The hunger to come in Egypt
Asia Times Online ^ | 10 May 2011 | Spengler
Egypt is running out of food, and, more gradually, running out of money with which to buy it. The most populous country in the Arab world shows all the symptoms of national bankruptcy - the kind that produced hyperinflation in several Latin American countries during the 1970s and 1980s - with a deadly difference: Egypt imports half its wheat, and the collapse of its external credit means starvation.
The civil violence we have seen over the past few days foreshadows far worse to come.
The Arab uprisings began against a background of food insecurity, as rising demand from Asia priced the Arab poor out of the grain market (Food and failed Arab states, Asia Times Online February 2, 2011). The chaotic political response, though, threatens to disrupt food supplies in the relative near term. Street violence will become the norm rather than the exception in Egyptian politics. All the discussion about Egypt’s future political model and its prospective relations with Israel will be overshadowed by the country’s inability to feed itself.
Egypt’s political problems - violence against Coptic Christians, the resurgence of Islamism, and saber-rattling at Israel, for example - are not symptoms of economic failure. They have a life of their own. But even Islamists have to eat, and whatever political scenarios that the radical wing of Egyptian politic might envision will be aborted by hunger.
The Ministry of Solidarity and Social Justice is already forming “revolutionary committees” to mete out street justice to bakeries, propane dealers and street vendors who “charge more than the price prescribed by law”, the Federation of Egyptian Radio and Television reported on May 3.
According to the ministry, “Thugs are in control of bread and butane prices” and “people’s committees” are required to stop them.
Oh wonderful. Now Obongo is running the Egyptian gov too.
Hi, thouworm!
We were discussing some things at length yesterday...off site...and it is my humble opinion that we are seeing deliberate food shortages and it will get much worse. It’s like some monster watched all of the “Omen” movies and decided to follow the script. He who controls the food supply controls the world. You cannot eat your gold nor your oil nor your money, and money cannot buy you food if there isn’t any...or if it is stored in corporate or government warehouses...or if your seeds only yield one harvest.
The world seems not to notice that it is being slowly starved to death. We WILL have masters, and our obedience is the price we pay NOT to starve.
Man has forgotten how to sustain himself with his hands and his labor.
Maybe “forgotten” is not the right word. We have been untaught.