EDGE Winter 08 Presentation 7

Trade and The Environment January 2008Presentation 7: 

Trade and The Environment January 2008 Presentation 7 The End of the Roman Empire Witch Hunts and the Spanish Inquisition Colonial Trade Routes Colonial Ownership of Africa Tribal Communities in Africa 50 years of Independence Angola and Nigeria with oil wealth Fall of the dollar amid the rise of world trade

Middle “Dark” Ages500-1000 AD: 

Middle “Dark” Ages 500- 1000 AD

Witch Hunts 1450-1700: 

Witch Hunts 1450-1700 The classical period of witch-hunts in Europe falls into the Early Modern period or about 1450 to 1700, spanning the upheavals of the Reformation and the Thirty Years’ War, resulting in tens of thousands of executions

Spanish Inquisition1478 AD : 

Spanish Inquisition 1478 AD The Spanish Inquisition was established in 1478 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella of Castile to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms and was under the direct control of the Spanish monarchy. It was not definitively abolished until 1834, during the reign of Isabel II. The Inquisition, as an ecclesiastical tribunal, had jurisdiction only over baptized Christians. However, since Jews (in 1492) and Muslim Moors (in 1502) had been banished from Spain, jurisdiction of the Inquisition during a large part of its history extended in practice to all royal subjects. The Inquisition worked in large part to ensure the orthodoxy of recent converts known as conversos or marranos.

Colonial Trade Routes: 

Colonial Trade Routes

Colonial Age Africa: 

Colonial Age Africa Map showing European territorial claims on the African continent in 1914

Distribution of Muslim Religion in Africa2005: 

Distribution of Muslim Religion in Africa 2005

BoboAshantiZuluMaasai: 

Bobo Ashanti Zulu Maasai Afar The Afar people live primarily in Ethiopia and the areas of Eritrea, Djibouti, and Somalia in the Horn of Africa.   The Anlo-Ewe people are today in the southeastern corner of the Republic of Ghana. They settled here around 1474 after escaping from their past home of Notsie.   The Amhara are the politically and culturally dominant ethnic group of Ethiopia. They are located primarily in the central highland plateau of Ethiopia and comprise the major population element in the provinces of Begemder and Gojjam and in parts of Shoa and Wallo.   The Ashanti live in central Ghana in western Africa approximately 300km. away from the coast. The Ashanti are a major ethnic group of the Akans in Ghana, a fairly new nation, barely more than 50 years old.  

From Mbale to Abayudaya- The African Jewish tribe, Uganda, East Africa: 

From Mbale to Abayudaya- The African Jewish tribe, Uganda, East Africa The Bakongo people (aka. the Kongo) dwell along the Atlantic coast of Africa from Pointe-Noire, Congo (Brazzaville) to Luanda, Angola.   The Bambara are a large Mande racial group located mostly in the country of Mali. They are the largest and most dominant group in that country.   The Bemba are located in the northeastern part of Zambia and are the largest ethnic group in the Northern Province of Zambia.   Berbers have lived in Africa since the earliest recorded time. References date back to 3000 BC. There are many scattered tribes of Berber across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt.  

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The Bobo peple have lived in western Burkina Faso and Mali for centuries. They are known for their masks which are worn with elaborate outfits for celebrations. Primarily agricultral people they also cultivate cotton which they use to trade with others.   The 'Bushmen' are the oldest inhabitants of southern Africa, where they have lived for at least 20,000 years. Their home is in the vast expanse of the Kalahari desert.   The Chewa, also known as the Cewa or Chichewa is an African culture that has existed since the beginning of the first millennium, A.D. They are primarily located in Zambia, Zimbabwe, with the bulk of the population in Malawi.   The Dogon are a cliff-dwelling people who live in Southeastern Mali and Burkina Faso. Among the people groups in Africa they are unique in that they have kept and continued to develop their own culture even in the midst of Islamic invasions which have conquered and adapted many of the current people groups

Rural Tribes: 

Rural Tribes The Fang are especially known for their guardian figures which they attached to wooden boxes containing bones of the ancestors. The bones, by tradition, are said to contain the power of the dead person, in fact, the same amount of power that the person had while still alive.   The Fon of Benin, originally called Dahomey until 1975, are from West Africa. The Fon are said to have originated in the area of Tado, a town in Tago, at approximately the same latitude as Abomey, Benin.   The Fulani people of West Africa are the largest nomadic group in the world, primarily nomadic herders and traders. Through their nomadic lifestyle, they established numerous trade routes in West Africa.   from Nigerian the Ibos live in villages that have anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand people comprised of numerous extended families.

