George Ayittey’s Advice for Obama

Great thoughts from George Ayittey on what’s wrong with Africa and how Obama can avoid repeating the mistakes that have fueled corruption and abuse by African leaders for decades. A few highlights…

1. Africa doesn’t need aid. Its begging bowl leaks. According to the African Union (AU) corruption alone costs Africa more than $148 billion a year - nearly six times the aid ($25 billion) Africa receives from all sources.

2. Formulation of a new U.S.-Africa policy requires input from native born African dissidents and exiles living in the U.S. - the same role played by Soviet dissidents in the West. These Africans have a better understanding of conditions back home and, moreover, are not so encumbered by political correctness. But, hitherto fore they have been excluded from the formulation of U.S.-Africa policy.

3. The new policy should place less emphasis on the rhetoric of African leaders.

4. Forget about that useless continental organization called the African Union (AU). It can’t even define “democracy.”

5. The U.S. and the international community cannot forever continue to pick up the pieces and clean up the mess left by Africa’s hippos. A United Nations protectorate should be declared over failed states (Congo, Somalia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, etc.) Sufficient force should be deployed to remove an errant regime and the country administered for say 10 years before holding free and fair elections to turn it over.

via HuffPo