Contradiction in rhetoric and action is a pretty standard feature of foreign policy for countries around the world. We were reminded of that this week; while President Obama and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton were giving speeches about how Egypt‘s President Hosni Mubarak should listen to the demands of his people, Mubarak’s army was flying American-made jets over protests sites and tossing cans of “Made in USA” tear gas into the very crowds of people Obama and Clinton demanded Mubarak listen to.

Here’s the contradiction: while supporting a government that suppresses its people with nearly than $1.3 billion in military aid a year, you demand a change in that country’s ruling scheme, but only when the country’s people rise up and protest.

The gaffes don’t help either. Vice-president Joe Biden said it was too early for Mubarak to step down and called him “very responsible.” Later, adding this, “I hope Mubarak … is going to respond to some of the legitimate concerns that are being raised,” according to the linked article above. He hopes.

Yes, the US is now reevaluating the aid package it sends Cairo’s way every year, but only AFTER Egypt’s governmental actions have become worldwide knowledge. Only AFTER everyone knows the reality of Egypt’s political situation and its effect on society.

This is far from the worst regime the US has ever supported. But it isn’t the best, and that $1.3 billion could do a lot of good instead of what it’s currently doing. Helping to suppress a people utterly fed up with a hostile government.

Ps. I came across this video today that deserves a look. This was made in 2007, when Mubarak was in office for 26 years. It calls for an end to his regime. Very powerful.

Thousand of troops are being deployed to different parts of Chile, a country recently ravaged by a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake, to try to prevent looting and criminal acts, Al Jazeera reports.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has doubled the number of troops patrolling the hardest hit areas to almost 14,000. Her government has been accused of mishandling disaster relief efforts, especially because some of the troops are guarding stores full of supplies so desperately needed by the people.

Government officials say until supplies can be distributed fairly, no one is allowed to have any. This in an effort to prevent a survival-of-the-fittest scenario, similar to the one that emerged in Haiti weeks ago.

Hundreds of tons of food, water and aid are being flown in to Chile from abroad, but teams are struggling to distribute the materials evenly.

Looting

Residents of Concepcion, a town about 300 miles from the capital city of Santiago, have been the most vocal in their anger over relief efforts. Recently, some members of the town set a store on fire after armed guards prevented them from entering and taking supplies.

Food, water and aid is being distributed, for the first time since the deadly quake, today in Concepcion. Up to now, residents have had to rely on looting, which is becoming harder and harder as guards patrol the area, or on stockpiles of  food they may have had before the quake hit.

According to Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo, people in Chile are telling workers that the aid being supplied is not nearly enough. Government officials say they’ve now purchased all the food in Concepcion’s supermarkets and will begin to distribute it evenly shortly.

US aid

Secretary of State Hiliary Clinton arrived in Chile on Tuesday with the news that the US will send water purification systems and mobile hospitals very soon.

Clinton met with the country’s president, and plans to meet with the Chile’s president-elect, Sebastian Pinera, soon.

Death toll

Thus far, 795 people have been found dead. Relief teams are now making their ways to the more isolated but equally hard-hit neighborhoods, where they expect to find many, many more dead.

At 4:53 p.m. on Jan. 12, 2010, Haiti changed forever. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake rumbled 10 miles outside the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, causing the collapse of countless buildings, injuring hundreds of thousands, displacing more than 1 million and killing more than 100,000.

The international community was quick to respond to the plight of the Haitian, and citizens around the world gathered in solidarity to send whatever they could afford. Students at schools organized relief efforts through bake sales. Communities hosted fundraisers. Governments vowed to match donations put forth by their citizens. Celebrities hosted concerts. Hundreds of millions have been donated, and it continues.

But as we, up here, marvel at how generous a spirit has emerged during this horrible time, we remember why we’ve become so giving, and why we support the good, brave people of Haiti. These deaths were not caused by ill-advised war, but by a natural disaster that was unpreventable. Surely the number of dead should be smaller. But it isn’t, and now the Haitians will be forced to live rough lives. Many are getting ready to move to  a massive tent city just miles away from Port-au-Prince, and just a few hundred yards away from the mass graves that the corpses of their loved ones now call home.

