The Rice Thresher, Vol. 98, No. 18, Ed. 1 Friday, February 4, 2011 Page: 3 of 20
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Op-Ed
Baker Institute Student Forum debate: American intervention in Africa
U.S. intervention long missing Humanitarian intervention needed
Following the self-inflicted
death by fire of a young man in Tu-
nisia that sparked a revolution and
drove the dictator-president Zine el-
Abidine Ben Ali into exile, six men
in Egypt, Mauritius and Algeria
have immolated themselves, trying
to incite similar riots in their coun-
tries. The movement in Tunisia has
yet to take on a clear leader, but the
original protesters were college ed-
ucated and middle class, who were
outraged and blaming a corrupt
government for the lack of opportu-
nities available in their country.
While open revolt has yet to
break out in other African nations,
tensions are high and the United
States cannot afford to ignore or be
surprised by the situation. China
has invested billions in Africa while
placing no conditions for respect of
human rights upon its investments
and, consequentiy, has gained ac-
cess to many resources and devel-
oped a growing sphere of influence.
HIV and other global health
concerns continue to rage un-
checked; Somali pirates can cause
the cost of international shipping
to skyrocket and war-torn countries
and dictators are eager to welcome
terrorists with money. As recent ac-
tivity shows, even well-developed
North Africa, significantly less
troubled by violence and disease
than sub-Saharan Africa, is not free
from unrest and may be poised for
major upheavals. North Africa is
also distinguished by the strong
influence of Islam, giving regional
developments potentially global ef-
fects. Now, more than ever, it is vital
that the U.S. take a more active and
informed role in Africa.
Unfortunately, the lack of past
involvement limits the available
options for the U.S. in the immedi-
ate future. Some observers might
advocate a sudden strong interven-
tion to prevent the rise of hostile or
abusive dictators. I would ask these
advocates to remember the recent
experience of the U.S. in Iraq and
Afghanistan. The U.S. had already
been at war with Iraq and in the
1970s had worked alongside and
funded the Taliban in the fight
against the Russians.
Both countries are in a region
that has received a high level of
international attention for de-
cades, and yet, at every step, U.S.
involvement suffered from a lack of
knowledge of the region. America
has no sizable body of experts to
implement a reasonable plan for
direct involvement in North Africa
right now, and familiarity with a re-
gion takes time to acquire. America
doesn't have enough linguists. Vari-
ous dialects of Arabic are the official
languages in Tunisia, Egypt and Al-
geria, and, as complaints abound
of a shortage of Arabic speakers
to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan,
I can't imagine the U.S. has many
to spare for direct involvement
in Tunisia.
The U.S. needs to get involved,
but another misadventure wit^
nation building will only inspire
greater conflict. As unpalatable as
it sounds at a time when men are
setting themselves on fire, a policy
of gradually increasing investment,
attention and involvement seems to
be the only way forward.
Thomas Boyd
Thomas Boyd is a
Martel College Junior.
m
Eric Harrison
Eric Harrison is a
Wiess College alumnus.
Foreign policy discussions
always seem to be framed in
the same way: On one side,
the faction of greater Ameri-
can involvement in some re-
gion and, on the other, the
faction of pulling back or
avoiding entanglement.
In fact, though, this is com-
pletely illusory. The choice of
non-involveuient in humanitar-
ian matters is no longer before
the United States and hasn't
been for years. As hegemon,
the U.S. is the world's police-
man — that is the nature of
its position. And who would
wish it otherwise? The point of
amassing such power is to use
it for good.
That's why the goal of
American policy must not be
simply to promote American
economic interests, but to roll
back authoritarians and hu-
man rights violators. Africa is
as critical a region as any to
the realization of this goal, but
one which is rarely more than
an afterthought.
Many will say that it would
be nice if the U.S. could resolve
all of Africa's problems, but it
doesn't have the resources to
do so — and they are correct.
But they underestimate the in-
fluence of perceived American
intentions on the perpetrators
of atrocities, who are often at
their worst (Kosovo, Kuwait,
Somalia, Rwanda) when they
believe the U.S. will do noth-
ing to stop them. And why
wouldn't they?
Too often, America's re-
sponse to atrocity and tyranny
has been to find ways to do
nothing on grounds of not be-
ing hasty or avoiding overcom-
mitment. This must end.
Mind you, it isn't necessary
to rush in and overthrow every
existing dictator; the important
point is to change expectations.
Moving swiftly to quash atroci-
ties and remove those who per-
petrate them will do.
If you must have a "practi-
cal" rationale, here it is: Amer-
ica can bolster its soft power by
distinguishing its own benevo-
lence from the callous greed of
China, which seems almost ea-
ger to display its indifference to
African suffering.
