Hot Air For Africa

[MMMMMM]

At some time perhaps a year or so ago, a major summit, or gathering, took place in Davos; it trumpeted the ostensible aim of bettering things for our African brethren, whom, as we all know, live largely in squalor, deprivation, and varying degrees of misery.

One of the attendees was my new favorite columnist: Taki--and here are his observations and thoughts about the proceedings at the World Economic Forum:


"Fat Cats for Africa
by Taki Theodoracopulos

The American Conservative February 28, 2005

The place is always described as exclusive, but that’s one thing it is not. Davos is a Swiss ski resort for hoi polloi, an Atlantic City with snow, although it’s far prettier than Donald Trump’s Jersey playground. Last time I was here was about ten years ago on the frozen lake for a car race that ended up in a humongous spin that lasted for more than a minute.

Davos only becomes exclusive during the annual gathering of fat cats—the World Economic Forum, as it prefers to call itself. GFC (Gathering of Fat Cats), however, is a far more appropriate name.

There is something ludicrous in watching world political and financial leaders jostling to rub elbows with brain-dead celebrities, but such are the joys of the modern world. Pretending to care for the poor is the order of the day, both for the suits as well as for the celebrated, and if one were a ten-year-old who happened to be particularly innocent, he might believe this year’s Davos message: the end of poverty is near.

Davos Man returned home from the GFC last week full of dinner-party stories—how Bill Gates and Bill Clinton stood beside Tony Blair and Bono and Angelina Jolie and Sharon Stone and pledged to turn Africa into Palm Beach in the near future (by the year 2025, according to the economist Jeffrey Sachs; 3025 according to the economist Taki).

Mind you, everyone meant well. First and foremost among the assembled was the desire to publicize themselves and the companies they represented. The second priority was to network. Last but not least came the plan to end poverty, as noble a cause as there is, but for one problem. Nobody mentioned the c-word. Corruption—as in African leaders’ corruption.

Bill Gates might have the cash and commercial credibility, Bill Clinton the soaring rhetoric, and Bono the blarney and celebrity, but if these cats manage to eliminate hunger from even one tiny African village, I will gift my beautiful sailing yacht to Monica Lewinsky. Call me cynical, but when economists, civil servants, politicians, and company suits start naming countries such as the United States, Japan, and Germany as the top sinners in the not-giving-aid-to-poor-countries category, it’s time for the sick bag—especially when in the presence of mega-crooks like the president of Nigeria, top Saudi oil ministers, and—by satellite—Jacques Chirac, a man who is trying to pass a special law making him senator for life in order to avoid jail the minute his presidential term is over. (Chirac wants to introduce global taxes on air and sea travel and financial speculation to help Africa.)

Well-intentioned crusades against poverty in developing countries are good for publicity but little else. Accusing rich nations of not doing enough is just another way of ingratiating oneself with celebrities and the chattering classes. But the reason so many thousands of lives are lost daily in sub-Saharan Africa is not lack of aid but because too much money goes into fighting wars, leaving nothing for hospitals and schools.

Sudan, Liberia, and Sierra Leone are three glaring examples of this. Ethiopia has spent huge sums fighting Eritrea over a disputed border. Over 65 million Ethiopians can now hardly feed themselves, while the government spends billions on arms. Zimbabwe, once the breadbasket of Africa, is an impoverished nation because of Robert Mugabe’s greed and disasterous anti-white policies. The psychopathic Liberian murderer Charles Taylor is living in Nigeria with the hundreds of millions he stole from the nation’s coffers, and his protector, Olusegun Obasanjo, presents himself in Davos and lectures us on the need to help Africa. Ditto Thabo Mbeki, president of South Africa and the prime mover behind the theory that AIDS does not exist but is an American plot to weaken Africans.

