Newspaper Page Text
February, 1980 - New National BLACK MONITOR
A Close-Up View Os Third World Events.... And What They Mean To You
Focus On Rapidly
Shifting Images
International...
f o a n o afca ra) )
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The rapidly changing events in the
Middle East—and elsewhere in the Third
World—during this winter have brought,
via television and other media, dramatically
altered images as to the dignity and place in
world affairs of Third World nations.
While no one would disagree, as an exam
ple, that the U.S. position on the hostages is
correct from an international law point of
view, the people that have been long denied
justice and fairplay in the past are making it
clear—in perhaps the only way that they
feel it is possible to do so —that other un
redressed issues must be faced.
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Some have even held the thought that at
perhaps no time since the invention of
printing’s moveable type have media im
pressions upon the mindset of the world
been so dramatic.
More than the Iranian student-staged
“media event” at the U.S. Embassy has
been involved. There has been the impact of
the sight of millions dying in Cambodia, a
scene which some of the distrustful have
held to have been rigged in favor of Ameri
can foreign policy interests. (The cynics
have called attention —on the apparently
few times that attention could be com
manded—to the tragic “boat people” of
Haiti, where almost no outpouring of pub
lic sympathy or interest has arisen, despite
the direct involvement of our own state of
Florida and our territorial waters.)
On The International Scene On The National Scene
MONITOR Microscope
Involved in a central way also in the shift
ing impact internationally of Third World
images has been the recent Lancaster House
Conference in London, which masterfully
engineered Zimbabwe Rhodesia’s momen
tary return to British colonial status.
Much of the Iranian aspect of the image
changing took place at the United nations.
When it quickly became apparent that the
United States could not immediately con
front Iran with any kind of military force
and free its captives, the United States
government reluctantly was forced to turn
for assistance from the United Nations.
Those who witnessed the proceedings saw
some almost unbelievable and unforget
table images unfold. There was perhaps
first the scene of U.S. Senator Frank
Church, of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, leading a Congressional delega
tion to watch and monitor the United Na
tions debate on Iranian release of the
hostages. To the great credit of the U.S.
delegation, we did make it clear that we
would be willing to listen to Iran’s grievan
ces after the release of the hostages. Our
regal treatment of the Shah, however, ne
gated this stated good intention in the minds
of many. The U.S. mood was crisp.
This included sharp warnings that unless
the United Nations was immediately effec
tive in the releasing of the U.S. hostages in
Teheran, the U.S. might drastically curtail
its financial support of the world body.
There was a general sense that the United
States was in some way demeaned by having
to turn to the United Nations Security
Council for help.
While some members of the U.S. Con
gress expected only few, if any, positive
results from the extraordinary session of the
Security Council, the projection of the
actual debate on television screens and by
the press exploded and demolished —per-
haps for many years to come—the impres
sions of weakness, frivolity and incompe
tence by the leadership of Third World
Nations. Several of these leaders went to
great lengths to show their regard for the
unredressed grievances that must be faced,
apart from the question of the hostages.
At both the United Nations itself (and
also at the World Court at the Hague,
Netherlands), Third World leaders held
firmly to what the media had portrayed in
the past as “anti-American” lines, while
upholding with diplomatic distinction the
principles favoring the prompt release of
the U.S. captives.
KW
Gone, then, as quickly as a flash, was the
general American sense of a “bushman’s
mentality” among the Third World na
tions, along with the incompetence and
irresponsibility among the largely dark
skinned delegates to the United Nations.
Fine minds and diplomatic savoir-faire were
evident, along with the apparent aptness of
attitude and action symbolized by the
French expression “/<? mot juste" (signify
ing just the precise and delicately defined
word or act) which a situation might re
quire).
Suddenly, black Africans and other
darker-skinned peoples had become sophis
ticated! From a diplomatic point of view,
the U.S. for the moment realized the for
midable power resident within the world
body, and the U.S. was forced to accede to
the constraints of what could only be as
sessed as a highly responsible world and
Third World opinion.
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In London, the historic negotiations on
the transition of Zimbabwe Rhodesia pro
vided a forum of unprecedented propor
tions for black African leaders.
Hailed as “guerrillas,” and perceived as
half-civilized and irresponsible “outlaws,”
what the world saw in the leadership of the
Patriotic Front was immensely shattering.
The sophisticated minds of both Robert
Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo were indelibly
evident to all. The altogether positive im
pression in this respect only set the stage for
the world impact of the overarching dignity
of both men, and of the almost uniquely
commanding and portly presence of Mr.
Nkomo.
Few, if any, U.S. diplomats or politicians
might have been seen as having the com®
mensurate grace or the readily perceived
brilliance of these two figures.
* * *
National...
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The national impact of recent interna
tional events was deepened perhaps even
more dramatically by the early winter pub
licizing of the major U.S. dependence upon
Nigerian oil.
When the nations of OPEC (or represen
tatives of oil-producing export countries)
were frantically debating whether or not to
raise the price of oil to premium levels,
Nigeria calmly announced that its prices
would remain the highest. The United
States is Nigeria’s major oil customer, and
America’s continued ability to extricate
itself from the Middle East’s “oil captivity”
•••••••••••••• (Continued on page 6.)