MUCH HAS been said about His Excellency’s trips to the Middle East, some very unflattering. One section claimed that these trips could endanger Guyana’s standing in the International arena, taking into account that the ‘war on terror/for oil’ is being fought in that region.
There is no need to delve into the genocide and the illegal occupation that is happening in that region by the ‘Global Police’. This is well known and well documented. However, Guyana cannot charter its foreign policy to suit the whims and fancies of this nation, or any other, and it is in this context that the President’s Middle East trips ought to be viewed.
Guyana has rightly sought alliances with nations who have been insulated from the global credit crunch. These nations are Muslim, and with about 12% of Guyana’s population (and growing) being Muslims, such alliances can only be in Guyana’s interest.
Further, these countries own the largest sovereign wealth funds, and so they literally have ‘money like sand’, which they can give away. Unlike the countries who are trying to gain a foot in the Middle East in order to rape those countries of their resources, the Arabs by nature are a contented and very generous people.
Guyana has established diplomatic ties with Kuwait, which has already served Guyana’s interests, with a number of agreements being signed that will lead to more development. A Kuwaiti delegation is expected in Guyana shortly to further solidify this friendship, which will again be in Guyana’s interests. All of this and more is due to none other than astute thinking and leadership; that of His Excellency, President Bharrat Jagdeo.