The World In Crisis

As i sit down and write this piece, i realized how fast the year 2014 has gone by, and we are left with only four more days for the year to end and we will be ushering in the year 2015. A lot has happened on the international scene and for that matter the global arena with all sorts of power play going on. But the highlights of 2014 to me will be the disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 with almost 239 passengers on board, Russia's annexation of Crimea, the Ukrainian crisis and the alleged shooting down of another Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine also killing almost 300 innocent passengers. The shooting of unarmed blacks in the US could also be something worth mentioning as protests are seriously going on in some of the US cities to bring to the fore the senseless killings. The US Senate also released the much dreaded CIA Torture Report and the world was taken aback by the details of the report with some people calling for the officials in charge of such gross human rights abuses to be brought to book, but hey, who cares? Its the US the so called bastion of Western Democracy and they do as they please, so we just shut up and watch as the report gathers dust on the shelves.

In my opinion, coupled with other major events that took place in the year 2014, like the imposition of sanctions on Russia by the EU and the US the world is seriously in crisis. The reduction of the price of crude oil  on the world market is having far more repercussions  than it was imagined. The economies of some of the major OPEC countries is suffering as a result of this reduction. The Russian currency, the Rouble is in a serious decline and Nigeria's Naira is facing the same problem as the government had to devalue the currency. The sanctions imposed on Russia is also affecting the EU countries badly and it seems they do not want to admit it.

the year 2015 will definitely be a challenging year and we must all avoid plunging the world into a major crisis. Dialogue must be used to settle conflicts, human rights of people must be respected and the hypocrisy must end on the international scene. The world is truly and really is in a crisis judging by what went on during the year 2014.

The "Spatula" Revolution of Burkina Faso

The people of Burkina Faso have spoken with their voices and the former President, Blaise Compoare has listened to the voice of reason. He has finally handed in his resignation and the country's Armed Forces have taken charge of the reins of power.

It all started some few days ago as thousands of Burkinabe men and women marched in protest against the decision of the president to table a motion in the country's parliament. He wanted to amend the constitution so that he will stay in power for another five years. The men and women waved spatulas as they protested against Blaise Compoare's 27 year rule. The Parliament building was set ablaze and some shops in the capital Ouagadougou were also vandalized and looted and some of them set ablaze. The security forces responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters and in the process two of the protesters have been confirmed dead and scores injured. It seems the dead and injured Burkinabes have really paid the ultimate price.

So after ruling Burkina Faso for 27 years, what has the former president achieved for his country? What was his role in the death of his former friend and Head of State, Thomas Sankara? Since Blaise Compoare was a staunch ally of the US and France, what did these two governments do to make sure he was stopped in his tracks in his attempt to amend the country's constitution for him to prolong his stay in power? Why do some African leaders decide to stay in power for a long time?

I presume by now the transitional government that has been put in place will start looking for the former president's assets that he has accumulated so far during his 27 year  rule. Why did the UN, ECOWAS, AU allow him to continue to stay in power for all this while and not prevailing on him to step down. What is it with power that some leaders find it difficult to step down when their time is up?

Right now the people of Burkina Faso have spoken and long live the Spatula Revolution. I can imagine Thomas Sankara's ghost hovering around in the Burkinabe capital. I hope the transitional government will do what is expected of them and usher the country into a proper democratic dispensation.

The World At The Crossroads

The world as we see today is really at the crossroads of turmoil and survival due to certain happenings threatening the survival of the human race. The Ebola Virus spread in Africa and the threat of terrorist groups like ISIS, Al Qaeeda and Boko Haram. These groups and the Ebola Virus is really making the world unsafe for humankind. But there are more questions to be answered about these terrorist groups and the Ebola Virus.

