Jean Ziegler - Betting on Famine: Why the World Still Goes Hungry

Jean Ziegler

Translated from the French
by Christopher Caines

NEW YORK
LONDON

The New Press gratefully acknowledges the Florence Gould Foundation for supporting the publication of this book.

English translation 2013 by The New Press

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Originally published in France as Destruction massive: Gopolitique de la faim by ditions du Seuil, Paris, 2011

Published in the United States by The New Press, New York, 2013

Distributed by Two Rivers Distribution

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Ziegler, Jean.

[Destruction massive. English]

Betting on famine : why the world still goes hungry / Jean Ziegler ; translated from the French by Christopher Caines.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-1-59558-861-6 (e-book) 1. Food relief--Political aspects. 2. Hunger--Political aspects. 3. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. I. Title.

HV696.F6Z5413 2013

363.8--dc23

2013005169

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This book was set in Baskerville and Franklin Gothic

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The man who wants to keep faith with justice
must ceaselessly break faith with injustice
in all its inexhaustibly triumphant forms.

Charles Pguy

E rica Deuber Ziegler collaborated closely with me on the development of this book. With infinite patience, great savoir faire, and unfailing erudition, she read, edited, and reorganized all ten successive versions of the manuscript. Olivier Btourn, the president of ditions du Seuil, conceived of the book, personally edited the final version, and came up with the title. His stimulating friendship has been of decisive help to me.

My colleagues on the Human Rights Consultative Committee of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Christophe Golay, Margot Brogniart, and Ioana Cismas, assisted me in researching the book. Sustained by our shared convictions, both their indefatigable commitment and great professional skill have been indispensable.

James T. Morris, Jean-Jacques Graisse, and Daly Belgasmi opened the doors of the World Food Programme to me. Jacques Diouf, director general of the WFP, and many of his colleagues were generous with their assistance.

Pierre Pauli, a statistician in Genevas Cantonal Statistical Office, helped me to master the crushing mass of data on hunger and malnutrition.

At the UNs Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), I have been fortunate to be able to rely upon the skillful, discreet, and sound advice of Eric Tistounet, chief of the OHCHR HRC Branch.

Beat Brgenmeier, dean emeritus of the Faculty of Economic Sciences at the University of Geneva, and banker Bruno Anderegg initiated me into the complicated world of stock exchange speculation and hedge funds.

Francis Gian Preiswerk was for seventeen years one of the most famous traders at Cargill, a multinational giant in the food services industry. He welcomed me for many in-depth discussions, kindly read selected chapters of this bookand in irate letters expressed his total disagreement with practically all my arguments. However, his rich experience in trade, his exceptional professional abilities, and his generous friendship have been for me beyond price.

With exemplary care, Arlette Sallin prepared clean copy for each successive version of the book; generous with both her time and her well-informed critique, she has accompanied me throughout my work on this project. I was fortunate also to enjoy the advice of Sabine Ibach and Vanessa Kling. Hugues Jallon, editorial director of the social sciences division at ditions du Seuil, as well as Catherine Camelot, also offered valuable assistance.

To all, I express my profound gratitude.