[England's bid, fronted by football icon David Beckham and two representatives of the state, Prince William and Prime Minister David Cameron, managed to garner just one vote besides its own in the first round, compared with Russia's nine. Perhaps Abramovich's was the more persuasive presence. FIFA's decisionmaking was never exactly a barometer of geopolitical power; Thursday's vote suggests that, more than ever, it follows the money. (See a brief history of the World Cup.)]
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Qatar's Emir, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, left, and Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov hold the World Cup trophy on Dec. 2, 2010, at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich Fabrice Coffrini / AFP / Getty Images |
After a secret ballot of 22 delegates in Zurich, FIFA, soccer's governing body, awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, respectively. The verdict came amid allegations of corruption and bribery ahead of the pivotal vote, with English and American commentators feeling particularly aggrieved. But TIME sees geopolitical trends at work in the success of the Russian and Qatari bids. (See pictures of past World Cup contenders.)
The Fall of the Anglo Consensus
A decade ago, a U.K.-U.S., one-two combination might have seemed an obvious choice for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Apart from being home to the world's most popular and lucrative soccer league, England has long cultivated an overblown sense of ownership over the game, never ceasing to point out that the English created soccer and that it spread throughout the world with their 19th century agents of empire. (Skeptics note that England has only once won the World Cup, compared with Brazil's five triumphs, Italy's four and Germany's three.) And in keeping with its tradition of improbably talking up the team's chances on the field every four years, the British press created the impression that hosting the 2018 World Cup was England's divine right. Meanwhile, U.S. soccer authorities have for some time been branding their country as the game's heir apparent: America boasts the largest pool of recreational soccer players, an overabundance of stadiums and the world's most multicultural fan base. But the automatic allure of both nations — in all arenas — has waned of late, not least because of recession and the shift of economic power toward emerging countries. FIFA's verdict (England's bid received just a measly two votes out of 22 — and one of the two was from its own delegate) is in small part a mark of that decline. (Read "Will China Be Ready to Host in 2026?")
Who Needs Democracy?
Both Russia and Qatar are ruled by strong, uncompromising governments — one steered by post-Soviet apparatchiks with the tacit backing of a tycoon oligarchy, and the other the hereditary bequest of a family that can trace itself back to pre-Islamic times. When the head honchos in Moscow or Doha set out to do something, they have a way of imposing their will (even if the Russian record of getting the trains running on time is a little spotty). Not so for real democracies. South Africa's preparations for what was eventually a remarkable 2010 World Cup were perpetually called into question in the face of strike threats and other logistical inefficiencies that can be commonplace in societies where dissent is part of the social fabric. The chaos that preceded India's Commonwealth Games this year turned New Delhi into a laughingstock — particularly when held up against the shimmering example of authoritarian Beijing's 2008 Olympics. With the recent boom of the Chinese and Russian economies, the appeal of a more authoritarian path to economic development and prosperity has gained some traction in the developing world. Who needs a totally free press or fair elections to guarantee a good show? (See pictures of World Cup 2010.)
The Withering Away of the State?
Karl Marx's predictions that the state would wither away under socialism were hardly proved true in the Soviet Union — if anything, the enfeebling of state power began with Russia's transition to crony capitalism under Boris Yeltsin, which set the tone for the "virtual mafia state" described by U.S. diplomats in WikiLeaked cables. Media observers who suggested, ahead of Thursday's vote, that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's decision to stay away from Zurich portended a setback for Russia's bid clearly missed the point: when the winners were announced, the cameras moved in close on the smiling face of the Russian bid's key patron, Roman Abramovich. Abramovich, of course, is a private citizen of Russia who occasionally finds himself in London. He's also the 50th richest man in the world, according to Forbes, having amassed a fortune in oil and aluminum interests in the rough and tumble of Russia's postcommunist privatization of state assets, becoming one of the country's most powerful oligarchs. In 2003, he acquired the London football club Chelsea and invested hundreds of millions of dollars in its success. He has also invested heavily in promoting Russian football, for example getting the legendary Dutch coach Guus Hiddink hired to run the national team and personally paying Hiddink's wages.
England's bid, fronted by football icon David Beckham and two representatives of the state, Prince William and Prime Minister David Cameron, managed to garner just one vote besides its own in the first round, compared with Russia's nine. Perhaps Abramovich's was the more persuasive presence. FIFA's decisionmaking was never exactly a barometer of geopolitical power; Thursday's vote suggests that, more than ever, it follows the money. (See a brief history of the World Cup.)