Are we being told the truth about the Ebola Virus? Was the virus created to get rid of some races? Why was the Ebola Virus patented and who was the one who patented it? Why is it that the Ebola experimental drug only works on whites and cant be used to cure any blackman? Why are they sending troops to West Africa instead of medical doctors to contain the spread of the disease? When was this experimental ZMapp drug manufactured and by which pharmaceutical firm? Once again, the whole world has been made to believe that the recent spread of the Ebola virus solely began in West Africa. The world wants to know the truth about this dreaded disease.

Who is ISIS? Who are their main sponsors? Which nationalities make up ISIS? Who are the main sponsors of Boko Haram? Why is the world so silent about the abduction of the Chibok girls? I hope to get answers to most of these questions i am asking. The world really is at the crossroads and something drastic must be done to avert the looming disaster that is about to rear its ugly head.

When Innocent People Loose Their Lives ( The Case of the Malaysian Airliner MH17)

The world is really becoming scary with each passing day. Planes with hundreds of passengers disappearing without trace and innocent lives being lost due to people's greed for power and the determination to ascend to the highest level of power. I just don't understand the tragedies that has befallen the people of Malaysia. Who would have thought they would have lost two jet liners with almost more than 500 passengers together with the crew members within a period not less than 5 months.

The first Malaysian Airliner MH370 got missing in flight together with 239 passengers and crew and the whole world still can't track the location of the plane. The second tragedy was the Malaysian Airliner MH17 which was allegedly shot down by only God knows who, over Eastern Ukraine closer to the Russian border. This plane had 298 passengers and crew. This flight was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia when it was allegedly shot down. Now the question is, who shot the plane down? This is where my conspiracy theory comes in.

Firstly, the region in question is a "No Fly Zone" as the Ukrainian Government Forces are battling rebels who are fighting for a separate country in Eastern Ukraine, and the region is a war zone. Were the air traffic controllers not  aware of this situation before allowing that flight path to be chosen? The moment the tragedy happened, the Ukrainian Government was quick to accuse the rebels of shooting down the jet liner. The rebels also have denied shooting down the plane. Now the weapon allegedly used in this act was the Buk Missile which was being used by the Ukrainian Military and was supplied by Russia. Now the natural thing to do is to blame Russia for this tragedy as the weapon allegedly used originated from Moscow, but the Ukrainian  Government must also bear in mind that these weapons were seized from their military installations in Eastern Ukraine when the rebels launched their offensive against the Kiev government.

It becomes more interesting as the West is still not happy with Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, so it could also be that lets create a situation whereby Russia will be accused of an atrocity, then lets pile up sanctions on Moscow, isolate her and make her feel powerless and also make her vulnerable to attacks from all fronts in Europe. But in all these, who suffers most? Its the innocent people who are the worst hit. Until the conclusion of investigations into what actually happened to the MH17, whether it was shot down or it was due to a mechanical fault, lets hold our horses and not jump to conclusions. For any hasty conclusion and irrational decisions taken due to this tragedy might further escalate tensions in the region and if care is not taken might lead to a Third World War. 

My condolences and sympathies goes out to the families of the innocent lives lost in this tragedy.

The Palestinian Question (When Innocent People Suffer)

Once again the Middle East is in a sort of turmoil due to the conflict that has started between the Hamas militants in Gaza and the Israeli Government. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have resolved to bomb the Hamas rocket launch sites in Gaza. The Hamas militants who are regarded as terrorists by both the US, Britain and the Israelis have also made up their mind never to relent in their efforts to resist the Israeli occupation of their land. Both parties are claiming ownership of several territories in Palestine. It seems the one with so much power and the ability to defeat the other party always emerges the winner. For the past one week or so, both Hamas and the IDF have been firing rockets and bombs at each other with the IDF causing more harm and damage to Hamas held areas of Gaza. When at all will these senseless killings end?  Why can't these two parties sit down and dialogue and reach an amicable peace settlement?

