If the World Would Be Like Luxembourg

Interview with the "Luxembourg Word Newspaper." from an article dated July 2, 2005. Translated from the German by EuroYank. Jeff Sachs; Professor and Director of the Earth Institute, Columbia University New York; and Director of the UN Milenium Project. Born in Detroit and named by Time Magazine as one of the World's 100 most influential men. references ... *Inside The Earth Institute *Jeff Sachs:Building Bridges for Development Jeff Sachs has had enough. For years he has tried to negotiate with the USA to act for the poorest of the poor. To get the USA to keep its 37 year old promise to supply the United Nations with its 0.7% of its Gross Domestic Product pledge. Now Sachs is going in a new direction. Luxembourg Word - You Are working at the University of Columbia in New York advising General Secretary Kofi Annan. What advise are you giving? If the rich countries would invest start up capital the poorest of the poor would get out of their trap. The richest countries have for 37 years pledged to contribute 0.7% of their Gross Domestic Product to the United Nations. Many, very many coutries don't. That is the biggest problem. The exceptions are only Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden - just five countries of the world. The USA is only providing 0.16% of its Gross Domestic Product. Only Italy is contributing way less. If the World would be like Luxembourg there would be no problem. The USA should not have the right to turn its back on its responsibilities. Luxembourg Word - How will you change this situation? In September the Milenium-Plan will be reviewed. The goal is that by 2015 the world population living on less than one dollar a day will be reduced by 50%. In January I gave a report on this in 14 volumes. Next month with Kofi Annan and the G-8 meeting of the eight largest industrial Nations we will prepare the ground work for the meeting this coming September in New York. The USA, as Sponsor Nation of the G-8, is well off. Bush however, is not very friendly to the United Nations. Bush has already reduced taxes for the richest twice. The one percent of the best earners in the USA have over a billion dollars of income - and they benefit from 10 percent of all the tax reductions. The USA has a could care less attitude about the poorest of the poor. The USA concerns itself only with the super rich and its military. Just look at the American military base in the Sahel Desert equipped against terrorism. These Pentagon geniuses should comprehend that this region is one of the poorest of the poor in the world. But they could care less. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Background Sahel & the American military base Sahel Desert ... In the May 11, 2004, New York Times, Craig Smith writes that the "U.S. is Training African Forces to Uproot Terrorists." The Pan-Sahel Initiative is the newest front in the "American campaign against terrorism ... in a region that military officials fear could become the next base for Al Qaeda -- the largely ungoverned swath of territory stretching from the Horn of Africa to the Western Sahara's Atlantic coast," he writes. Smith says that the Pan-Sahel Initiative "was begun with $7 million and focused on Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad. It is being expanded to include Senegal and possibly other countries. The U.S. European Command has asked for $125 million for the region over five years." "Generals here ... say the vast, arid region is a new Afghanistan, with well-financed bands of Islamic militants recruiting, training and arming themselves. Terrorist attacks like the one on March 11 [2004] in Madrid that killed 191 people seem to have a North African link, investigators say, and may presage others in Europe." "Having learned from missteps in Afghanistan and Iraq," he says, "the American officers are pursuing this battle with a new approach. Instead of planning on a heavy American military presence, they are dispatching Special Operations forces to countries like Mali and Mauritania in West Africa to train soldiers and outfit them with pickup trucks, radios and global-positioning equipment." Drew Brown, in his May 12, 2004, Knight Ridder article "U.S. stepping up anti-terrorism efforts in Africa," adds that "Marine Corps Gen. James Jones, the commander of U.S. European Command, which covers most of Africa ... said that shortly after he took command of NATO in January 2002, a six-month analysis of U.S. force structure within European Command concluded that the United States likely would face a number of security challenges in Africa over the next 10 to 15 years and that a more robust engagement was needed. "Late last year, soldiers from the 10th Special Forces Group began training military forces in Mali, Mauritania, Chad and Niger under the Pan-Sahel Initiative, a $7 million State Department program designed to help the security forces of those impoverished nations defend against terrorists. "That effort follows the establishment of Task Force Horn of Africa, where more than 1,200 Marines and special-operations soldiers are heading up anti-terror training and operations in eastern Africa from a base in Djibouti. "No U.S. forces have been committed to combat in Africa, Jones said. Involvement has consisted primarily of training and advisory teams." Both desert and grazing land, the Sahel has attracted a population as varied as its environment. Some are semi-nomadic cattle herders, moving with the seasonal flooding of the Niger. Others are farmers, eking out a living from millet and sorghum. The border with the Sahara is fluid and many of the people found in one region - the Tuareg and Hausa -- can be found