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Subject: RE:Sorting out the Congo
[email protected]    2/13/2001 3:40:04 PM
Not an expert in African questions myself, I'm still shocked by the extreme simplicity of the opinions posted. Apparently, there is no middle way between taking control of Africa (already tried in Congo; they learned how to mutilate people) or letting Africans disappear, be it through disease, war, famine or (preferably) some other media-market-oriented disaster. Work, however hard, in Africa and along with African people are both necessary and unavoidable. There's plenty of knowledge about Africa in Africa, most of it better informed than ourselves, but I'm afraid we're lacking a bit of basic respect for other people's opinions. We do have the resources, both political and economic to help Africa out of its present sorrow state, we may have the moral authority ro put them to good use. What we don't have is the right to patronize.
 
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[email protected]    RE:Sorting out the Congo   2/15/2001 12:20:32 PM
Yeah jpo, I agree with you. Having lived in the third world for a number of years, I perceive that they can recognize and improve their own situation. The middle way between pessimism and fantasy neocolonialism does exist. Rich, when you say "At that point [after a collapse] there will be an opprotunity for meaningful reconstruction of political boundaries and a new ethic to cope with the natural endimic problems present," sounds pretty neocolonialistic. Unless you are making the assumption that the Africans themselves will be participating in the reconstruction. But that begs the question of why you think they will be involved in the reconstruction only after a total collapse. My question is why will they not be working on rebuilding even now, before everything has collapsed? I am not so pessimistic as to think that Africans (and the West) have to wait for and watch a collapse before taking action. My point was that political action, primarily on the part of the Africans, must occur before meaningful social or economic changes. If the West is seeking a policy of African action, it must be to encourage Africans to unite behind some sort of agenda. Only when they can give us a clear idea of what they want can our governments mobilize their publics and politicians to support them. Right now, African aid from the US and Europe is at a low point. Its highpoint was when we thought it was going communist and felt we had to buy them off. And I see our attention (and support) of Africa only changing if we see a few clear options, which must come from them. And Austin, you started this brouhaha, so what is your opinion?
 
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