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GLOBALIZATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT OF THE THIRD WORLD
Journal of Third World Studies, Spring 2005 by Irogbe, Kema
In another article, Laolu Akande has confirmed the above findings by indicating that the United States may have been developing a clear definitive military blue print for the protection of its citizens and those of its prime ally, Great Britain, and their oil investments in Nigeria in case there is the need to do so, if and when the security of the oil producing Niger Delta is once again threatened. A workshop, under the auspices of the Army War College in Carlisle in the State of Pennsylvania, U.S. A., designed exclusively forthe U.S. citizens included the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria as well as personnel from the U.S. State Department, CIA and other military intelligence, representatives of oil companies that operate in Nigeria and other civilian experts. A topnotch U.S. consultancy firm, Cohen and Woods, organized the workshop for the Defense Department. Henry Cohen was a U.S. secretary during the presidency of George Bush, Sr., and James Wood is a retired Pentagon policy chief for Africa. They both own and run the firm.14 The handover of Nigeria's military institution to the Americans is unprecedented especially when viewed against Nigeria's past. It should be noted that the massive protests in 1963 to the proposed Anglo-Nigeria Defense Pact under Balewa and the horrendous Nigeria's civil war that the country fought with imported arms and political support did not involve any defense pact with any foreign power. There are two compelling explanations why President Obasanjo has entered such an agreement? One theory is that the present government under the new democratic dispensation in Nigeria was uncertain about the intention of the military given the history of Nigeria's military coups to forestall democracy. Another theory may relate to America's desire to see a balance of power in the region. By balance of power, we mean the notion that the United States did not want to see the country become more powerful than its neighboring West African states to ensure the political stability of the region. In any case, the objective is clear: the local elite as an appendage to the exploitation of the oppressed in Nigeria is allied with global capitalism under the tutelage of MNCs for the protection of their oil investments in the country.
Some apologists for globalization contend that MNCs are so angelic that they would be willing to transfer technology to their host countries (mostly the underdeveloped countries). One of the most noted examples of this myth involved the Indian government and the Coca-Cola Corporation. The Indian government demanded that if Coca-Cola wished to continue operating its subsidiary in India, it had to provide India with the composition of the closely guarded secret formula for the cola syrup that Coca-Cola used in its most famous product. Coca-Cola declined and ended its Indian operations.15 Common sense dictates that technology is never willingly transferred but is either stolen or self-acquired. What would have happened if Coca-Cola had shared the secret formula with India? The government of India would have then established a similar corporation to compete with Coca-Cola. That would have undermined the goal of Coca-Cola of accentuating monopoly so that it can achieve the bottom line, i.e., maximization of profit. More importantly, the relationships between the MNCs and the underdeveloped countries are usually asymmetric. The underdeveloped countries want to have joint ventures and thus attain equal partnerships, but the corporations such as the Coca-Cola in India preferred the host countries to play a subordinate role, or even no role at all.
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