Browsing through the numerous articles about Somalia I found this one, “United Nations’ report released this week says nuclear and hazardous wastes dumped on Somalia’s shores had been scattered by the recent Asian tsunami and are now infecting Somalis in coastal areas. A spokesman for the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Nick Nuttall, told VOA that for the past 15 years or so, European companies and others have used Somalia as a dumping ground for a wide array of nuclear and hazardous wastes. “There’s uranium radioactive waste, there’s leads, there’s heavy metals like cadmium and mercury, there’s industrial wastes, and there’s hospital wastes, chemical wastes, you name it,” he said. “It’s not rocket science to know why they’re doing it because of the instability there.” Mr. Nuttall said, on average, it cost European companies $2.50 per ton to dump the wastes on Somalia’s beaches rather than $250 a ton to dispose of the wastes in Europe. He said the Asian tsunami dislodged and smashed open the drums, barrels, and other containers, spreading the contaminants as far away as 10 or more kilometers inland.
Mr. Nuttall said it is impossible to know the exact tonnage or number of containers of wastes on Somalia’s shores, but that the problem, in his words, “is very serious.”The results of the contamination on coastal populations, Mr. Nuttall says, have been disastrous.”These problems range from acute respiratory infections to dry, heavy coughing, mouth bleedings, abdominal hemorrhages, what they described as unusual skin chemical reactions,” he noted.
While I am not siding with pirates in this matter, I find myself wondering how much effort Europe, and the world in general is actually putting into getting a better outcome for failed states like Somalia. The United Nationd publishes a report like this, but no actions seem to have been taken to stop the dumping. If this were off the coast of Jersey (either Jersey or New Jersey) I’d wonder how long before both private and government action would have been taken to stop such dumping.
This does get to the heart of the matter again: The United Nations, nor in fact, any foreign nation should be considered your friend. Countries are respected because of they demand respect or they can buy respect, but respect is not given simply because you represent another land. It was good of the UN to mention this, it is negligent of them to do nothing about it.
As famously stated before, a nation does not have friends it has interests, and with the state of disarray in which Somalia suffers, it is good to know the international community is doing so much to help them. Of course, we’d do well to remember how much the United Nations did in 1993 for them while Aidid was holding international food relief from the populace until they agreed to support him. Starve or join his ranks. The response? Well, the United States suffered “Black Hawk Down” and President Clinton ran from the scene looking every bit like the paper tiger Osama bin Laden thought us to be. After the US left, no one was willing to help and by 1995 the country had lost UN support. When the chances for photo opportunities went away, so did the UN workers.
This is why it is of the utmost importance for every nation to have a government which can react against foreign elements and support itself if provoked. Without such a government responsible to the people situations like Somalia arise: No government, no infrastructure, no way to stop illegal dumping in its waters. This is why I am in favor of nationalism. Not some sort of ‘rally at a stadium’ for the fearless leader kind of thing Hitler and President Obama do, but the kind of effort that understands that the nation in which you live is the only nation who might help keep your borders and waters secure. Asking for, begging for, nor waiting for international action makes sense.
Zeno Sees, Zeno Writes 