The Third World

I read yesterday on devex.com that Trump, in his zeal to cut programs formerly managed by USAID, the CIA’s $50 billion slush fund, had accidentally cut some “life-giving humanitarian aid” programs in the Third World. But that they had been restored.

Whew! That was a close call.

Then I started to think about the relationship between the First World and the Third World in the post-WW 2 period. All of which I have lived through.

First World humanitarian “help”

Let’s take a broad look at what First World “humanitarian” programs have done for the Third World.

Let’s see...color revolutions, political assassinations, and CIA- sponsored NGOs destabilizing societies in Third World countries when their governments take a false step. Leaders and governments in Third World countries overthrown: Mossadegh in Iran, Lumumba in the Congo, Arbenz in Guatemala, Allende in Chile. And who can forget the lovely war in Vietnam? The two civil conflicts in Ukraine – the Orange Revolution in ’04 and the EuroMaidan color revolution in ’14, in which Yanukovich, the popularly elected candidate, was “replaced” by one more sympathetic to NATO and the EU – because the CIA and the State Department don’t like pro-Russian leaders. And then there are the 20-year wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, whose leaders were simply unacceptable. That’s just a partial list.

Let us not forget about the IMF and World Bank loans that have kept many of these countries financial slaves to the First World. And, of course, our wonderful and helpful “foreign aid” that goes not to the people, but to dictators and elite rulers, many of whom graduated from a Western university. (For USAID’s role in all this, see John Perkins’ book Confessions of an Economic Hitman. Laughably, Perkins’ first-hand account of his actions was dismissed as a conspiracy theory!).

Then there are the First World created “rebel groups” who magically spring up when deposits of oil – or some other valuable resource necessary to First World industries – are discovered. And last but not least, the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, who love to test new vaccines on African children.

Since Third World countries achieved independence over half a century ago, their peoples have never really had the freedom to choose their own governments, or to organize their societies, without First World interference.

Look at what happened in the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 2001. That country was a perfect example of the power of this disruptive system, as Yugoslavia broke apart into six independent countries exactly matching the six former Soviet republics that had previously constituted Yugoslavia. These conflicts were described by First World media as “inter-ethnic.” Bombs were dropped on civilians, villages were destroyed, and it was all blamed on dictators like Slobodan Milosevich. Magically, the activities of the CIA, the Pentagon, and other First World intelligence services were barely mentioned.

The only Third World country that has managed to get out of this trap is China, and that’s only because this 5,000-year-old society and their elites play the Long Game. China’s leaders turned the tables on their Western counterparts. China took the West’s money, built up their industries, became the world’s factory floor, and stole enough intellectual property to become independent. At least for the present. China is the one that got away.

Now, when the U.S. part of this corrupt system – which has spread its tentacles across the entire planet – is in the process of being dismantled, Western elites and media cry bitterly that Third World countries are being irrevocably harmed. As my father used to say, “with friends like that you don’t need any enemies.”

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is another example. The DRC is a pathetic communist country run by the usual thugs propped up by First World money. The DRC’s main claim to fame is its huge deposits of cobalt, which are essential for making the world’s lithium-ion EV batteries. A significant portion of this cobalt is hand-mined, by child slave labor. This has been known for decades. And of course the large foreign-owned mining operations have free reign to strip the DRC’s land for this valuable resource.

Nothing is done because the First World doesn’t give a shit. No, it’s much better to fight a pointless 20-year war in Afghanistan to bring “democracy” to a tribal society that has gotten along just fine on its own for centuries. Or to start a conflict in Libya to depose Muammar Ghadaffi (using a First World sponsored “rebel group,” the National Liberation Army). Ghadaffi was a Libyan nationalist who threatened to not pay for his oil with U.S. dollars. Heresy! This bothered State and the CIA and the powers that be, despite Ghadaffi’s popularity within his own country.

Seven wars in five years

Such wars harken back to the Pentagon’s program to overthrow “7 countries in 5 years.”

General Wesley Clark describes what happened on Sept. 20, 2001, shortly after 9/11.

“About ten days after 9/11, I went through the Pentagon and I saw Secretary Rumsfeld and Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz. I went downstairs just to say hello to some of the people on the Joint Staff who used to work for me, and one of the generals called me in. He said, “Sir, you’ve got to come in and talk to me a second.” I said, “Well, you’re too busy.” He said, “No, no.” He says, “We’ve made the decision we’re going to war with Iraq.” This was on or about the 20th of September. I said, “We’re going to war with Iraq? Why?” He said, “I don’t know.” He said, “I guess they don’t know what else to do.” So I said, “Well, did they find some information connecting Saddam to al-Qaeda?” He said, “No, no.” He says, “There’s nothing new that way. They just made the decision to go to war with Iraq.” He said, “I guess it’s like we don’t know what to do about terrorists, but we’ve got a good military and we can take down governments.” And he said, “I guess if the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem has to look like a nail.”

The seven countries, by the way, are Iraq, Syria (which has recently experienced the toppling of its leader Bashar al-Assad), Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Iran. By this time in 2001 the US was already bombing in Afghanistan.

And lately, Iran has been in the news as another possible war zone.

That’s how the system works.

Balance must be restored

We all know about the various wars that have been fought across the planet. These wars are almost exclusively created by First World elites looking to make more money for themselves. Establishing democracy? That’s just so much bullshit.

Everyone knows this. I’m not saying anything new here; I’m just venting at those who keep defending this system, even in 2025, when everyone should know better.

Should we be concerned about the dismantling of USAID, or other government bureaucracies? Well, this rotten, murderous system has been in place far too long. If a little excessive cost- and personnel-cutting occurs (at places like USAID, the State Department, and the CIA) it’s a price worth paying. And at other bureaucracies that support the system.

The First World has been living off the labor and exploiting the resources of the Third World for far too long.

That’s why the Global South movement is gaining so much steam.

Balance must be restored if humanity wants peace on earth.