Kashmir Hindu Nationalism Caste oppression, capitalism and violence corruption Government improper handling of covid-19 The blatant fascism of the RSS Mob Kashmir Hindu Nationalism Caste oppression, capitalism and violence corruption Government improper handling of covid-19 The blatant fascism of the RSS Mob violence Islamophobia and violence against Muslims The detaining, arrest and murder of academics and intellectuals, writers m, advocated and campaigned Citizenship Act that makes poor people stateless e.g the Assamese...more
I don’t know what I expected with this book I am tired of Japanese men (in books) leaving their wives to go up the mountain and accidentally falling inI don’t know what I expected with this book I am tired of Japanese men (in books) leaving their wives to go up the mountain and accidentally falling in love with another woman/girl ...more
Employing Cesaire's concept of the boomerang, Koram describes how the mechanisms of exploitation i.e., the legal & economic structures set up during cEmploying Cesaire's concept of the boomerang, Koram describes how the mechanisms of exploitation i.e., the legal & economic structures set up during colonial times have come back to hit Britain in the face, as evidenced by the disastrous impact of outsourcing state functions to private corporation, just as they outsourced the business of empire to private companies.
Below I describe briefly the main focus of each chapter;
The State - Here Koram focuses on the failed attempt by the British West African colonies to demand self-governance after following the first world war. Kojo highlights the disastrous effects of the UK outsourcing of state function to private corporation by tracing these predatory relationship back to when the work of empire was outsourced to private companies ("From the sixteen-century Levant Company to the Royal Niger Company of the late nineteenth century, much of the dirty work of actually administrating Britain's vast empire was outsourced to private corporations"), and the corruption at the heart of British politics and empire. He briefly explores the role of the English legal system (property law) in entrenching policies that places property ownership over national interest and how this interferes with resource extraction in newly independent states, as he later discusses with AIOC role in collapsing the nationalization of oil mining in Iran
The Company - Starting with the AIOC, Kojo describes the role AIOC (British Petroleum) & the British government in collaboration with the US played in the coup that ousted Mosaddegh's government. A government whose policy would have nationalized the oil fields which AIOC had laid claims to. The action obviously bit Britain in the ass, as this collaboration further entrenched the US in the region resulting in Britain losing its monopoly of mining in the region. Kojo turns a lens to Ghana & Nkrumah path to independence, the issues with English property law and the boomerang effect of 'corporatization'.
The Border - Here Kojo explores the impact of Britain's colonial past on its current immigration policies. He examines how historical border control (with a focus on the windrush generation, Indian's who fought for the British in second world war), and the citizenry of the crown colonies. Kojo highlights the impact of current immigration policies on social services in the UK, as well as the complexities and injustice embedded in the system.
The Debt - Here Kojo focuses on the economic exploitation that was the building blocks of empire. the exploitation of colonies via resources extraction and labour via slavery that created vast debts and negative capital in the newly independent states, hindering their economic development. The financial systems like the IMF, and the World Bank are systems that contribute to global economic inequalities via their debt structures.
Mini thought - For African countries to pay off their debt without ruining their citizens via austerity measures, they need to have control of their capital (i.e. resources). They however do not have any as it has been stolen (during old age colonialism) and continues to be siphoned off through private corporations. Let's also not forget that some of these countries are still (some up to recently) paying off their former colonial masters through colonial tax.
The Tax - Here Kojo focuses on the rise and popularity of Tax havens, as well as the laws that enable private corporations to escape paying taxes. Kojo argues that these practices have roots in colonial exploitation, as these tax havens often are British colonies. He describes the government lackadaisical attitude when it comes to addressing the offshoring of wealth to its colonies. He discuss how the
The City - The city of London wants to be like Singapore but the government of Singapore have more reigns on their 'free markers' and actually own percentage shares in the companies managing state infrastructure and services unlike the UK. In this chapter, Kojo examines the impact of colonialism and imperialism on the city's financial practices. He discusses the inequalities that can be observed in the city and the power it has over world financial markets.
Overall, I thought the book was very educative and eye-opening....more
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