opinion
what’s Really Going On in the mideast?
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S
omething very weird is
afoot. I have been hearing
commentators suggest that
the invasion of Iraq and the ouster
of Saddam Hussein in 2003 set the
stage for the current Arab demo-
cratic revolt. The story goes some-
thing like this: The people of the
Arab world saw that a dictator
could be overthrown and they then
saw the benefits of an alleged
democracy. This, according to the
story, sparked their desire to move
to overthrow various Arab
despots.
When I first heard this, I
assumed that someone was joking
or being sarcastic. The thought
that the U.S./British invasion of
Iraq, in clear violation of interna-
tional law, followed by the instal-
lation of puppet regimes would
have inspired a democratic revolt
eight years later is a bit absurd. If
you leave aside some level of
delusion, what is one to make of
these suggestions?
The foreign policy view of the
so-called neo-conservatives—the
largely Republican group that
dominated foreign policy debates
during the George W. Bush admin-
istration—was one calling for an
active and interventionist role in
installing
pro-U.S.
govern-
ments. The neo-cons called these
governments “democratic,” but
what they meant by that was per-
mitting people to vote as long as
mately and have moved to take
overthrown with either the active
U.S. ruling circles have failed to
approve. As such, the neo-con
view has nothing to do with
democracy but revolves instead
around whether a regime is per-
ceived as being pro- or anti- the
objectives of the U.S. ruling cir-
cles. Two other examples of this
the cynical manner in which this
plays out were the coups that over-
and permission of the U.S. gov-
ernment, yet this was not at all
seen as a threat to democracy by
the neo-cons. Instead, the neo-
cons applauded such actions as
necessary efforts to restore democ-
racy!
The Arab revolt that we are wit-
nessing has nothing to do with
Iraq. The Iraq invasion and occu-
pation was reprehensible as far as
the Arab World was concerned.
Today’s revolt is a revolt against
tyrannies, including those openly
supported by the U.S.A. (such as
Egypt). As such these are not only
revolts against domestic tyrants
but they also represent revolts
against a global system that has
helped to place such tyrants into
power and reinforce their rule dur-
ing the decades.
The next time that you hear
someone suggest that the Iraq
invasion was a step forward for
democracy and that it inspired the
Arab masses to revolt, well, it is
fine to laugh.
t rAnS A FrICA their countries in a direction that support or at least the knowledge
Bill
Fletcher Jr.
they vote for pro-U.S. candidates.
The neo-cons called these
governments ‘democratic,’ but what
they meant by that was permitting
people to vote as long as they vote
for pro-U.S. candidates
This is why U.S. ruling circles so
bitterly hate Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez and Bolivian
threw Haitian President Aristide
(2004) and Honduran President
Zelaya (2009). In both cases, dem-
Today’s revolt is a revolt against
tyrannies, including those openly
supported by the U.S.A., such as Egypt
President Evo Morales. These
leaders were both elected legiti-
ocratically elected leaders were
Bill Fletcher, Jr. is a Senior
Scholar with the institute for
Policy Studies, the immediate past
president of transafrica Forum
and the co-author of “Solidarity
Divided.”
Obama’s Budget makes disturbing Cuts
P
resident Barack Obama has
proposed a 2012-2013 budg-
et that is, at best, politically
pragmatic. Responding to the
Republican sway in congress, he
has decided to impose a set of his
own cuts, anticipating those his
opponents might offer. Their
response is predictable. The
Obama cuts are not deep enough;
they do not go far enough. And, I
think they are just too much.
In other words, President Obama
has been forced to take the knife to
programs he supports, and he
chooses to do so to hold another
set of programs harmless. He
would cut community service pro-
grams, but he’d hold firm on edu-
cation. In yielding to the new
Republican majority, he has also
reminded us that education is a
priority for him, and that he will
not cut the plethora of educational
programs that buttress his vision.
Still, it is disturbing that educa-
tion is on the table in a number of
cities and states. When people
have to balance budgets they come
up with all kinds of cockamamie
schemes, including reducing
school days from five to four, or
reducing classroom hours, or
reducing something that not only
impacts the ways students
encounter learning, but also the
quality of their lives.
Some school districts, thanks to
cuts, have no more than 900 hours
a year of instruction for students;
others have as many as 1400.
Imagine what this means on a
daily basis when, post high school,
these students encounter a class-
room. Some are well prepared,
Page 4 The Portland Skanner February 23, 2011
B ennett
C olleGe
Julianne
Malveaux
some are unprepared, both are
products of decision that grown
folks made, often mistakenly,
about ways to manage budgets.
there are challenges, and the chal-
lenges are also federal, because
our government has been asked, as
states must, to balance budg-
ets. What does this mean for edu-
cation?
To cut education in recession is
akin to eating seed corn when it is
clear that planting will provide
resources for a new day. We can
cut a plethora of things, but cutting
education
is
unconscionable. Education is our
nation’s investment into futures,
Still, it is disturbing that education is on
the table in a number of cities and
states
And now the budget thing is
really rearing its ugly head. What
will we do to balance federal,
state, and local budgets? In
our opportunity to shine, grow,
compete we have to wrap our
arms around our young people,
To cut education in recession is akin to
eating seed corn when it is clear that
planting will provide resources for a
new day
Wisconsin, there is a proposal to
change the way the state deals
with teachers. In North Carolina
we are blessed to have a governor
who says she will not sacrifice
classroom study on the altar of a
blanked budget. In other states,
person for herself”. Some phe-
nomenal young women can use
more parental support than they
get, and more of an opportunity to
explore life’s opportunities.
African American students are less
likely than others to have the
access that comes from unpaid
internships, often because parents
and others expect them to work,
and to earn, during their summers.
If we want to develop a world
that is resplendent with diverse
opportunities, we must develop a
world where our young men and
women are held harmless from
cuts that are too deep, too harsh,
too much. President Obama has
been a visionary in suggesting that
we in the United States can again
lead the world in college attain-
ment, but a budget that cuts educa-
tion does not reflect his goals.
Politics notwithstanding, it is on
time and overtime for us to figure
out ways to educate more people.
Even as programs are cut, educa-
tion funding must be expanded.
Those who have budgets in their
hands must be prudent. Sound fis-
cal planning does not mean cutting
today
to
hurt
tomorrow.
Education must be our priority.
Whether we are looking at cities,
counties, states, or our nation, we
must hold education harmless as
we exercise fiscal prudence.
young achievers, and provide
them with opportunities.
One of the most disturbing ends
of the early 21st century is the
extent to which parents have
embraced the notion of, “every
Julianne Malveaux is president
of Bennett College for women and
author of Surviving and thriving:
365 Facts in Black economic
history, www.lastwordprod.com.