An Enduring Tradition

Politics and corruption seem to go hand-in-hand, an inseparable duo that plagues virtually every political jurisdiction on earth. It ranges from the crass “sex for oil” scandal that hit the Department of Interior in 2008 to down-and-dirty bribery. We have our local “heroes,” in almost every state in the land. Illinois, Michigan, Louisiana and Alaska grabbed the recent national headlines, but the global impact of this menace-to-society is perhaps the greatest contributor to conflict and poverty imaginable.

The Transparency International Barometer, looking at 2007, conducted regional surveys to see what percentages of respondents were asked to pay a bribe for a government permission or service. The numbers ranged from around 4-7% for North America and European Union countries, on up to almost 20% in Latin America, over 20% in Asia-Pacific to almost 45% in Africa. Those are numbers, but the consequential impact on lives and human suffering has been profound.

If Fatah had not been so corrupt, could Hamas have taken hold in Palestine ? While Hamas was unseated on the West Bank, the explosion of violence in Gaza can be directly linked with Hamas’ ascension to power in that region. Corruption of the incumbent Fatah, leaders on the take with huge Swiss bank accounts, gave this terrorist group “legitimacy” with its constituency, who now watch Israeli vengeance counter Hamas’ decision to rain rocket-fire on Israeli civilians.

Islamic fundamentalism is as much a reaction to regional corruption as it is an effort to foster purely religious beliefs. Iran’s very creation in 1979 – into a totalitarian Islamic republic – was a reaction against the corrupt and opulent life-style of the American-supported Shah and those who were blessed with his benefits.

Mexico rages in a drug war, where 8% of the local governments are directly in control of an ample supply of drug lords. Police officers are “for sale” all over the country. Almost every region in Mexico is plagued with this drug violence, and the tight control of wealth by an elite cadre of “families” of the mega-wealthy plus the drug kingpins – the government seems only to do their bidding – means that whatever wealth is generated in Mexico somehow never finds its way to the common people. Plans for schools, hospitals, infrastructure and industry fall into the background as the rich build walls, surrounded with armed guards (even mercenaries), avoid paying taxes and hoard their wealth.

The story of most of Latin America seems to mirror Mexico’s tale to one degree or another. Populist autocrats and their cronies live opulent lives on the squalor of those who elected them. South Asian Pakistan would fit in well into this Latin American philosophy. Where is the hope when the money needed for national growth is siphoned into the pockets of those who really do not need more?

Even charitable aid, sacks of food, clothing and medical supplies provided by richer nations or the United Nations to poor nations around the world, finds its way onto the black market, having been “diverted” through corruption into the hands of those who will sell that which was provided to aid the sick and the poor. We see this scenario repeated everywhere, but particularly in savage Africa, where the violent quest for political power is almost always accompanied by a thirst for mineral rights, oil revenues or some other pot of wealth. However unjustified, piracy has even become an economic necessity for Somalia, where corrupt leaders have plundered an already desolate land.

China and Russia , both fiercely capitalistic in recent years despite their heritage, face empowered and corrupt bureaucrats who draw the harsh dividing line between those who have money and power and the masses that do not. Russia seems like the “same old” Soviet-era leadership, with power distributed to friends willing to share the wealth, under an autocratic government masquerading as a democracy.

At least in China, the senior leadership – reeling from scandals over contaminated exports – understands the magnitude and scope of the problem that is so culturally embedded in this global powerhouse and is attempting to deal with this overwhelming problem as best they can. The January 12^th Los Angeles Times: “Corruption, though, is a pervasive problem in China. The Communist Party leadership, seeing the lawlessness as a threat to its survival, is cracking down. From 2003 to 2007, officials investigated almost 20,000 commercial bribery cases involving state workers, China's procurator-general reported. The amount involved is about $500 million.”

American foreign policy has long relied on such empty slogans like “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” or “you’re either with us or against us” without questioning the bona fides of many of our purported “allies” in power. Our willingness to champion and defend tyrants simply because they do what we want has done much to elevate militant fundamentalism, which in turn now threatens our very existence.

Until a few years ago, countries like Germany and France allowed companies to deduct bribes to foreign officials against their domestic taxes. Pressure from the United States , which applies its Foreign Corrupt Practices Act to its residents and nationals no matter where they do business, removed that formerly sanctioned process. But to this day, not bribing local officials often means that companies have absolutely no chance of winning lucrative contract or creating significant business opportunities, as many governments (even in the West) turn a blind eye on their citizens’ bribery of distant officials.

When you look at our own history of corruption, it is easy to see how often our own elected or appointed officials have traded political favors for hard cash and “gifts” to line their personal pockets. Hard to imagine a world without political corruption – some may claim it is Darwinism at its most basic, raw state – but as long as corruption remains the dominant political force on earth, we can expect to see more fundamentalism, more anger, and desperate acts from impoverished people with nothing left to lose.

I’m Peter Dekom, and I approve this message.