Hand-wringing by corrupt African leaders is nothing new. Africa is suicidal, and its problems are man-made. They began when the British hastily granted African nations independence. Ensuing tribal warfare in Angola, Uganda, Liberia, Eritrea, and the Sudan robbed their citizens of health care and education. The rest was predictable. Africa’s epidemics—malaria, cholera, typhoid, and AIDS—will not be beaten by grand gestures from the West. The problems lie in African attitudes. One dinner in Davos for a fat cat costs more than the annual income of most African families, and I do not condemn his appetite—but I do condemn his rhetoric. How dare the Saudi oil minister open his mouth in Davos, when fat Fahd spends $200 million dollars in his three-week annual holiday in Marbella?

It may not be politically correct, but the only way to save Africa from itself is to recolonize it. The only solution is good governance, an impartial judiciary, secure borders, internal peace, modern medical practices, and an end to kleptocracy. But I won’t hold my breath till it happens. Nor will I ever set foot in Davos again. Despite the altitude, too much hot air. "

http://www.takistopdrawer.us/2005/february/article_2005-Feb-28.html

All comments welcome, and perhaps this can generate a good discussion (however, please don't expect me to *argue* with any of you;-)--I'm all done with that;-))

Comments anyone?

P.S. A great collection of Taki's articles may be found at the following link; if you like reading Zeno or H.L. Mencken, you well might like reading Taki. Of course, he minces no words, and to some that is an unforgiveable offense. To others, like myself, it is pure refreshment--regardless of which of his opinions coincide or clash with my own (e.g. Taki is against the Iraq war, which I am for; he is against the doctrine of multiculturalism, and so am I--but again, regardless, it's refreshing to read someone stating their observations and plain opinions without resorting to the ancient art of bullshitting).

http://www.takistopdrawer.us/columnarchive.html

[sam h]

I think he is absolutely right that the most fundamental problems of these countries have to do with domestic politics and the weakness/corruption of the state. Giving aid to corrupt governments is basically just throwing it away or, worse, further entrenching the problem.

On the other hand, it seems to me that a lot of good can still be done if you channel aid through NGOs and organizations in the private sector that are working on the ground to provide health services, education, etc. It's not going to end poverty, but its going to improve the lives of millions of people. And I think the rich countries of the world have a moral responsibility to do this to some degree, since the amount of human suffering you can alleviate is really substantial for the price.

Thanks for the link. I like this guy Taki's style and will take a look at his site.

[MMMMMM]

[ QUOTE ]
think he is absolutely right that the most fundamental problems of these countries have to do with domestic politics and the weakness/corruption of the state. Giving aid to corrupt governments is basically just throwing it away or, worse, further entrenching the problem.

On the other hand, it seems to me that a lot of good can still be done if you channel aid through NGOs and organizations in the private sector that are working on the ground to provide health services, education, etc. It's not going to end poverty, but its going to improve the lives of millions of people. And I think the rich countries of the world have a moral responsibility to do this to some degree, *since the amount of human suffering you can alleviate is really substantial for the price*.

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I agree with both, provided the part I italicized is actually true (I'll guess it is since you are saying so; but I can't feel fully confident as I don't know sufficient details).

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Thanks for the link. I like this guy Taki's style and will take a look at his site.

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You'll find a very wide variety of topics covered there; if one you don't care for, the next might be of greater interest or sympathy. I read about half of those columns, and have a few favorites; but didn't want to post them all specifically, as others doubtless would have different favorites (or anti-favorites, as the case may be). Taki covers politics, Hollywood, movies, Hemingway...and lots more.

Sounds like the crowd that gathers at Hilton Head. And never accomplishes much - if anything. Well, they do eat and drink well, press a little flesh (Bill Clinto loves that part most), and plan next year's gathering.

[BluffTHIS!]

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On the other hand, it seems to me that a lot of good can still be done if you channel aid through NGOs and organizations in the private sector

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Just like the faith-based initiatives domestically that the libs cry about, giving money to poorer areas whether in the US or abroad through religious or other non-profit charities is the way to go. Routing it throught the fewest bureaucrats anywhere is the best option.

[andyfox]

Bill Gates is doing a world of good in Africa.

Poverty and famine usually turn out to be political problems rather than anything else. There is more than enough food in the world to feed all its people and more. One of hte worst fmaines in my lifetime was in Bangladesh in the 1960s and 1970s. During that time, Bangladesh was a net exporter of food.

