http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1646697,00.html
"SOME OF Africa’s most corrupt and brutal regimes will benefit to the tune of billions of pounds from the agreement reached by Tony Blair and President Bush to write off the debts of the continent’s poorest nations.
Even as the Prime Minister returned triumphant from Washington with a deal that could salvage his hopes of making Africa the centrepiece of this year’s G8 Summit in Gleneagles, the continent’s woeful record on human rights, corruption and good government was already casting a shadow over his plans.
Ethiopian police shot and killed 22 demonstrators in central Addis Ababa yesterday for protesting against fraud in recent elections."
"Such conduct fuels public fears that aid to Africa merely props up corrupt, authoritarian or incompetent governments and rarely reaches the people most in need.
A recent YouGov poll showed that 83 per cent had no confidence that money given by the West would be well spent, and 79 per cent thought corruption and incompetence were to blame for Africa’s problems."
"Mr Blair insists that the aid will be linked to good governance and the elimination of corruption."
Most foreign aid for third world countries is useless anyway, as cynical as it may sound. When there's not even secure institutions who watch over property rights being adhered by, there's no reason to believe the money that's being given will end up in the right hands.
That's perfectly true, since foreign aid is all about giving big sacks of cash to the presidents of foreign contries and patting them on the back!
Aid which consists actually giving money is one thing. But you have to be quite creative to believe that debt relief will only make things worse.
Yeah "normally" the money goes into the pockets of corrupt African goverments so they don't make a fuss about those white mining companies digging out that gold/diamonds/whatever. Or is used for building completely useless projects.
But here I think it may be different. Blair going to beg to Bush in such a desperate manner, I don't get why.
""What we're trying to do is put together a comprehensive plan that deals with aid, debt, trade, peace-keeping and peace enforcement and conflict resolution, the main killer diseases, but also governance and action against corruption," Blair told parliament on Wednesday."
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=8735551
"trade, peace-keeping" = don't touch those white mining companies, Bud.
"the main killer diseases", okay here we may have something new. There are those killers diseases that have no vaccine yet out there. And foreigners like to flock to the UK, legally or illegally. What if one brings in the Ebola or the Malburg virus?
It just does not really matter who you give it to if you know the strongest competitor in the given society will eventually just take it for themselves.
Africa is such a mess though. They just don't seem to be able to "get it" about this whole forming a cohesive society thing.
I think one of the main problems here is one of perception. Nothing less than 10 000 people dying seems to register on most news sources.
Sure, Africa is a huge mess. But I think with the end of lots of colonialism (European/Cold war), they're slowly improving.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/default.stm is recommended in any case - each time I go there, I learn a lot, since I (like many others) know very little about Africa.
Oh, and are you a troll, or do you just state your point very straightforwardly? ; )
Is there a difference?
Hey, OS/2 Meatwad in my ID.
OxS+2Mwd
Something else to think about....
"Anyone who still ascribes (most people, publically) to the popular notion that there is no difference in intelligence between different ethnic groups is kidding themselves. The real question is not whether there's any difference, but whether we as a species can develop morally, scientifically, and socially to a point where we can deal with the problem. Perhaps denial is the only rational answer, one that doesn't lead to a monstrous "final solution.""
I used to live in South Africa during Apartheid. Say what you will, there wasn't an insane crime rate or sky-rocketing HIV-infection rate.
You couldn't pay me enough money to go back now. Business people who visit always drive one person per car (not much carpooling) because you need the car behind to run over carjackers who try the car in front.