Friday, March 11, 2005

If I ever get the time, I'd love to sift through the 460-page report released today by the British Parliament's Commission for Africa.

But until then, I'll just stick to the highlighted goals:
  • Immediate doubling of foreign aid, to $50 billion
  • Improved treatment/prevention of AIDS
  • Eventual 100% debt cancellation
  • Focus on infrastructure development
  • End to the "scandal" of EU and American trade protections
The cynic would say that these goals have all been listed before. But what is different is the context: ever since Blair came to office there has been a remarkable florescence of U.K. - Africa dialogue, and as a result people on both sides have begun to realize that prioritizing African development makes sense for economic as well as moral reasons.

Since Blair is making the report such a cornerstone of his foreign policy, I do expect that this report will produce more results than not. Just how much more will depend on how willing the EU and America are to hear out what he and his report have to say.

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