Last week, I delved into whether Libya’s crisis was managed or not. I got a whole range of responses from our readers most of whom agreed with the article and encouraged me to touch on world politics more often more often because when the big powers cough, the rest of the world, especially Africa, sneezes.
So it is imperative to understand world politics for what it is and how the big powers’ foreign policies affect the world. Hence in this instalment, I picked another burning topic regarding the double standards of some big powers.
No hard feelings.
It should be remembered that the forces of the rule of the Al Khalifa regime in Bahrain during the actions of the opposition devoted to the anniversary of protests against the ruling regime (14/02/2011) use different methods to suppress the people.
Particularly, they open fire for effects, use poisonous gases against the protesters, terrorise them by using excessive force and random searches.
Thus, on the island of Sitra, police used poisonous gas even against schoolchildren.
Meanwhile, the Arab League (AL) and Western countries, which always keep a close watch on events in the Middle East, do not focus attention on the difficult situation in Bahrain.
For some reason the same big powers and the AL are more concerned about the excessive use of force by the government of Syria against a strongly armed opposition and units of al-Qaeda than similar events in Bahrain, where unarmed civilians are brutally suppressed by the authorities.
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The reasons for these double standards are obvious considering that some of the big powers have long ago got registered in Bahrain, and with some having their 5th Fleet constantly expanding. As shown in the local press, the 5th Fleet in the near future will formally take control of the new territory in its naval base, which in February 2012 was confirmed by a representative of one of the big powers.
At the same time, despite criticism, the «peacekeepers» are currently considering a contract for the supply of arms and military equipment to Bahrain valued at some $53 million.
And this is with the assumption that the political unrest in the country has already caused a death toll of 34 people, mostly from among the civilian population. At least 1 400 people more were arrested and more than 3 600 have lost their jobs for taking part in demonstrations under democratic slogans.
Having announced recently about the alleged supply of arms to Bahrain, some of the big powers gave to understand that they were going to cooperate with this country.
It is worth noting that a draft contract for the supply of arms, triggering violent protests of human rights organisations, means that Bahrain will receive 44 armoured high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles, missiles, launchers, as well as the enclosed accessories.
It will not be easy for people to understand the peacekeeping policy and to take seriously the statements on democracy and human rights in the Middle East.
The same scenario is repeating itself here in Africa as well creating foreign policy issues with negative consequences. While most of Africa’s human rights record has been an issue with the big powers, some of the big powers’ policy discrepancies have been more cause for concern. Human rights or democracy, in the eyes of these big powers, is seen as having a regime in a particular country that is compliant to its demands. The demands are mainly tied to the big powers’ economic interests and the rest, as they say, goes. There are some countries that have been ruled by autocratic regimes through the blessings of these big powers because the latter had been given access to oil or other resources, hence, turned a blind eye to human rights and other abuses.
This scenario has nurtured some leaders who have disregarded the demands for democracy according to these big powers’ standards. In Zimbabwe, for example, the Zanu PF regime has been roundly condemned for various abuses, rightly or wrongly, but President Robert Mugabe has also condemned the double standards, hence clings on to power despite the writing on the wall. Some of these policies are doing Africa no good except create dictators who refuse to let go of power under the guise of protecting sovereignty.
The outcry in Nigeria over human rights abuses by the military rulers has largely gone unnoticed because these big powers have access to vital oil resources. In Libya, Muammar Gadaffi’s sins had been forgiven because Britain and France had secured oil and gas contracts. In the former Zaire, now Democratic Republic of Congo, Mobutu Sese Seko even boasted of having individual wealth more than his country.
Human rights must be unqualified and undiluted to have a universal application, lest these big powers are bent on creating monsters in Africa by applying double standards.
Surely, this is a tale of the sharp blunt sword. Effective here, but ineffective there.
Brian Mangwende is the Group Associate Editor of Alpha Media Holdings Private Ltd. Feedback: [email protected]
