Econ-Atrocity: Beyond good intentions: Is U.S. newly-found interest in Africa real?
Wednesday, January 22, 2003Categories: News, Economic Development, Globalization, Political Economy, Politics, Econ-Atrocity
By Léonce Ndikumana, Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
American interest in Africa has been traditionally peripheral, opportunistic at best. In the past, aid to African countries supported client regimes that the United States and its allies needed to prevent the expansion of communism on the continent, as in the case of former Zaire under the late Mobutu Sese Seko. In these circumstances, the objective of economic aid was not economic development of African countries, but instead aid often contributed to propping up dictatorships that catered to the interests of the West.
Read more »