But "do-gooders," like Gates, can help alleviate suffering by working around political constraints. Mr.Gates is not "pretending" to care for the poor or tyring to ingratiate himself with anybody. He's doing something about it and having a positive effect.

[Cyrus]

Taki is a genuine son of a bitch, in his personal life. They don't come as genuine as him anymore.

He has cheated repeatedly on friends and considers it an achievement to sleep with a friend's spouse. He is the original male chauvinist pig personified, a man with few scruples and sorry morals. Still, he will not cheat in tennis, "except if the game is for a woman", which has been many times.

But most of this is forgiven, or at least set aside, if temporarily, due to his way with words. He is born, bred and educated Greek but has mastered the use of English language. Taki's politics are a remnant from his many issues (a psychiatrist would have a field day!) with his father, an archetypal self-made Greek tycoon, who was a wild entrepreneur, an anti-communist fighter and a ferocious playboy (sometimes cheating on Taki's mother in front of Taki).

Taki's style is Waugh and Wodehouse -- olde English conservatism, seriously imperialistic, very educated, unashamedly snobbish and snobbishly anti-capitalist. Taki views Wall Street spivs with the same disdain he reserves for intruders in the Ascot race.

A few years ago, Mr Theodoracopoulos was arrested, tried and found guilty of bringing cocaine into the United Kingdom, where he subsequently spent some two years in jail for that offense. He had the stuff quite openly on him and he was cruising through Customs, following the "Hide-In-Plain-Sight" rule, when an official asked him what was that bulge in his pocket. Taki smiled and answered that it was a serious amount of cocaine, the official laughed with the joke, waved him through, Taki laughed too and turned away to walk out.

But Taki being Taki, he could not resist mumbling loud enough for the official to hear "If you only knew!". "HOLD IT!" the official yelled and that was all she wrote.

He is a man equally loved and hated, with solid reasons for both sentiments.

--Cyrus


Taki in Oxford debate about Blair being Bush's poodle (http://www.amconmag.com/2004/2004_07_05/taki.html)

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Poverty and famine usually turn out to be political problems rather than anything else.

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Too many of the problems throughout the world are political. And the little guys are always left holding the dirty end of the stick.

One of the things I also admire about Gates is that he does good things with his money, but doesn't seem to think he needs to peddle his politics. True, his PR people may keep him quiet because MS gets enough bad raps as it is. But I tend to look at his philanthropy as acts of a guy less interested in "What's it gonna get me?" because he does it with less fanfare.

[vulturesrow]

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He is born, bred and educated Greek ...

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ACcording to his bio all his schooling was in the United States.

[MMMMMM]

From the website: "Taki was educated in New Jersey, at the Lawrenceville School; and at the University of Virginia; and in England at Pentonville Prison, just outside London. See his memoir, Nothing to Declare (ISBN 0-87113-484-5), for details."

The cocaine incident, leading to three months in Pentonville, took place in 1984.

http://www.takistopdrawer.us/abouttaki.html

And many thanks for the link to another enjoyable article, Cyrus! I would have missed that one if not for you, so I now must consider myself (choke, gag) indebted to you, if even in a small way.

[andyfox]

I know someone who knows Gates a bit, and he tells me it was Gates's wife and mother-in-law that changed Gates's attitude about doing something with his money for other people. And that, contrary to his nerdish image, Gates is quite charming and articulate in conversation, knowledgable about politics and history, and not at all boorish or show-offy. FWIW . . .

[MMMMMM]

Good to hear, Andy.

By the way, I don't think Taki was necessarily panning everyone at the meeting in Davos.

[Cyrus]

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From the website: "Taki was educated in New Jersey, at the Lawrenceville School;..."

[/ QUOTE ]Lawrencevill is college. Taki's formative years were spent in his native country. He finished high school in Greece and then his father sent him to "Amer'ka" for some "college education" -- which did him NOT do him a whole lot of good!

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The cocaine incident, leading to three months in Pentonville, took place in 1984.

[/ QUOTE ] I was relating from memory but memory did not serve me well this time: Yes, Theodoracopoulos spent (only) three months in jail in 1984 for cocaine possession and not "some two years, a few years ago" as I wrote.

