MacBain said the situation in Darfur is indeed dramatic and unjust, noting, "However, we have to ask: What have broader American policies achieved in Africa over the last decade? While the Bush administration deserves credit for allocating 9 billion US dollars to be invested in development and humanitarian aid, little has been done to structurally alter African economies – enabling them to become more independent – or African governance, facilitating the Rule of Law and social justice."
She added: " We have to stop pointing fingers at other nations, making symbolic and hurtful gestures, while not looking first at our own governments, our own policies and our own national ethos.
She went on to say, "We cannot continue to judge without the expectation of being judged back, or in this case, to further alienate China from engagement in meaningful multilateral peace talks for the region."
"What is more important for us," MacBain said, "is to remember how much China has accomplished over this period, and that while there is much more we should ask of China on the international stage, we also have to recognize that the harmonization of Chinese foreign policy with the traditions and principles of the West is an incremental process."
"China in its development needs to be patiently supported, and in this support we will find willing partners to solve a number of these pressing global problems," she said.
"We all have skeletons in our closets and we have to resist the urge to point fingers," she added.
"I, for one, will be in attendance to celebrate the Beijing 2008 Olympics. I hope to see you (Spielberg) there, too," MacBain said in conclusion.
Mrs. Louise Blouin MacBain owns 80 companies worldwide, publishes 60 magazines, and operates more than 400 kinds of publications and 60 websites in 20-plus countries.
(Xinhua News Agency March 5, 2008)
