Poverty, Wealth, and Economic Inequality

Racism: White Supremacy in the Global System

AIM

In class, we talk about Racism at the individual and institutional level through the US government affecting individuals, so I decided to focus in on white supremacy through imperialism, especially as it relates to late-stage capitalism. This page will begin to explore topics surrounding the bigger picture of the US becoming and maintaining its position as a global superpower (focusing on economically) at the (literal) expense of other (mostly black and brown) countries. Everything will come back to modern impacts on poverty and wealth inequality to stay within the scope of this class.

People of Color (POC) as Collateral Damage

[Insert summary, include that there are soooo many that can be cited but these are just some examples from the Middle East because that is my particular expertise, but there are also plenty of examples from Africa, Carribean, South America, etc.)

Fall of the Ottomon Empire and Division of the "Middle East"

Background

While the Ottoman Empire was already facing problems, European nations played a part in hastening its fall. For example, the Hussein-McMahon correspondence (1915-1916) was a series of letters exchanged between Sheriff Hussein Ibn Ali, the Emir of Mecca, and Sir Henry McMahon, the British High Commissioner in Egypt. The letters urged the Emir to aid the British in dismantling the Ottoman Empire in exchange for rule over an independent Arab state. Unfortunately, the land promised in this exchange contradicted the terms later set in the Sykes-Picot Agreement (1916) (also known as the Asia Minor Agreement) and the Balfour Declaration (1917). The Sykes-Picot agreement between Britain and France detailed plans to divide the Arab provinces which constituted the empire into areas of future French and British mandates. The Balfour Declaration was a public statement issued by the British government to support a Jewish ethnostate in Palestine, an Arab province in the empire.

Subsequent Problems

The contradictions between the three agreements sets the stage for the "Israel-Palestine" conflict, as the land promised to the Emir, the French, and the Zionists, was the same- Palestine. However, this begs the question: what right do these Western powers have to promise inhabited land that is not theirs to these people? This is only one example of the arrogance exhibited by Western Nations, as black and brown countries and people are simply pawns in the game.
The division of the Arab provinces completely disregarded the multitude of languages, ethnicities, cultures, etc. of the people in the land. This could be explained by two reasons:
- Either the British and French did this unintentionally, not realizing that not everyone in the Ottoman Empire (and subsequent "Middle East") is an monolith, and even among the Arab ethnicity, there are many variances in religion, dialects, etc. This idea is seen even today with most people's understanding of the "Middle East" as every "Arab Nation," which actual countries in this region disagree with. The term itself was created by Europeans, which is seen in the name. East of what? Europe. For the sake of consensus', may people from this region prefer the term SWANA (South West Asia and North Africa) which provides a more accurate and comprehensive geographical representation of this region. Even if unintentional, this disregard is the result of internalized racism, seeing all people of color as the same.
- OR they did this completely knowingly, which makes sense considering the consequent civil unrest that is still present in these countries today due to religious, ethnic, and cultural differences. By creating civil unrest, it is extremely difficult for citizens to unite and create a stable government. And when that was accomplished by some, Western powers once again interfered.
Regardless of intentionality, these divisions have been the source of turmoil to this day. See "suggested media" for more.

Iran

The British: [Insert approx. years]

Once the states were established, modern Persia (formally renamed Iran in 1935) fell under British mandate. Consequently, the British had major political and economic power. For example, the oil produced in Iran was owned and controlled by the British via the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC) founded in 1909. Over time, Iran created a democratic government, and in 1950, Mohammad Mossadeq was elected as prime minister. The most pressing issue at the time was that Britain still owned a majority of the oil shares, meaning that although colonial expansion had been barred through The Atlantic Charter in 1942, and the British physically left Iran in 1946, they still had a strong hold over the country's affairs.

Mossadeq's plan was to nationalize the oil company and promote autonomy, and he had infamous support from the public. In 1951, a bill was passed that nationalized the oil, creating the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). However, the British were not pleased with this plan, as it was a step in phasing out British influence. The British had three part counter plan:

Component 1: Negotiation

British called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to mediate the dispute. A 50-50 profit proposal was brought, which was rejected.
British tried again through Richard Stokes, but the proposal was basically the same and was once again rejected.

Thereafter the British refused to negotiate directly with Mossadeq and any further negotiation would be through the ICC, the United Nations (UN), or the United States (US).

Component 2: Economic Sanctions

By the end of July, 1951, a full blockade at Abadan port, and British Brigade stationed at Cyprus.
British taking legal action against anyone who bought Iranian oil, and encouraged European allies to also discourage their citizens from supporting the NIOC.

Component 3: Remove Mossadeq from office

The US: [Insert approx. years]

Afghanistan

The Soviet- Afghan War

"Steve Coll provides a useful, if overly long, chronology and analysis of pivotal events, missteps, indecision, apathy, and ultimately tragedy up to the day be- fore the attacks" - Amer Latif