Incidentally, he was a black belt at the time, which presumably helps when in prison.

[vulturesrow]

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Lawrencevill is college.

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No. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Cyrus]

I may be missing something here. I know for a fact that Takis finished school in Greece.

And he is not the type to pretend otherwise.

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I may be missing something here. I know for a fact that Takis finished school in Greece.

And he is not the type to pretend otherwise.


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Maybe, good Cyrus, he finished grammar school in Greece?

[vulturesrow]

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I may be missing something here. I know for a fact that Takis finished school in Greece.

And he is not the type to pretend otherwise.

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Im not sure either. I went to the Lawrenceville School website that was linked from his bio and it is a private high school. However I did see something about post-grad on there, so perhaps they have a prep school as well. That would probably explain the disconnect.

[andyfox]

"By the way, I don't think Taki was necessarily panning everyone at the meeting in Davos."

Well you wouldn't know it from the article. But part of that, I'm sure, is his writing style. He did mention Gates by name.

[Cyrus]

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Maybe, good Cyrus, he finished grammar school in Greece?

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What's with the "good Cyrus"?

FYI I'm past the age where a paedophile would take a fancy at me.

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"By the way, I don't think Taki was necessarily panning everyone at the meeting in Davos."

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Well you wouldn't know it from the article. But part of that, I'm sure, is his writing style. He did mention Gates by name.

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Generally speaking first, he panned the idea that Africa would be transformed without first: a) getting rid of the criminal/incompetent African leaders, and b) having better government. He also panned the overblown rhetoric at Dacos (if indeed it was overblown--I wasn't there nor did I read transcripts).

As for individuals, he strongly panned the African potentates, King Fahd, and Jacques Chirac. He had lesser criticism for the purportedly airheaded celebrities, and for those who think that castigating the U.S., U.K., and Japan for not giving more aid is appropriate, despite the far more significant and insurmountable effects of horrid government and rulers in Africa.

Taki is strongly suggesting that not much good will be achieved despite efforts (and rhetoric), because the African problems run so very much deeper. And he's lambasting the deeply ironic demands for aid made by some of the very villains (potentates) who have caused the problems in the first place.

I don't view all that as being really an attack on Gates.

Taki probably does think Gates' efforts will be largely wasted, and views the public trumpeting and backslapping surrounding such quixotic causes as hot air. I hope he's wrong, but I wouldn't be too much surprised if he's right.

What are the chances that the African despots find a new way to steal most of the aid somehow?--or turn it to their personal advantage (such as the story of the aid that went to North Korea, which ending up bolstering Kim's army, and being sold for profit by his soldiers, while peasants starved).

Hopefully, Gates et al will find a way to prevent such shenanigans, but despots usually have a cunning beyond the ken of other mortals. Look at the oil-for-food scandal with the U.N.--a scandal bigger in dollar terms than Enron and Worldcom combined. Gates is well-meaning and good-hearted to do this, and a brilliant man indeed, but the despots make stealing and manipulating such things their life's very work. Well, we'll see.

[MMMMMM]

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Maybe, good Cyrus, he finished grammar school in Greece?



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What's with the "good Cyrus"?

FYI I'm past the age where a paedophile would take a fancy at me.

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OK, if you don't like to be called "good Cyrus", that can be easily remedied...

...BAD Cyrus. Bad, bad, bad, bad Cyrus.

[Cyrus]

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/images/graemlins/heart.gif...BAD Cyrus. Bad, bad, bad, bad Cyrus. /images/graemlins/heart.gif

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Read my post again.

[ChipWrecked]

The Right Woman (http://www.takistopdrawer.us/2005/november/article_2005-Nov-5.html)

According to Duff, Marie-Laure had had a bad war and was laying low. By bad war he meant Marie-Laure had given her charms away to some very good-looking Wehrmacht officers and the Frogs were pissed off. Again, I beg to differ. How could it possibly be wrong to have bedded good-looking Wehrmacht officers? It sure beats bedding some slob American soldier who might even go off with the Fabergés.