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Having migrated to their current location about four centuries ago, the Kikuyu now make up Kenya’s largest ethnic group.   The Maasai, famous as herders and warriors, once dominated the plains of East Africa. Now however they are confined to a fraction of their former range.   The Mandinka are an ethnic group that live in West Africa, primarily Senegal, Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau, but some also live in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Cote d'Ivoire.   There are many different 'Pygmy' peoples – for example, the Bambuti, the Batwa, the Bayaka and the Bagyeli ('Ba -' means 'people') – who live scattered over a huge area in central and western Africa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Congo (Brazzaville), Cameroon, Gabon, Central African Republic, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda. The Samburu are related to the Masai although they live just above the equator where the foothills of Mount Kenya merge into the northern desert and slightly south of Lake Turkana in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya.

Great Zimbabwe S.Africa1200-1500 AD : 

Great Zimbabwe S.Africa 1200-1500 AD The Senufo are a group of people living in northern Cote d'Ivoire and Mali. They are known as excellent farmers and are made up of a number of different groups who moved south to Mali and Cote d'Ivoire in the 15 and 16th centuries.   The Tuareg people are predominently nomadic people of the sahara desert, mostly in the Northern reaches of Mali near Timbuktu and Kidal.   The Wolof are one of the largest people groups that inhabit modern-day Senegal. They live anywhere from the desert area of the Sahara to the rain forests. Traditionally many Wolof lived in small villages governed by an extended family unit but now most Wolof move to cities where they are able to get jobs.   The Yoruba people live in Southwest Nigeria and Benin. They have developed a variety of different artistic forms including pottery, weaving, beadwork, metalwork, and mask making.   The Zulu are the largest ethnic group in South Africa. They are well known for their beautiful brightly colored beads and baskets as well as other small carvings.

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Angola History The earliest people of the area were Khoisan hunter-gatherers. They were largely replaced by Bantu tribes during Bantu migrations, though small numbers of Khoisan remain in parts of southern Angola to the present day. The geographical areas now designated as Angola first became the subject to incursions by Europeans in the late 15th century. In 1483 Portugal established a base at the river Congo, where the Kongo State, Ndongo and Lunda existed. The Kongo State stretched from modern Gabon in the north to the Kwanza River in the south. In 1575 Portugal established a colony at Cabinda based on slave trade. Before the beginning of the Atlantic slave trade, slavery was practiced in Africa by many indigenous peoples. The African slave trade provided a large number of black slaves to Europeans and their African agents. For example, in what is now current day Angola, the Imbangala had economies which were heavily focused on the slave trade.[1][2] The Portuguese gradually took control of the coastal strip throughout the sixteenth century by a series of treaties and wars forming the country of Angola. The Dutch occupied Luanda from 1641 to 1648, where they allied with local peoples to consolidate their colonial rule against the remaining Portuguese resistance.

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Territories gaining independence after WW II

African EconomicCommunity: 

African Economic Community

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Angola is divided into eighteen provinces (províncias) and 163 municipalities.[10] The provinces are: Bengo Benguela Bié Cabinda Cuando Cubango Cuanza Norte Cuanza Sul Cunene Huambo Huila Luanda Lunda Norte Lunda Sul Malanje Moxico Namibe Uíge Zaire

From the Angola Website: why invest in Angola: 

From the Angola Website: why invest in Angola Oil - The major product and source of foreign currency earnings. A modern industry, using up-to-date technology, offering a high degree of profitability. Diamonds - Angola is a source of top quality gemstones, and the Lundas region is one of the most important diamond-producing areas in the world. Minerals - It is estimated that the subsoil contains 35 of the 45 most important minerals in the world trade. Fishing - With an extensive coastline, rich in shellfish and a variety of highly-prized fish species, Angola's fishing industry is in the process of being re-established and offers great potential. Agriculture - Thanks to its extensive river system and varied environment, Angola has enormous potential for the production of tropical and subtropical crops. Energy - Angola has great hydro electrical potential thanks to its network of large fast-flowing rivers. Coffee - Certain regions of Angola have ideal climatic conditions for the production of high quality coffee. Timber - As yet unexploited forests covers 43% of Angolan territory, with particular valuable species in Cabinda. The extensive river system facilitates transport. Hotel and Tourist Industry - Hundreds of hotels to be restored or constructed. Beach, River and mountain Tourism offering all types of fishing: hunting reserves and natural parks. Construction and Public Works - A whole country to be rebuilt.

