Brian Moore’s indictment of capitalism for the hunger and starvation in the world ignores several very important facts.

At least on the African continent, most, if not all, of the hunger and starvation can be directly linked to corrupt leaders and governments. To say that capitalism is exploiting the people of these countries is naïve to say the least.

I cite the following from my own personal observations - not from a book written by an academic. First, in 1992, I was on the tarmac at NaJili airport in what was then known as Zaire waiting for a flight from Brussels to arrive. While waiting, there was a flight departing for Paris. Shortly before departure, a convoy of military vehicles arrived and soldiers surrounded the aircraft. An officer walked up the stairs carrying a small box for which the pilot signed a receipt and gave to the officer. The soldiers remained surrounding the aircraft until it departed the airport.

I was told by airport workers that this was a once-a-week event and that the box contained diamonds destined for Europe. The money from these diamonds did not reach the people in Zaire but instead found its way to the Swiss Bank accounts of President for Life Mobutu.

Who is responsible, the buyers who paid a fair price or does the government of Zaire bear responsibility for not investing the money in the infrastructure of the country? Second case study, Mogadishu, December 1992: Civil war had been raging for several years between two main warlords in the country. Not just hunger, but outright starvation was the order of the day.

Trucks would daily drive through the neighborhoods picking up the bodies of those who had died of starvation during the night. Massive relief supplies were pouring into the country, but the delivery of this aid was being held up by the warring factions. People were dying and their leaders, if that term can be used, cared nothing about their fate. The capitalist nations put their citizens in harms way to insure the delivery of aid to those in need.

Both official military personnel and non-official organizations banded together to do what those in charge of the country could not do. In fact, in the case of Sub-Saharan Africa there is no country except for South Africa that is economically better off than the day they gained independence from their colonial power.

Why is this so, the capitalist aren’t in charge of these countries? It isn’t the lack of foreign assistance - billions of dollars, yen, rubles, pounds and francs have poured into these countries. Yet the money never seems to find it’s way down to the people and the leaders never seem to lack for new Mercedes limos.

Another example of the lack of concern of the leaders for their people was in the Ivory Coast in 1993. The satellite earth station was totally inadequate to support the telecommunications needs of the country. Comsat made an offer to the Ivorian government to upgrade the earth station at no cost. The deal fell apart when the Ivorian government insisted that the contract for the antenna be awarded to a French company instead of being put out from bids. The reason, the government would be able to get a kick back from the French company but weren’t sure if it were put out for bids if there would be any coming back.

This is a country where the President for Life spent his summers in Paris and thought nothing of having a chartered Concorde jet take him from the capital Abidjan to Paris and return. This was at a time when people were living in absolute squalor inside the capital city.

I won’t even attempt to describe the situation that occurred in Liberia and the Sudan with the warring factions showing total disregard for the well being of their people.

Food is looked upon as a weapon to subjugate that portion of the populace who aren’t your supporters. Thousands have died, not from capitalism, but from a totalitarianism system that seems to permeate the developing world.

Until the developing world can put aside their ethnic differences and work for the common good, I doubt any system of government is going to make a real difference. The Shiite and Sunnis in Iraq and the caste system of India are but two examples where the countries could be great were it not for the ethnic differences.

Capitalism has it’s faults, but it can’t be blamed for the corruption that goes on in the developing world. After all, many of these governments were freely and fairly elected at least once.

Harry E. Chamberlain

Spring Hill, Florida