Indonesian Riots 2008

Recently, in January of 2008, the country of Indonesia experienced a series of riots that dramatically threatened the hard-won political stability of the nation. The concern of the rioters was simple and poignant -- food. Rising soybean prices, a staple of the Indonesian people, has left many individuals facing a hungry future. These riots are a reminder that, however desperate the United States economy may seem, in nations where food insecurity is a constant threat the recession will hit far harder and create far more desperate conditions. Furthermore, the United States, many allege, has played a critical role in creating the food shortages that caused the Indonesian protest. Increased demand for fossil fuels have caused a corresponding increase in food transport costs. The U.S.'s subsidization of biofuel production has also been blamed for the price hikes. As the U.S. government subsidizes farmers to raise corn for biofuels, this means that less land and resources can be diverted to other crops, such as soybeans, that would create a sustainable food source.

Even though prices of fuel are going down, the problem of world hunger still remains. Also, the question of how to solve the world's energy crisis raises troubling questions about biofuels, which may benefit U.S. farmers but may hurt some of the poorest individuals living around the world. The United Nation's food price index rose 40% in 2007 compared with 9% in 2006 and the United Nations released a report saying that forty nations, including Indonesia "face critical food shortages, for reasons including climate change, higher meat consumption in developing countries, crop failure, war, and diversion of food crops for biofuels" (Lane 2008). The food policies of one nation such as the United States, does not occur in isolation, and when the U.S. makes a policy decision about something like biofuels, the political aftershocks are felt around the world.

Works Cited

Lane, Jim. "Indonesian food riots spread, force government to declare emergency." Biofuels

Digest. 16 Jan 2008. 13 Nov 2008. http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/blog2/2008/01/16/indonesian-food-riots-spread-force-government-to-declare-emergency-as-rising-soybean-prices-fuel-unrest