Hello Jorge, Taran Watching Life 8 yesterday, and listening to interviews of some people who are involved with NGOs work, some of their concerns parallel with what you wrote and what some of us must be wondering often. Cancelling debts would not solve the problems in poor country. In fact by cancelling debts, that means IMF and World Bank would no longer receive the 'interests' they once would. Therefore IMF and World Bank would need more contributions from the wealthier nations. And as the circle would complete -- since more money would have to reserve fir IMF and World Bank, wealthier nations would have less to spare for their own 'development funds'. So, what would that mean to other 'poor and developing' countries that do not fall in the same catagories as the poorest countries? They would receive less aids and perhaps eventually would join the 'poorest countriest'. Another question that was raised is, for the past 20 or 30 years, millions and millions of dollars have been allocated to support developing works in the continent of Africa. Where have they GONE? In fact I was just thinking about S. Africa, or Rhodesia. One point in time they were not really that poor. They might have racial problems, but compared with what we see these days, were their lives better then or now? Is the size of their poor reduced? Have their social services improved? Have their discriminations under control OR perhaps now they find a different breed of people to discrimate of? Look at Zimbabwe. What are we seeing? Why there were hardly any actions from the US or UK governments 2 or 3 years ago when white farmers were beaten up, killed, and their farms were taken and given to the croonies of Mogabe? Why was it so easy for US and UK to come up with reasons to invade Iraq and Saddam was toppled, BUT Mogabe is left to run amok? The farms that were taken from the white farmers what have become to them? What happened to those workers who once had jobs with the white farmers? Have an income or a place to stay in the farms? Look at what happened to the shanty towns that are being torn and burn the past 3 weeks in Zimbabwe? Is the US doing anything? Is UK government doing anything? So, right now Blair and Bush are talking about writing off 40 billions debts. What is the us of giving money when the fundamental problems are not taken care of? What is the use of giving money to the like of Mogabe when he is respondible for destroying the country? The problem with politicians is, they go for BIG name tag that makes them look good. It is PR that is important to them. Right now Blair and Bush are working on reparing the damages of their own reputations. So are we going to sit and watch and let them mess this up further? Or can DDN do something more constructive? Cindy
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