This tragedy is, thankfully, uncommon. But when it happens it is devastating. But through all the destruction, despair and desperation, hopes have not been dashed. We hear of men and women being pulled from rubble 10 and 11 days after the quake. We hear of generous families adopting Haitian orphans so they don’t have to live in constant fear on the streets of the torn capital. And at night we hear the songs of Haiti, people gathered together chanting and reciting prayers for a better tomorrow. And that, they will receive.

All photos are courtesy of the American and Norwegian Red Cross on Flickr. The photos depict the efforts of the American, Israeli, Canadian and Norwegian volunteers, as well as local Haitians and Dominicans.

Haiti. Just mentioning the country’s name makes people stop, listen, and hope that what they hear is, for a change, good news. But there isn’t much in Haiti. People are dying preventable deaths. Children are dying from broken bones. There is a lack of food, water and shelter for the Haitians.

The relief effort in Haiti is sweeping, but it isn’t organized. The clogged airport and the shattered roads make it tough for aid organizations to get to where they need to be. Infrastructure isn’t being built quickly enough because there isn’t enough tools.

There is no system to account for all the food, water and medical supplies that come into Haiti. Everything isn’t being fairly distributed.

But it all will come together. This is, after all, a natural disaster that has affected three million. There’s no quick fix.

If you’re frustrated that your donated money is being stalled, don’t worry. Haiti’s future is bleak and hopeful all at once. And our money can help make it better.

Remember to donate what you can tonight to Hope For Haiti Now or Canada for Haiti.

I haven’t written in a while because I’ve been settling back into university life here in Toronto.‚  A lot has happened since my last post, especially in Gaza.

A couple of days ago a ceasefire was announced so aid could be given to the scores of injured civilians in Gaza. The UN came in to give aid, but announced today that they would pull out workers after some were killed by Israel airstrikes and tank fire.

One member of Unrwa, the UN’s top aid agency, was killed and two were injured by Israeli tank fire. The UN says the movements of the truck had been cleared with Israeli military and authorities.

Unrwa spokesman Chris Gunness says the suspension of aid will continue until “the Israeli authorities can guarantee our safety and security.” He also said the decision to suspend aid comes with “great regret.”

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said, in response to Guiness’s words, that Israel is in high favor of the UN’s aid. Sure.

It’s pretty outrageous that they’d fire at aid workers, who were clearly distinguishable as such, with no real reason, especially after they’d cleared their movements with the military.

The UN recently called for an immediate ceasefire, a statement the U.S., France and the UK oppose.‚  The three superpowers wanted the UN to make a weaker statement, the BBC reports. Taking a real stance, especially one against Israel would be way too risky for any of the three countries.

Arab foreign ministers have said that anything less than a binding resolution to the conflict between Israel and Hamas would not do any good.

That’s something I’ve been stressing for a while, the UN just calling for them to stop killing Palestinians isn’t going to stop anything. Though a public call for a ceasefire is obviously necessary, we all know it won’t solve the conflict.

Nearly 800 Palestinians have died since Israel launched its offensive 13 days ago.

On a more local note, the 48 Canadians that were formerly trapped in Gaza are safe now.

At least 40 humanitarian and human rights workers have been killed in Somalia since the beginning of the year, according to Amnesty International.

UN and UNICEF workers are among the dead. ‚ The identiy of the attackers is unknown, however some killings have been attributed to armed opposition groups affiliated with the Alliance for Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS).

The rest of the deaths have been attributed to local criminal gangs, AI reports. ‚ 

“International leaders must establish a mechanism, such as an International Commission of Inquiry, to investigate these killings, kidnappings and beatings and bring those responsible to justice,” said David Copeman, AI’s Somalia campaigner.

Most recently, the deaths have been carried out by one or more gunmen, between the ages of 15 and 25. ‚ 

The deaths of these workers puts countless Somali lives at risk, since an estimated 3.25 million residents, almost half the population, will need food aid by the end of this year. ‚ Without workers, how will they get food?

Aid workers now face restrictions on their programs, especially those which transport food and medical aid into towns. ‚ Now, because of all the violence, aid‚ organizations‚ are beginning to pull out of Somalia.

The country is in bad shape. ‚ African Union workers‚ want‚ to pull out as soon as possible,‚ Ethiopian‚ troops are‚ spilling‚ into the country and killing civilians and countless children are without necessary medical aid.

Things tend to get worse before they get better. ‚ But how much worse can Somalia afford to get before it gets better?

Hopefully Copeman’s suggestion goes through. ‚ An international body for investigations would help not only Somalia but places like Zimbabwe, too.