Description: The “Big Man Syndrome” isn’t a result of colonialism, Emanuel says.
Transcript: Clearly Africa has huge problems. I actually – having traveled there many, many times – think that colonialism clearly has a part. But the fact is the “Big Man Syndrome” isn’t a result of colonialism, the corruption, the suppression of women is not . . . Those are not problems of colonialism. Those are endemic, cultural problems of people, and they need to begin to overcome that. And there are some places which are very helpful. Mali, which is an incredibly poor country – its average per capita income there is under $200 a year – has had a stable transfer of power and government. And you know, that’s a very hopeful sign. Now we have to give them a stable economy and figure out how they can actually develop, and work with them on that. And I think there are other places which can be big successes, but it’s gonna take patience; it’s gonna take investment. It takes a long term strategy. That’s not something the United States is very good at. I mean the long term, we are awful at the long-term.
Recorded on: 7/5/07
There are some obvious things Africa needs that we (the U.S.) can provide or promote. One is flexibility to develop its own strategy for development without the U.S. burdening it with bad conditions, demanding repayment for odious debt, setting the agenda at trade talks and ignoring their needs, and demand they never use compulsory liscensing even in emergency situations like this AIDS pandemic.
We can obviously provide money where it will help, esp. for roads, subsidies to develop indusry, developing health infrastructure, things we like that. We can provide technical advice in developing these plans. We can provide troops or military equiment to end violent conflict if need be.
People are too pessemistic and don't realize how much their fate is tied to Africa's. AIDS has killed 500,000 Americas, about 50x what 9/11 and Iraq have combined. Now that is nothing compared to lack of health insurance or car crashes or saturated fat or smoking, but its worth noting that if we fear terrorists we should fear disease and fear the root causes of terror even more.
