.

You can watch the documentary here.

Failaka Island

My colleague, her son, and myself took a trip to Failaka Island, and small piece of land belonging to Kuwait. The trip was nice and a much needed getaway from Kuwait. The boat ride was pretty nice. The island is nothing spectacular mainly due to some of war ravaged houses from the Iraqi invasion. There is a zoo (like one block), camel rides, hotel, and atv's. The atv was by far the highlight of the trip. It was kind of cool when we went so we could not swim. I planned to go back when its warm to better experience the island.