Um, OK. He does sound like Mencken.

[superleeds]

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Nobody mentioned the c-word. Corruption—as in African leaders’ corruption.

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This is indeed the major problem. Taki's major problem is that he believes it happens without the help and connivance of the major countries of the world. As if Africa somehow lives in a fishbowl.

[MMMMMM]

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The Right Woman (http://www.takistopdrawer.us/2005/november/article_2005-Nov-5.html)

According to Duff, Marie-Laure had had a bad war and was laying low. By bad war he meant Marie-Laure had given her charms away to some very good-looking Wehrmacht officers and the Frogs were pissed off. Again, I beg to differ. How could it possibly be wrong to have bedded good-looking Wehrmacht officers? It sure beats bedding some slob American soldier who might even go off with the Fabergés.

Um, OK. He does sound like Mencken.

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I didn't say he ALWAYS sounds like Mencken. You have to hunt for the places where he does--like a treasure hunt;-)

Actually, I think I wrote that if you like reading Zeno or Mencken, you'll like reading Taki--I should have qualified that as, you'll like reading *some* Taki--he covers a lot of ground, and is not a one-flavor writer. Poke around if you care to; you'll doubtless find more, both that you like and dislike.

[MMMMMM]

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Nobody mentioned the c-word. Corruption—as in African leaders’ corruption.

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This is indeed the major problem. Taki's major problem is that he believes it happens without the help and connivance of the major countries of the world. As if Africa somehow lives in a fishbowl.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, it's easy to see that corrupt U.N. officials, and the "bureaucrooks" in France and the EU, ran the largest fraud in history with the oil-for-food scam.

But, how exactly did the U.S., U.K., and Japan help and connive to enable the despots of Zimbabwe, Liberia, Sudan and Sierra Leone to steal vast sums and murder huge numbers of people?

Taki writes:

"Sudan, Liberia, and Sierra Leone are three glaring examples of this. Ethiopia has spent huge sums fighting Eritrea over a disputed border. Over 65 million Ethiopians can now hardly feed themselves, while the government spends billions on arms. Zimbabwe, once the breadbasket of Africa, is an impoverished nation because of Robert Mugabe’s greed and disasterous anti-white policies. The psychopathic Liberian murderer Charles Taylor is living in Nigeria with the hundreds of millions he stole from the nation’s coffers, and his protector, Olusegun Obasanjo, presents himself in Davos and lectures us on the need to help Africa. Ditto Thabo Mbeki, president of South Africa and the prime mover behind the theory that AIDS does not exist but is an American plot to weaken Africans."

If you know how the U.S., U.K., and Japan are complicit in these things, pray do tell.

[ChipWrecked]

Calling American soldiers slobby thieves sounded like Mencken to me. I was agreeing with you.

[nicky g]

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Nobody mentioned the c-word. Corruption—as in African leaders’ corruption.

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This is indeed the major problem. Taki's major problem is that he believes it happens without the help and connivance of the major countries of the world. As if Africa somehow lives in a fishbowl.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, it's easy to see that corrupt U.N. officials, and the "bureaucrooks" in France and the EU, ran the largest fraud in history with the oil-for-food scam.

But, how exactly did the U.S., U.K., and Japan help and connive to enable the despots of Zimbabwe, Liberia, Sudan and Sierra Leone to steal vast sums and murder huge numbers of people?

Taki writes:

"Sudan, Liberia, and Sierra Leone are three glaring examples of this. Ethiopia has spent huge sums fighting Eritrea over a disputed border. Over 65 million Ethiopians can now hardly feed themselves, while the government spends billions on arms. Zimbabwe, once the breadbasket of Africa, is an impoverished nation because of Robert Mugabe’s greed and disasterous anti-white policies. The psychopathic Liberian murderer Charles Taylor is living in Nigeria with the hundreds of millions he stole from the nation’s coffers, and his protector, Olusegun Obasanjo, presents himself in Davos and lectures us on the need to help Africa. Ditto Thabo Mbeki, president of South Africa and the prime mover behind the theory that AIDS does not exist but is an American plot to weaken Africans."