in the other. But many groups owe their culture strictly to the Sahel. The Fulani, the word's largest group of nomadic herders, have long played an influential role in the region not only for their cattle, but for their advocacy of Islam. Their neighbors, the Dogon, practice a set of traditional beliefs that illustrate the power of the relationship between Africans and their environment. (The Sahelian drought that began in 1968 was responsible for the deaths of between 100,000 and 250,000 people, the disruption of millions of lives, and the collapse of the agricultural bases of five countries.) references ... *Desertification *Deserts and the Sahel (In a whirlwind tour of Africa, Secretary of State Colin Powell saw the good, the bad, and the ugly. The visit of the first secretary of state with an African heritage focused on democracy and disease) Powell's trip may signal a renewed U.S. interest in Africa, which mainly makes news for wars, famines and plagues. reference ... *Powell visits Africa ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If the World Would Be Like Luxembourg (continued) Luxembourg Word - And the World Bank? The World Bank-Budget resembles a failed weapons system. The New president Wolfenshohn will realize this very painfully. He now has five billion dollars not 300 billion. I hope he makes his voice heard. Because the military aspect will fail. They make their decisions in secret as a matter of sovereignty. The United Nations is a brake on this sovereignty - that is why they hate us so. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Background African Anti-Poverty Concerts (There was a time when an economic conference would be covered mainly in the financial pages, and snoozed through by the rest of the world. But with the Make Poverty History campaign putting the G8 summit in the mainstream, and with blogs making everyone a potential world trade expert, it's going to be more interesting this time. We are helpless beings who cannot survive without the concern of an Elton John or a Geldof who has not written a hit song in a decade and yet can save Africa.) We are thrilled to be a part of Live 8 and want to do everything we can to bring attention to those in need in order to beat extreme poverty across Africa," ... Irish rock star Bob Geldof has criticised the European Union response to Ethiopia's food crisis as "pathetic." references ... *Geldof: Ethiopia aid 'pathetic' *Live 8 & Other Online Videos *The most talked about economic conference ever? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I If the World Would Be Like Luxembourg (continued) Brad Pitt Luxembourg Word - How helpful are initiatives like those from Brad Pitt or singer Bob Geldof, who with Live 8 have organized benefit concerts in 8 cities worldwide, in order to prepare the G-8 meeting for Africa? This is very helpful and important. The richest 331 US millionaires have one billion dollars. Only a few like Bill Gates or George Sorros give anything. Luxembourg Word - What can you do about it? The 331 American millionaires could start a foundation. The yearly "Output" of 25 Billion dollars would solve all the problems of Africa. Since last year when it was clear that Bush would block this, I contacted all 331 millionaires personally. A few are very interested. They will find their involvement very beneficial. Most of them don't have a clue what is going on. Luxembourg Word - How are you trying to convice these millionaires? I don't talk about politics or political parties. I discuss the Rockefeller Center and the successful fight against "yellow fever." Or how Jimmy Carter fights against eye disease. Luxembourg Word - Why would private persons pay for what the responsibility of politics is? The US Administration is blocking. The US prefers giving out its money for the military. The war in Iraq is costing over 82 billion a year - that is 0.7% of the American Gross Domestic Product. On the otherhand their are indications like during the Tsunami Crisis - that a helping hand is available. Luxembourg Word - What role does the "American Dream" of rising from a dishwasher to a millionaire play when it involves Help? A big role. The Calvinist worldview is that riches are a sign of a gift from God. This is deeply evident in the American soul - and makes much possible. Bush is trying to cut now the health benefits of the poorest of Americans. Bush is responsible for the extreme conservative mood in the USA. But the rest of the world also has direct influence - and should direct it also in the USA. Luxembourg Word - How do you mean that? Europe must have a big interest in Africa. When Africa has a large population increase, Europe is its first destination. We are talking about immigration, sickness, violence. These are big topics of the future. Just think about the "Greenhouse" effect. We are too inter-connected and Europe cannot just concern itself with its own problems, or the United Nations alone. Currently, Europeans are holding more friendly discussions regarding this than the Americans. Europeans are also doing a bit more, but not what they should. references ... *Drought, Floods, War Leave 35 Countries Hungry *Crop diversity helps farmers in desert-prone areas Luxembourg Word - What is the answer? We do not have a politics of world overpopulation. Europe should be able to have a definite influence regarding the discussions concerning American Politics; because we are so inter-connected. That will take time. Since the last management meeting in Davos Europeans are more interested, but the political parties are holding themselves distant. Just look at the abolition of Slavery and Women's Rights, that also took a long time. Stumble It!

