Mainstream Media 'Mourns' Odinga, Omits US Role in Kenyan Instability
Four people killed in Nairobi as security forces fire on crowds mourning opposition leader Raila Odinga, per Guardian World . Odinga, a 'veteran opposition leader' who died in India, received considerable attention. What this framing conveniently sidesteps is the long, documented history of the U.S. and other Western powers propping up authoritarian regimes in Kenya, often to counter perceived
'socialist' threats, undermining democratic institutions for decades. This created the very environment where popular leaders like Odinga could be repeatedly thwarted. So, while we're meant to lament 'chaotic scenes,' perhaps we should also ask why these scenes keep repeating. When the US government pours billions into security forces and 'stability initiatives' in countries it earlier
destabilized through Cold War politics and structural adjustment programs, is it really 'mourning' that's happening, or just the predictable harvest of a long-sown wind?