Angola Press Agency (Luanda) 11 January 2008: 

Angola Press Agency (Luanda) 11 January 2008 Angolan head of State, José Eduardo dos Santos, said Thursday in Luanda that the terrorist actions and the great instability they cause in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other places of the world, should be on the agenda of all diplomats and of the Civil Society. Many of these actions are so serious that constitute a series threat to peace and international security, said the head of State while receiving new year compliments from the diplomatic corps accredited to Angola. The president also expressed concern at the "wars for dispute for power in certain regions of Africa, the damaging consequences of the global atmosphere warming by the most industrialised countries, the endemic diseases and pandemics that hit the most undeveloped countries, famine and misery that afflict several peoples, because of unfair commercial relations between the richer and the poorer countries". According to the president, it is now noted, with satisfaction, that the resolution of conflicts is at the centre of attentions both of the African Union and of the United Nations Organisations that join their effort to eradicate them. Even there where there is major difficulties, like in Sudan, in Somalia and East of DRC, "we have the conviction that there could be a positive solution, should in fact there be appropriate pressure from the international community and all intervening parties finalise political fair political accords and respect them", he said. It is particularly urgent an African Union and International Community action in Kenya, in order to avoid a dangerous deterioration of the situation, restore order, fight fraud and defend the democratic system. Through a constructive dialogue and combined measures, he said, it is possible to take into account the legitimate concerns and interest of all parties involved and find fair and lasting solutions.

Angola: President Eduardo Dos Santos Invited to Visit Japan15 January 2008: 

Angola: President Eduardo Dos Santos Invited to Visit Japan 15 January 2008 Head of State, Chefe de Estado, José Eduardo dos Santos, invited to visit Japan to strengthen relations Angolan head of State, José Eduardo dos Santos, Tuesday in Luanda was invited to visit Japan this year, as part of the effort to strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries. Senator Tetsuro Yano who is in Luanda since Tuesday, as an envoy of the Japanese prime minister, Yasuo Fukuda, announced the fact after the ceremony of signing of Exchange of Notes on the project of rehabilitation of the Lobito and Namibe ports, estimated at three million US Dollars. Speaking to the press, the Japanese diplomat that has been to Angola for 18 times (the first in 1994), expressed satisfaction at the level of development the country has scored in five years of peace. In her turn, Angolan deputy Foreign minister for Cooperation, Irene Neto, who signed the document, said the project of rehabilitation of the two ports is intended to elevate the country's logistic capacity, at a crucial moment the process of reconstruction requires an openness to the world.

Nigeria: 

Nigeria The empirical truth is that all modern societies aspire to attain economic development through industrialization.  But, there can be no industrialization without adequate energy and power supply, mass transportation and security; there can be no industrial development unless there is food security – obtainable through an appropriate land distribution system; there can be none unless there are adequate job opportunities and unless the masses of the people are educated. These are the key components of Yar’ Adua’s seven-point agenda, as provided for in the 2008 budget.

Economist urges GCC to drop dollar peg 1/27/2008 Source ::: The Peninsula/ By Nasser al-Harthy: 

Economist urges GCC to drop dollar peg 1/27/2008 Source ::: The Peninsula/ By Nasser al-Harthy Doha • Gulf currencies should look at alternatives to pegging to a dollar which is weakening, according to a prominent American economist. "With the dollar weakening, you are tying yourself to a policy of devaluing relative to the euro. It is not probably a policy that you really want to do. If the dollar was a more stable currency that would be one thing, but the dollar is becoming a more unstable currency and it does not make sense to peg to a currency that is unstable," Professor Joseph E Stiglitz told The Peninsula. Professor Stiglitz, who is 2001 Nobel Prize Winner in Economics, gave a keynote address on global economic trends and strategies for industrialization at the recently concluded GCC 11th Industrialists Conference in Abu Dhabi. "The global market, the global economy will slow down, but not as much as the US, because there are other sources of strength particularly China. The issue is not so much to what would happen to US, but what would happen to the global market," he said. The Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] was established in an agreement concluded on 25 May 1981 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE. These countries declared that the GCC is established in view of the special relations between them, their similar political systems based on Islamic beliefs, joint destiny and common objectives.

'Council of Sages' Advises Zapatero: 

'Council of Sages' Advises Zapatero On Friday and Saturday a panel of international experts enthusiastically counseled the Spanish Socialists on key electoral issues ranging from economic growth to social integration, from energy renewal to democratic reform. Yet the most important advice Zapatero received from the "Council of Sages" — as the media dubbed the Prime Minister's Advisory Committee of Progressive Intellectuals — may have been less about the substance of his platform than the manner in which he and his party deliver it. The Committee, designed to bring fresh ideas and test old ones, is part of Zapatero's bid to sustain the momentum of his government's efforts at reform. Made up of 14 world-renowned experts — including Nobel Prize-winning American economist Joseph Stiglitz; Australian anti-nuclear expert and Nobel Laureate Helen Caldicott; ex-Senior Vice-President of the World Bank, Nicolas Stern; and Maria Joao Rodrigues, an architect of the E.U.'s Lisbon Agenda — the council offered a slate of ideas that, if put into action, would position Spain on the cutting edge of international, environmental, economic and social justice policy. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero, left, and his Portuguese counterpart Jose Socrates enjoy a break during the two-day Portugal/Spain summit.

