Meer Ishaq

Understanding the social existence

Economic woes from Dakota to Balochistan

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By Haroon Shahwani
Published in Daily Balochistan Express 

Mothers and children trapped in poverty, rusted out factories, crime, gangs and drugs; this sorry picture of a poverty ridden country was drawn by Donald Trump to lament the miseries faced by the American people. Besides being the dominant military power, the United States is world’s largest economy. It is worth $18.5 trillion which makes up about 24.5% of global GDP. Out of the world’s 1,810 billionaires most are from the US, 540 to be exact. Despite these facts, a large part of its population is not just alienated from the giant economy but also endures the pitfalls of its expansion.

Like colonial Britain, today’s America is blamed for many of the world's problems, particularly for the crippled economies of underdeveloped regions. The US-led global economy is however as exploitative at home as it is observed anywhere else. The people of America too face some of the harsh economic realities which had shaped the bitter life of the underdeveloped nations for centuries. Trump’s era is going to highlight and perhaps to intensify many of such realities at home and abroad. The victims of American supremacy will find many brethren and sistren at the downside of the global economic expansion.

On his fourth day in office Trump gave the go ahead to two controversial projects, the Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines. The former is a proposed 1,897 km oil pipeline between Canada and the US while the letter is an 1,886 km long pipeline in the US which passes through its four different states. Obama administration had denied approval to the former while construction of latter was blocked at Lake Oahe after protests by indigenous people and rights activists.

Like any other mega economic initiative both the Keystone XL and the Dakota Access have their own proponents and opponents. For some the pipelines mean more jobs with economic growth and boost in oil and related industries. But for many others the pipelines are exploitation of the nature and its resources, and pose a threat to people’s rights. All along the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines there is a long tale of greedy corporate interests achieved over the cost of indigenous people’s rights and environmental degradation.

Native Americans, or Indian tribes are the indigenous people of the region including the US and Canada. Today’s states of America have been formed over the land occupied from these tribes over the course of centuries. The American history is bloodstained with events like the “Trail of Tears” where in a single incident over 16,000 natives were forcefully relocated, nearly half of them died along the way. The routes of Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines pass through lands inhabited by indigenous people. The pipelines being built without consent of these people have grown fears of a fresh wave of encroachment over their lands and lives.


Standing Rock Sioux tribe is leading the resistance camp against Dakota Access Pipeline along with over 200 other tribes. They are joined by a large number of environmentalists and human rights activists from across the region. According to Standing Rock movement the pipeline construction threatens entire ecosystems as the tribes fear to lose their food and water sources. The Missouri river region along the pipeline route is also home to some rare animal and plant species which are at stake. Despite the fact that the native people are first to bear the human cost of such constructions they are hardly taken onboard by the companies throughout the planning and execution process.

The Keystone XL project is a proposed expansion of an existing pipeline system that links Canadian Oil Sands to the US refineries. The pipeline if constructed would bisect the South Dakota state and cut through not only the tribal land but also their lives. The Keystone XL passes through the Ogallala Aquifer triggering fears of possible contamination of the water source. The Aquifer is a matter of life and death, not only for the tribes but also for the whole population living by it. The water source is one of world's largest aquifers. It provides 30% of water for US irrigation but currently is at risk partly due to pollution. It supplies over 80% drinking water of the surrounding area while lives of some tribes entirely depend on the aquifer. The Missouri river along Dakota Access route also poses similar threats of contamination and puts lives of over 17 million people at risk.

There has been resistance by the native tribes for their land and resources, and also by environmentalists over the climate change impacts of giant oil pipelines. For Dakota Access pipeline the native people were successful to move the authorities to consider their rights. Ex-President Obama while blocking the pipeline construction admitted that there is a way to accommodate rights of Native Americans. There would be indeed several possible ways if the rights of native people had higher priority than the economic boons and corporate interests. But again, America per se is no exception when it comes to the bitter realities of corporate interests which are largely to be blamed for violations of people’s rights globally.

The concerns of native people, fears of water contamination and environmental degradation are publicly brushed off citing the job prospects and economic growth of such giant projects. They do create jobs as local economy reaps some of the benefits but the real money goes to the big oil companies that hold undue influence on the policy makers. The Energy Transfer Partners, the parent company of Dakota Access pipeline has Donald Trump himself among its beneficiaries. On the other hand, the CEO of the company was among Trump’s donors who donated $100,000 to help him win presidential election.

This corporate hegemony enjoys complete impunity from the heart of the superpower America to the remotest and most impoverished regions of the world. From Dakota to Balochistan, the long tale of corporate exploitation and violation of people’s rights has been repeated over and over again. The failure to acknowledge the human and environmental costs of economic initiatives aligns the corporates against the people. For the influential proponents of the mega economic projects it is all about money and increasing wealth. But for the native people the loss of their lands is irreparable as they are robbed off not just their homes and livelihood but also their past and left helpless to face an uncertain future.

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