I've got to disagree with "The Fool"s contention that the famine in
Ethiopia was caused by drought, rather than politics. I say, no. All
modern famines are directly caused by politics. Specifically, the
Ethiopian famine was caused by the war in Ethiopia. Farmers had to
flee their farms, the famine lowered food output, and regular
humanitarian aid couldn't be delivered because the aid workers were
afraid of the warlords.
In modern times, with modern transportation networks, there is no such
thing as famine. Starvation is caused by war, by dictators stealing
food, by slaughter of peasants, by dictators not allowing trade, and by
dictators and warlords threatening and stealing from aid workers.
The Washington Post reports that the most recent decree from the
Taliban is that any aid worker using modern communication
technology...radios, phones, or the internet...would be put to death.
And the UN relief agencies have ordered their employees to comply. But
this will essentially shut down all aid to the hungry people of
Afghanistan. Afghanistan is having a drought and there is a shortage
of food. But this could easily be handled if the Taliban allowed aid
workers to give out food. But the aid workers are a threat to the
Taliban...what if one of them was a spy? So they cannot be allowed to
work, and are in constant danger.
Droughts happen all the time, crop failures happen all the time. But
people only starve when warlords, bandits, and dictators decide they
should starve.
=====
Darryl
Think Galactically -- Act Terrestrially
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