US neo-colonialism disguised as reconstruction

In order for the US to better handle any future foreign disasters, the State Department set up the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS). Here's the blurb from the S/CRS homepage:

Failing and post-conflict states pose one of the greatest national and international security challenges of our day, threatening vulnerable populations, their neighbors, our allies, and ourselves. On August 5, 2004, Secretary Powell announced the creation of the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS) to enhance our nation's institutional capacity to respond to crises involving failing, failed, and post-conflict states and complex emergencies. Ambassador Carlos Pascual serves as the Coordinator.

S/CRS has a core mission: To lead, coordinate and institutionalize U.S. Government civilian capacity to prevent or prepare for post-conflict situations, and to help stabilize and reconstruct societies in transition from conflict or civil strife, so they can reach a sustainable path toward peace, democracy and a market economy.

International coordination is amongst the S/CRS's core objectives. Specifically:

The Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization will:

•Work with international partners to develop a shared understanding of responsibilities, means for collaboration, and burden sharing.

•Increase efficiency and reduce redundancy in reconstruction and stabilization operations, adding value to existing capabilities and increasing overall effectiveness of multilateral efforts.

•Key international partners:
--United Nations (e.g. DPKO, DPA, OCHA, UNDP, UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP)
--EU
--IFIs (World Bank, IMF, regional banks)
--G-8
--Regional organizations
--Country partners

Sound's great doesn't it, the good old US of A planning ahead to help future disaster victims through coordinated international effort? Sure, the program isn't totally altruistic but foreigners in need stand to benefit. Or, maybe not.

Naomi Klein sees the S/CRS as something sinister, a neo-colonialist plot:

Last summer, in the lull of the August media doze, the Bush Administration's doctrine of preventive war took a major leap forward. On August 5, 2004, the White House created the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization, headed by former US Ambassador to Ukraine Carlos Pascual. Its mandate is to draw up elaborate "post-conflict" plans for up to twenty-five countries that are not, as of yet, in conflict. According to Pascual, it will also be able to coordinate three full-scale reconstruction operations in different countries "at the same time," each lasting "five to seven years."

Fittingly, a government devoted to perpetual pre-emptive deconstruction now has a standing office of perpetual pre-emptive reconstruction.

Gone are the days of waiting for wars to break out and then drawing up ad hoc plans to pick up the pieces.

"We used to have vulgar colonialism," says Shalmali Guttal, a Bangalore-based researcher with Focus on the Global South. "Now we have sophisticated colonialism, and they call it 'reconstruction.'"

It certainly seems that ever-larger portions of the globe are under active reconstruction: being rebuilt by a parallel government made up of a familiar cast of for-profit consulting firms, engineering companies, mega-NGOs, government and UN aid agencies and international financial institutions.

So, according to Klein there's a massive conspiracy to bleed the third world dry. Read the whole thing, if you can – I kept drifting off but did manage to note the following regarding tsunami aid to Sri Lanka:

"We see this as a plan of action amidst the tsunami crisis to hand over the sea and the coast to foreign corporations and tourism, with military assistance from the US Marines."

Whatever.

The thing that most galls Klein is the western expectation that third world countries will make changes, notably, the privatization of public entities such as utilities. It seems reasonable that change is demanded of countries that cannot adequately look after their own and must go begging to the west.

I thought liberals were the ones who embrace change. Oh yeah, that's right, change is good only if people don't make money as a result. Power, not money, to the people. You know, like in Cuba, where the people reign supreme.