On The Ground in Rwanda

Today was an emotional moment for me and for the rest of our delegation. There is so much pain in Rwanda's past, and out of that pain has come a society that is committed to reconciliation. They are trying to move forward together. This was one of the most powerful experiences I have had in any place. Out of the pain has come great hope. The people are trying to build a new country, where people live together in peace.

It's wonderful to see this. And it is bringing new hope for the future.

Rwanda has a 2020 plan, to have growth be widespread and successful by the year 2020. We've seen a spirit of entrepreneurship today. We saw women sorting coffee and farmers with their specialty crops. In talking with them, there is a lot of spirit and optimism. Grow new opportunities. Put kids in school. Move forward as one country.

The people of America ought to be proud of what's happened here and our support for the people who have come so far so fast. We've helped through USAID with the development of new industry and new entrepreneurs. PEPFAR is making a major difference in fighting AIDS and HIV. There's still a lot to do, and we can help.

John Podesta is in Rwanda on a tour to see lifesaving efforts in action. The trip is led by ONE Vote '08 Co-Chairs Senators Bill Frist and Tom Daschle.

Comments

[stell]

Remember Podesta is a Clinton hack. What is admittedly Bill Clinton's biggest regret? Sitting on his hands while 800,000 Rwandans were slaughtered on his watch. The Clinton's lost the black vote by a margin of 9 to 1, and with the Clintons one always has to ask, " What's in it for the Clintons?"
This move, coupled with Hillary Clinton's no vote on FISA, prime the pump for a 2012 run. These kinds of things must be viewed as one would view resume building. They then get to look benevolent and caring, and feel good about themselves. Powerful white people like the Clinton clan, want black people everywhere to remain dependent on them for all of their needs. The primary campaign has hopefully made it clear that there is just as much racism in the so-called "Democratic party" as the Republican party. The difference is that with the Democrats you have Refined Racists. One can just go right on down the line from the Billy Shaheen, Bob Kerrey, using Bob Johnson, and many other examples.

But there is a huge difference between charity and justice. Charity's about feeling good and/or assuaging one's guilt. Justice is about guaranteeing that no one is mistreated, and that the people that need help the most get it.

What's in it for Kasich, Daschle, I even heard that beady-eyed Vilsack, who called Obama a rock star is also coming along for some kind of angle.
And where are the results?

[fouchnickens]

Could we stop with the self-serving and revisionist opinion pieces regarding US policy in Africa? There are not one, but two articles which pats the back of US policy in Rwanda -- even though most of the reconciliation work was done by the Rwandans themselves and European economic partners. When Rwanda needed US and international help the most -- during the the civil wars culminating in the genocide of close to 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus -- foreign policy influence nor troops were nowhere to be found. And now Mr. Podesta has to have the temerity to wipe away over sixty years of Cold War neo-colonialism with take credit where little is due.

It has always been to the benefit of the developed world to continually destabilize third world nations -- which is why the Sudan continues to be a killing field for non-Arab ethnic groups in a forty year battle for oil and mineral rights tacitly supported by the Saudis, and Haitians starve because their agricultural industry has collapsed under the weight of international interests wanting new markets to sell quickly diminishing farm surpluses, raised on subsidies that Haiti and other developing nations have been barred to offer their farmers for decades. So please, spare me the Johnny-come-lately cheerleading.

[natturnerx]

you make an excellent point by noting that the rwandans have done the necessary work themselves, without outside "help" (interference). many good people who care about africa, as you obviously do, are being artfully indoctrinated into the veiw that western military intervention can be beneficial for africa. the modern precedent for this sort of thing was set by former prez & cia director ghw bush when he invaded somalia, obstensibly to "feed people" but really to establish the model for western "new world order" imperialism. under this new model, the right-wing of western imperialism impoverishes a country with sanctions and unfair trade policies, then the left-wing of western imperialism proposes "humanitarian intervention" to save the poor impverished people, then they both go in (the right-wing with the military, the left-wing with "aid organizations")and privatize the economy into western hands & divide the spoils between themselves.
the west had bad motives by watching the rwandan genocide unfold (there's no oil there), but they unintentionally did a good thing by demonstrating that their "aid" was not necessary: the rwandans stopped the genocide themselves and captured many of the perpetrators. now the west is attempting to use rwanda as an example to justify intervening elsewhere in africa, when in fact rwanda is proof that africans can police themselves. all africa needs from the west is fair trade, an end to neo-colonialist interference & to stop undermining the african union. africa can take it from there.