If the World Would Be Like Luxembourg

Interview with the "Luxembourg Word Newspaper." from an article dated July 2, 2005. Translated from the German by EuroYank. Jeff Sachs; Professor and Director of the Earth Institute, Columbia University New York; and Director of the UN Milenium Project. Born in Detroit and named by Time Magazine as one of the World's 100 most influential men. references ... *Inside The Earth Institute *Jeff Sachs:Building Bridges for Development Jeff Sachs has had enough. For years he has tried to negotiate with the USA to act for the poorest of the poor. To get the USA to keep its 37 year old promise to supply the United Nations with its 0.7% of its Gross Domestic Product pledge. Now Sachs is going in a new direction. Luxembourg Word - You Are working at the University of Columbia in New York advising General Secretary Kofi Annan. What advise are you giving? If the rich countries would invest start up capital the poorest of the poor would get out of their trap. The richest countries have for 37 years pledged to contribute 0.7% of their Gross Domestic Product to the United Nations. Many, very many coutries don't. That is the biggest problem. The exceptions are only Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden - just five countries of the world. The USA is only providing 0.16% of its Gross Domestic Product. Only Italy is contributing way less. If the World would be like Luxembourg there would be no problem. The USA should not have the right to turn its back on its responsibilities. Luxembourg Word - How will you change this situation? In September the Milenium-Plan will be reviewed. The goal is that by 2015 the world population living on less than one dollar a day will be reduced by 50%. In January I gave a report on this in 14 volumes. Next month with Kofi Annan and the G-8 meeting of the eight largest industrial Nations we will prepare the ground work for the meeting this coming September in New York. The USA, as Sponsor Nation of the G-8, is well off. Bush however, is not very friendly to the United Nations. Bush has already reduced taxes for the richest twice. The one percent of the best earners in the USA have over a billion dollars of income - and they benefit from 10 percent of all the tax reductions. The USA has a could care less attitude about the poorest of the poor. The USA concerns itself only with the super rich and its military. Just look at the American military base in the Sahel Desert equipped against terrorism. These Pentagon geniuses should comprehend that this region is one of the poorest of the poor in the world. But they could care less. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Background Sahel & the American military base Sahel Desert ... In the May 11, 2004, New York Times, Craig Smith writes that the "U.S. is Training African Forces to Uproot Terrorists." The Pan-Sahel Initiative is the newest front in the "American campaign against terrorism ... in a region that military officials fear could become the next base for Al Qaeda -- the largely ungoverned swath of territory stretching from the Horn of Africa to the Western Sahara's Atlantic coast," he writes. Smith says that the Pan-Sahel Initiative "was begun with $7 million and focused on Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad. It is being expanded to include Senegal and possibly other countries. The U.S. European Command has asked for $125 million for the region over five years." "Generals here ... say the vast, arid region is a new Afghanistan, with well-financed bands of Islamic militants recruiting, training and arming themselves. Terrorist attacks like the one on March 11 [2004] in Madrid that killed 191 people seem to have a North African link, investigators say, and may presage others in Europe." "Having learned from missteps in Afghanistan and Iraq," he says, "the American officers are pursuing this battle with a new approach. Instead of planning on a heavy American military presence, they are dispatching Special Operations forces to countries like Mali and Mauritania in West Africa to train soldiers and outfit them with pickup trucks, radios and global-positioning equipment." Drew Brown, in his May 12, 2004, Knight Ridder article "U.S. stepping up anti-terrorism efforts in Africa," adds that "Marine Corps Gen. James Jones, the commander of U.S. European Command, which covers most of Africa ... said that shortly after he took command of NATO in January 2002, a six-month analysis of U.S. force structure within European Command concluded that the United States likely would face a number of security challenges in Africa over the next 10 to 15 years and that a more robust engagement was needed. "Late last year, soldiers from the 10th Special Forces Group began training military forces in Mali, Mauritania, Chad and Niger under the Pan-Sahel Initiative, a $7 million State Department program designed to help the security forces of those impoverished nations defend against terrorists. "That effort follows the establishment of Task Force Horn of Africa, where more than 1,200 Marines and special-operations soldiers are heading up anti-terror training and operations in eastern Africa from a base in Djibouti. "No U.S. forces have been committed to combat in Africa, Jones said. Involvement has consisted primarily of training and advisory teams." Both desert and grazing land, the Sahel has attracted a population as varied as its environment. Some are semi-nomadic cattle herders, moving with the seasonal flooding of the Niger. Others are farmers, eking out a living from millet and sorghum. The border with the Sahara is fluid and many of the people found in one region - the Tuareg and Hausa -- can