Petrodollars Talk
Russia's 2018 World Cup will take place in stadiums flung across a sprawling expanse of 1,500 miles, from the Polish border to the Urals. Qatar's will be the tiniest in the tournament's history — the country is 1,100 square miles smaller than Connecticut. But both bids have been bankrolled by energy resources. Abramovich has plowed billions of his own Siberian oil wealth into the sport, while other powerful state energy companies, like Gazprom, have considerable investments in soccer at home. Qatar sits atop 14% of the world's natural-gas reserves and, as a result, has a GDP per capita considerably higher than that of the U.S. During the financial crisis, the investment arm of Qatar's secretive sovereign wealth fund was able to splash some $30 billion on ailing Western banks, and it has a diverse portfolio of assets across the globe. A small chunk of its cash surplus will now go toward realizing Qatar's surreal, futuristic vision for its 2022 World Cup. All told, it's a far cry from the debt-ridden treasury in Washington or the U.K. counting its pennies while putting aircraft carriers up for auction. (Comment on this story.)
Terror's Not So Terrifying
The ability of the host country to provide security for hundreds of thousands of sports tourists has long been a key factor in deciding where FIFA will stage its flagship tournament. By that measure, Russia still looks a little dicey. Extremists from Chechnya and other restive territories in the Caucasus have repeatedly targeted public spaces in Moscow and other major Russian cities in massive terror attacks over the past decade. And those conflicts remain very much alive despite often brutal crackdowns by the Russian security forces. Yet FIFA has put its faith in the ability of those security forces to keep the tournament safe. (See more on Russia and Qatar hosting the next two World Cups.)
Opting to stage a World Cup in the Arab world would probably have been unthinkable even four years ago, because of the proximity of any potential host country to the sanctuaries of al-Qaeda and other extremists. Qatar, in fact, saw one major al-Qaeda attack in March of 2005, when a suicide bomber struck a theater frequented by Westerners. And it has been accused of paying protection money to extremists to avoid being targeted. "We are a soft target and prefer to pay to secure our national and economical interests," an unnamed Qatari official is quoted as telling the Times of London in 2005. A U.S. diplomatic cable from last December, revealed this week by WikiLeaks, described Qatar as "hesitant to act against known terrorists out of concern for appearing to be aligned with the U.S. and provoking reprisals." So the decision to award the tournament to Qatar is a sign that the international community no longer deems terrorism the one issue that trumps all others. Either that, or it's a vote of confidence in the Qataris to find their own methods to prevent the tournament from being targeted. Then again, Osama bin Laden is said to be a fan of the game, and a case could be made that he might be loath to tempt the backlash that would come from disrupting an event destined to be a massive source of Arab pride.
BHOPAL: INDIA WANTS COMPENSATION DOUBLED
[In August, there was uproar in India after a senior US official was accused of making a veiled threat to block a World Bank loan to Delhi over the Bhopal leak issue. In an e-mail, he noted "we are still hearing a lot of noise about the Dow Chemical issue", and appeared to warn of a potential "chilling effect on our investment relationship".]
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A masked protester says the effects of the gas leak are still felt to this day |
India is seeking to more than double to $1.1bn (£700m) the compensation paid by a US chemical company for the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster.
The attorney general's office has filed a case at the Supreme Court to increase the $470m settlement reached in 1989.The petition coincides with the 26th anniversary of the disaster.Thousands of people died after the leak from Union Carbide's plant in the Madhya Pradesh state capital.
In June, an Indian court finally convicted seven former managers at the plant, handing down minor fines and brief prison sentences. But many victims and campaigners have felt justice has still not been served against Union Carbide.
Dow Chemicals, which bought Union Carbide in 1999, has said in the past that the $470m settlement was fair and final. The Indian government says some 3,500 people died within days of the gas leak and more than 15,000 in the years since. Campaigners put the death toll as high as 25,000 and say the effects of the gas continue to this day.
The Indian government petition states: "The Supreme Court determined the $470m settlement on 14th/15th February 1989. "The settlement is based on certain assumptions of truth and if these assumptions of truth are unrelated to the realities, then elements of the settlement's justness would be seriously impaired."
Correspondents say the petition is being viewed as a serious attempt by the government to redress the settlement, although it is not clear how long a ruling will take. A lawyer from the attorney general's office on Friday told AFP news agency on condition of anonymity: "This time we are seeking maximum compensation for the victims of the gas disaster."
The site of the former pesticide plant is now abandoned. It was taken over by the state government in 1998, but environmentalists say poison is still found there.
In August, there was uproar in India after a senior US official was accused of making a veiled threat to block a World Bank loan to Delhi over the Bhopal leak issue. In an e-mail, he noted "we are still hearing a lot of noise about the Dow Chemical issue", and appeared to warn of a potential "chilling effect on our investment relationship".
COMMENT(S)
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mukund Apte
Date: Fri, Dec 3, 2010 at 7:48 PM
Subject: Re: INDIA: BHOPAL GAS LEAK ISSUE AND WORLD CUP 2018
To: The Himalayan Voice
Dear Sir,
It appears that Government of India has started realizing the value of (Indian people's) human life. Now therefore let them review the compensation provision for any mishap that may occur in India due to the proposed Atomic Power stations being built by USA & Western countries.
Why is the Indian government planning to reduce the liability of the suppliers?
Mukund Apte,
Mumbai, India
