Sustained investment needed to foster civil society in Guinea
Originally published: October 27. 2009 3:01AMLast modified: October 26. 2009 11:52PM
The exact number of protesters shot dead at a demonstration in Guinea last month is unknown. Estimates vary between 150 and 200. Soldiers of the ruling junta beat and raped survivors.
The massacre was condemned by the European Union, the U.N. secretary-general and the African Union. On what foundations, observers asked, does the Guinean regime stand other than murderous repression?
The answer came last week, with reports that Chinese investors are planning infrastructure, oil and mining projects in the country worth up to $7 billion. The deal appeared to confirm a trend: China propping up noxious regimes in Africa in exchange for natural resources, no questions asked.
... After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the west acquired a near monopoly in African trade. That it made human rights part of the terms of discussion is laudable; that it failed to make much progress is a tragically wasted opportunity. Now the monopoly is lost. If western democracies want to influence African development they must compete with the offer from Chinese autocratic state capitalism.
It is meaningless just to assert the moral superiority of trade with conditions of good governance and transparency attached. It is time to start proving it with sustained investment aimed at fostering civil society that will yield real political benefits for Africa.
- The Observer, London, England
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