Many wrongly attribute the
same callousness to the U.S.;
taking a much more active role
in the betterment of Africa is a
fine way to correct this percep-
tion and renew the belief that
the U.S. is indeed a force for
good in the world.
The partition of Sudan will
likely provide a chance to im-
plement this doctrinal shift.
The U.S. must not fail — as it
so consistently has — to use
force to put down atrocities if
they occur. The wholehearted
embrace of humanitarian in-
tervention is long overdue,
and in no region is the need>
for this change more obvious
than Africa.
Let's not allow laziness and
indifference to pass for pru-
dence any longer.
Puppy Mills need further regulation of pending legislation
This year, the Texas legislature will decide
whether to regulate a lucrative business: the
breeding and selling of cats and dogs. A group
of legislators, activists and pet owners is active-
ly pushing the state to get rid of "puppy mills."
Kenna Fowler
Puppy mills are large-scale breeding facili-
ties that produce and sell puppies. As opposed
to reputable breeders, puppy mills have low
standards of living for their breeding stock. It
is not uncommon for animals to remain in their
cages for extended periods of time — weeks,
months and sometimes years. Animals being
bred are often sick, malnourished and over-
bred. Put simply, the conditions these animals
live in are deplorable and sickening.
Puppy mills continue to cause harm to ani-
mals even after they have left. Many enter their
new homes with an onslaught of illnesses, in-
cluding damage to their respiratory systems.
While good breeders pair dogs for breeding
to avoid genetic diseases, puppy mill breed-
ers breed their animals indiscriminately, often
leading to inbreeding and a variety of diseases,
which, in turn, lead to a host of potential, costly
problems for the puppy's new owners.
Texas currently has an estimated 800 to
1,000 puppy mills, though law enforcement
officials believe that number is continuing to
increase. Unfortunately, they can do little to
regulate the puppy mills because, as the Better
Business Bureau reports, "Without legislation
requiring more inspection, the responsibility
for maintaining humane conditions lies with
breeders." Along with the inhumane condi-
tions, the large number of puppies produced
in the mills poses a problem because, in Texas,
there are more animals than owners willing to
take them.
The proposed legislation would regulate op-
erations with 11 or more breeding females. Such
businesses would be subject to inspection by
the Texas Department of Licensing and Regula-
tion. The standards used by inspectors are al-
ready contained in the Federal Animal Welfare
Act, a law with guidelines on the treatment and
living conditions of animals used for commer-
cial purposes. While the act currently applies
to puppy mills because of their commercial na-
ture, few are ever inspected by the U.S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture because of cost. The bill be-
fore the Texas legislature would eliminate this
problem by forcing breeders to pay a fee that
would cover the cost of inspection. Breeding
facilities that pass inspection would receive a
license from the TDLR and would be inspected
annually to keep their license. Breeding facili-
ties that do not meet the standards would be
shut down.
There are steps that you can take as an in-
dividual to improve the situation. First, do
not buy kittens or puppies from pet stores —
roughly 98 percent of pets sold from such stores
are from puppy mills. Mills are able to stay in
business because people continue to buy dogs
and cats from them, usually unsuspectingly.
The best option when buying animals is to visit
organizations like the Houston Humane Society
and the SPCA, which treat their animals with
great care and respect. Their many healthy,
friendly pets are desperately in need of homes.
If you are only interested in a purebred cat
or dog, the best option is still to visit your local
animal shelter. It is estimated that approximate-
ly one-quarter of animals in shelters are pure-
breds, and adopting an animal from the shelter
gives a homeless pet a loving family. Addition-
ally, there are breed-specific rescue groups that
often rehabilitate animals from mills and adopt
them out. A third option, buying from a breed-
er, is less preferable because they contribute to
overpopulation. Approximately 3-4 million ani-
mals, or half of the population within shelters,
are euthanized every year because there are
not enough homes. However, if this is the route
you want to take, there are a large number of
breeders registered with the American Kennel
Club in this area. With breeders, always ask to
see the animals' living conditions and meet the
parents and your potential new family member
well in advance of any purchase to ensure that
the animals are treated well. Lastly, if you are
registered to vote in Texas, please contact your
representative in the Texas legislature. It is cru-
cial that legislator^ know that their constituents
care about this issue.
Kenna Fowler ('12),
Annie Kuntz ('11),
Rachel Gilbert ('11).
Got somethin' on your mind?
et the entire Rice community read it.
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Wilde, Anna & Rutenberg, Josh. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 98, No. 18, Ed. 1 Friday, February 4, 2011, newspaper, February 4, 2011; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth398507/m1/3/: accessed May 14, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.