Chavez urges S. America to withdraw reserves from U.S: 

Chavez urges S. America to withdraw reserves from U.S CARACAS, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez urged South American countries on Saturday to withdraw their international reserves in U.S. banks citing a looming recession faced by the world power.     Chavez, who was presiding over the Bolivarian Alternative Summit of the Americas (ALBA), said South American countries should bring back their reserves since the United States is facing an imminent recession.     Otherwise, all South America could be plunged into this crisis, the president said, adding that Latin America could better take care of its own business. His remarks came as leaders from Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Cuba, all ALBA members, gathered in the Venezuelan capital for the summit, during which the establishment of a development bank would be discussed, according to Venezuelan official sources.     The bank has a startup capital of 1 billion to 1.5 billion U.S. dollars and related documents might be signed during the meeting, the sources said.     The ALBA was initiated by Chavez in 2001 aimed at promoting cooperation and integration among Latin American and the Caribbean countries in trade and economy.     The latest move came shortly after the Bank of the South was formally founded on Dec. 9, 2007 in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires by seven South American countries, including Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Uruguay, Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay.     The Bank of South is designed to provide financing to South American countries and seen as a counterweight to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Investing in “BRIC” 2008 AD: 

Investing in “BRIC” 2008 AD BRIC or BRICs are terms used in economics to refer to the combination of Brazil, Russia, India, and China. General consensus is that the term was first prominently used in a thesis of the Goldman Sachs investment bank.[1] The main point of this 2003 paper was to argue that the economies of the BRICs are rapidly developing and by the year 2050 will eclipse most of the current richest countries of the world. Finally, because of the popularity of the Goldman Sachs thesis "BRIC" and "BRIMC"[2][3] (M for Mexico), these terms are also extended to "BRICS" (S for South Africa), "BRICA" (GCC Arab countries – Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE)[4] and "BRICET" (including Eastern Europe and Turkey)[5] have become more generic marketing terms to refer to these emerging markets.

Ecuador Prioritizes Mining, Oil: 

Ecuador Prioritizes Mining, Oil Quito, Jan 28, 2008 (Prensa Latina) Changes in the oil and mining sectors are the Ecuadorian government's top priorities on Monday, aimed at increasing income and guaranteeing that those resources are State-run. President Rafael Correa has given a 45-day term for the conclusion of renegotiations of contracts with foreign oil companies with investments in the country. Over the weekend, Correa deplored plundering in the sector in which previous social-Christian governments changed the modalities of agreements to the detriment of the Ecuadorian people. The president offered three choices to the entities: sign agreements for the provision of services, keep delivering 99 percent of surplus income resulting from the costly commercialization of oil, or end their operations. Referring to the last choice, he pointed out the State promises to return investment funds, and Petroecuador state oil company will assume exploitation of those fields.

Vladimir Putin may become Dmitry Medvedev’s successor at Gazprom 30.01.2008: 

Vladimir Putin may become Dmitry Medvedev’s successor at Gazprom 30.01.2008 Many observers say that there will not be a major confrontation held during the presidential election in Russia on March 2. First Vice Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will most likely replace Vladimir Putin on the top state position. Putin in his turn will chair the government. However, it is still unclear who will chair the Board of Directors of Russia’s natural gas giant Gazprom. It is Dmitry Medvedev who takes the position at the moment. If he becomes Russia’s next president he will not be able to stay at Gazprom. It is worthy of note that Gazprom’s administration will have to approve the new list of candidates to its Board of Directors on February 4. The annual meeting of Gazprom’s shareholders is slated to take place on June 27. Gazprom is the largest Russian company. Gazprom is the biggest extractor of natural gas in the world With sales of US$31 billion in 2004. It accounts for about 93 percent of Russian natural gas production; with reserves of 28,800 km3, it controls 16 percent of the world's gas reserves (as of 2004, including the Shtokman field.) After acquisition of the oil company Sibneft, Gazprom, with 119 billion barrels of reserves, ranks behind only Saudi Arabia, with 263 billion barrels, and Iran, with 133 billion barrels, as the world's biggest owner of oil and oil equivalent in natural gas.