More innocent women and children are being killed as the bombs and rockets rain down on both Gaza and the Israeli cities. It seems the UN Security Council have totally lost its voice and it is in mute mode. Both sides have to be condemned as the death toll keeps on rising. As usual, the hypocrisy of the world powers is being seen clearly. So when will the innocent women and children in Palestine stop suffering and also live in a land where they can move around without fear of being killed by an Israeli bomb or a Hamas rocket attack. Both sides must be held accountable for these senseless death. Will the so called world powers call the two parties to order or bring them to the peace table for the world is fed up with the Palestinian Question which sees no end in sight? Posterity will judge us all, for an eye for an eye will make the whole world go blind.

Whatever Happens In Ukraine...

Once again the world is seriously on tenterhooks as to what is happening in the Ukraine, Crimea to be precise. One side is talking about the illegality of what the other has done and the other side is also saying that they have the right to protect their interests if they feel threatened. First of all, how was the former Ukrainian President, Victor Yanukovych kicked out of office? Who engineered the whole crisis and currently who are the ones benefiting from the mess created?

 I presume the beneficiaries would be licking their lips by now as they have gotten what they wanted. But the former president agreed to most f the demands of the protesters and it suddenly took a dramatic twist as he had to flee for his life.  The Ukrainian  crisis seems to be a test case for the balance of  global power as some world powers such as the USA and her European Allies behave with impunity any time they feel their interests are threatened. They lied to the whole world about WMDs in Iraq , invasion of Afghanistan, Libya, the use of drones in Pakistan and other places where innocent civilians were killed. The UN just sat down and allowed all these atrocities to be committed without any condemnation. 

Whatever happens in the Crimean region of Ukraine would have far reaching consequences on the global economy and the world is not ready for another war that would distort the peace that is being enjoyed currently despite the pockets of conflicts going on in some parts of the world. Russian President, Vladimir Putin would not sit down for the West to have their way in Crimea. He would do everything to secure Russia's military bases in the Crimea. These bases must not fall into the hands of rogue elements who took part in the ouster of  Victor Yanukovych.

I have a hunch there is a well cooked out plan to isolate Russia and make her look vulnerable in the eyes of the western allies. This plan would definitely lead to serious repercussions on the whole world. The price of crude oil and other important commodities would shoot up and those of us in the developing countries will feel the full brunt. War must be avoided as much as possible and diplomacy must be employed to solve this crisis. As at the time of writing this post the Crimean Parliament had voted overwhelmingly to join Russia and had set a date for a referendum for the people to decide on the issue. I hope and pray the whole world will respect the outcome of the referendum because whatever happens in the Ukraine affects the whole world. The hypocrisy must end now as some of the powers take some bad decisions which their allies deem to be good and sees nothing wrong with them but when similar decisions are taken by Russia then, sanctions and other punitive measures must be applied.                                                                                             

Nigeria Takes A Bold Step

Nigeria being Africa's most populous country took the unprecedented and much awaited step by passing an anti-gay law on 13th January, 2014. This law criminalizes homosexual and lesbian activities in Nigeria. We all know that most of the Western nations frown on this measure. Nigerian law makers mooted that idea some years back, but they were met with so much condemnation by most of the Western nations. The country was even threatened with a withdrawal of aid and other forms of assistance if her leaders went ahead to pass the law.

As the law has been passed now, the Western nations are just bidding their time to come out with a measured and well calculated response. Are they going to withdraw the aid and grants as they threatened to do? It is high time most countries on the African continent stop relying on the West for much of their aid and grants and other forms of handouts. This would enable them to take bold decisions and call the bluff of these western nations who intend to impose their cultures on as. We as Africans must develop our resources by adding value to them. We should encourage trade partnerships amongst the various countries on the continent. Why do we find it very difficult to trade amongst ourselves but are ready and willing to kowtow to the trade agreements imposed on us by the western nations? 

I admire the Nigerians for the bold step they have taken and from what i have heard and seen, majority of Nigerians support the anti-gay law passed by their government. Lets do our best and follow Nigeria's example. God bless Africa.