tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864439.post112046265715059003..comments2024-02-10T21:39:46.108-06:00Comments on Mark in Mexico: U. S. is no. 1 in Aid to Africa - by a lotMark Lincolnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07435819060643436598noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864439.post-1120656407310915182005-07-06T08:26:00.000-05:002005-07-06T08:26:00.000-05:00I agree that the US as a whole gives a large pot o...I agree that the US as a whole gives a large pot of money - and yes a lot is lost to African corruption. Nevertheless, it is true that a lot of governments could afford to give more. That is a fact.<BR/><BR/>Of course the private sector, and particularly NGOs, charities, faith groups etc. give large proportions of money and other aid - I never disputed that.<BR/><BR/>By the way, you might want to point a trackback at the <A HREF="http://andymerrett.co.uk/weblog/2005/06/08/bottom-line-united-states-could-afford-to-give-more-money-to-global-good" REL="nofollow">original article</A> I wrote - unless you're saying that I've gone mad :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864439.post-1120507566051052252005-07-04T15:06:00.000-05:002005-07-04T15:06:00.000-05:00Africa is full of tin pot dictators from the Atlan...<I>Africa is full of tin pot dictators from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean, waging war on one another and their own people, marrying 10-20-30 or more times and spending millions on every wedding, maintaining palaces, fleets of cars, armies of servants, well equipped armies, paying for shopping sprees to Paris, chopping off hands and arms of children, forcing young girls into sexual slavery and buying modern weapons to carry on the fight against whomever for whatever reason. All of this while begging for money, debt relief, AIDS medicines and accusing America of responsibility for Africa's problems because of slavery which we abolished in 1864.</I><BR/><BR/>While I do agree that political leadership in Africa often leaves much to be desired, it should be recognized that Africa is not "accusing America of responsibility for Africa's problems because of slavery which we abolished in 1864". In addition to slavery and the slave trade, the First/developed world (not just the US) governments and corporations ruthlessly exploited the resources of the African continent for centuries, while keeping African people in subjugation, systematically denying them opportunities for improvement and development and treating them as inferior beings. They imposed artificial boundaries, installed and shored up corrupt governments headed by despots and "tin pot dictators", helped these dictators hide millions of dollars/pounds/francs away in foreign bank accounts, used African countries and leaders as pawns in the Cold War, abandoned them when they were no longer "needed" or useful, sold armies and guerilla forces the machetes and modern weapons that they've used to chop off limbs and "carry on the fight against whomever". The Western World is far from blameless when it come to Africa's current plight.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com