be found in the other. But many groups owe their culture strictly to the Sahel. The Fulani, the word's largest group of nomadic herders, have long played an influential role in the region not only for their cattle, but for their advocacy of Islam. Their neighbors, the Dogon, practice a set of traditional beliefs that illustrate the power of the relationship between Africans and their environment. (The Sahelian drought that began in 1968 was responsible for the deaths of between 100,000 and 250,000 people, the disruption of millions of lives, and the collapse of the agricultural bases of five countries.) references ... *Desertification *Deserts and the Sahel (In a whirlwind tour of Africa, Secretary of State Colin Powell saw the good, the bad, and the ugly. The visit of the first secretary of state with an African heritage focused on democracy and disease) Powell's trip may signal a renewed U.S. interest in Africa, which mainly makes news for wars, famines and plagues. reference ... *Powell visits Africa ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If the World Would Be Like Luxembourg (continued) Luxembourg Word - And the World Bank? The World Bank-Budget resembles a failed weapons system. The New president Wolfenshohn will realize this very painfully. He now has five billion dollars not 300 billion. I hope he makes his voice heard. Because the military aspect will fail. They make their decisions in secret as a matter of sovereignty. The United Nations is a brake on this sovereignty - that is why they hate us so. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Background African Anti-Poverty Concerts (There was a time when an economic conference would be covered mainly in the financial pages, and snoozed through by the rest of the world. But with the Make Poverty History campaign putting the G8 summit in the mainstream, and with blogs making everyone a potential world trade expert, it's going to be more interesting this time. We are helpless beings who cannot survive without the concern of an Elton John or a Geldof who has not written a hit song in a decade and yet can save Africa.) We are thrilled to be a part of Live 8 and want to do everything we can to bring attention to those in need in order to beat extreme poverty across Africa," ... Irish rock star Bob Geldof has criticised the European Union response to Ethiopia's food crisis as "pathetic." references ... *Geldof: Ethiopia aid 'pathetic' *Live 8 & Other Online Videos *The most talked about economic conference ever? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I If the World Would Be Like Luxembourg (continued) Brad Pitt Luxembourg Word - How helpful are initiatives like those from Brad Pitt or singer Bob Geldof, who with Live 8 have organized benefit concerts in 8 cities worldwide, in order to prepare the G-8 meeting for Africa? This is very helpful and important. The richest 331 US millionaires have one billion dollars. Only a few like Bill Gates or George Sorros give anything. Luxembourg Word - What can you do about it? The 331 American millionaires could start a foundation. The yearly "Output" of 25 Billion dollars would solve all the problems of Africa. Since last year when it was clear that Bush would block this, I contacted all 331 millionaires personally. A few are very interested. They will find their involvement very beneficial. Most of them don't have a clue what is going on. Luxembourg Word - How are you trying to convice these millionaires? I don't talk about politics or political parties. I discuss the Rockefeller Center and the successful fight against "yellow fever." Or how Jimmy Carter fights against eye disease. Luxembourg Word - Why would private persons pay for what the responsibility of politics is? The US Administration is blocking. The US prefers giving out its money for the military. The war in Iraq is costing over 82 billion a year - that is 0.7% of the American Gross Domestic Product. On the otherhand their are indications like during the Tsunami Crisis - that a helping hand is available. Luxembourg Word - What role does the "American Dream" of rising from a dishwasher to a millionaire play when it involves Help? A big role. The Calvinist worldview is that riches are a sign of a gift from God. This is deeply evident in the American soul - and makes much possible. Bush is trying to cut now the health benefits of the poorest of Americans. Bush is responsible for the extreme conservative mood in the USA. But the rest of the world also has direct influence - and should direct it also in the USA. Luxembourg Word - How do you mean that? Europe must have a big interest in Africa. When Africa has a large population increase, Europe is its first destination. We are talking about immigration, sickness, violence. These are big topics of the future. Just think about the "Greenhouse" effect. We are too inter-connected and Europe cannot just concern itself with its own problems, or the United Nations alone. Currently, Europeans are holding more friendly discussions regarding this than the Americans. Europeans are also doing a bit more, but not what they should. references ... *Drought, Floods, War Leave 35 Countries Hungry *Crop diversity helps farmers in desert-prone areas Luxembourg Word - What is the answer? We do not have a politics of world overpopulation. Europe should be able to have a definite influence regarding the discussions concerning American Politics; because we are so inter-connected. That will take time. Since the last management meeting in Davos Europeans are more interested, but the political parties are holding themselves distant. Just look at the abolition of Slavery and Women's Rights, that also took a long time.