If you know how the U.S., U.K., and Japan are complicit in these things, pray do tell.

[/ QUOTE ]

Here's an example. The most glaring example of African kleptocracy was Mobutu's regime. The West (mainly the US and Belgium) were responsible for undermining the Lumumba regime, killing Lumumba (the Belgians did it, the US planned to but were beaten to it) and supported Mobutu's rise and throughout his rule, pressuring for example the World Bank to loan him tens of millions that they knew he was spending on himself and would never be repaid. The legacy of all this was of course the endless Central African wars that followed his death.

[BluffTHIS!]

During the cold war things seemed a little more black and white to western leaders. In the Congo's case they saw it as allowing a communist to rule who likely would favor the USSR, or a corrupt thug who would be a friend to the west.

[andyfox]

I agree with the general point that problems that some see as simply economic, racial, or technical also have a political component. This is not to say that there are not indeed economic, racial and technical problems, but certainly bad government is rampant in Africa.

Gates seems to believe that technology and money can solve a lot of Africa's health problems. He's probably right. This doesn't mean that he doesn't believe better government will also have an effect. But money Gates has given recently innoculated 42,000,000 African kids against hepatitis. He is powerful enough, well enough connected, and rich enough to have an impact irrespective of the efficacy, or lack thereof, of the African governments.

I do disagree with Taki's point, though, that it is wrong to criticize the rich countries for not caring enough to try to solve Africa's problems, especially health problems. Sklansky made the same point on the philosophy forum not long ago, urging posters to read the New Yorker article about Gates's efforts to combat malaria in Africa. Mosquito nets cost about $4 apiece and, properly treated with insecticides,, can go a long way toward saving lives. Our government could save a lot of lives securing these nets, instead of, for example, building the bridge to "nowhere" in Alaska.

So as not to misunderstand my point, I'm not saying people are starving or dying in Africa only because the rich countries don't care. Certainly they're starving and dying because their own governments don't care either.

[superleeds]

[ QUOTE ]
Nobody mentioned the c-word. Corruption—as in African leaders’ corruption.

[ QUOTE ]
This is indeed the major problem. Taki's major problem is that he believes it happens without the help and connivance of the major countries of the world. As if Africa somehow lives in a fishbowl.

[ QUOTE ]
Well, it's easy to see that corrupt U.N. officials, and the "bureaucrooks" in France and the EU, ran the largest fraud in history with the oil-for-food scam.

But, how exactly did the U.S., U.K., and Japan help and connive to enable the despots of Zimbabwe, Liberia, Sudan and Sierra Leone to steal vast sums and murder huge numbers of people?

Taki writes:

"Sudan, Liberia, and Sierra Leone are three glaring examples of this. Ethiopia has spent huge sums fighting Eritrea over a disputed border. Over 65 million Ethiopians can now hardly feed themselves, while the government spends billions on arms. Zimbabwe, once the breadbasket of Africa, is an impoverished nation because of Robert Mugabe’s greed and disasterous anti-white policies. The psychopathic Liberian murderer Charles Taylor is living in Nigeria with the hundreds of millions he stole from the nation’s coffers, and his protector, Olusegun Obasanjo, presents himself in Davos and lectures us on the need to help Africa. Ditto Thabo Mbeki, president of South Africa and the prime mover behind the theory that AIDS does not exist but is an American plot to weaken Africans."

If you know how the U.S., U.K., and Japan are complicit in these things, pray do tell.

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They don't buy weapons from other 3rd World countries. They don't use 3rd World banking and financial institutions. Diplomatically hardly any (if any) are pariahs to all the leading countries of the world and if they have any military strategic advantages or any valuable resources they are actively sought as friends by the leading industrial nations. Are you implying that its just China, Russia and the dreaded French who keep the really bad and unsavory bedfellows and that us righteous - and in your mind you know who these are - countries are guilty of nothing more than slightly dodgy deal every now and again with the lovable and ultimately harmless rogues. To imply, as Taki does, that these countries are the sole champions of there own destiny is smoke and mirrors. And to imply, as you do, that the US is any less guilty than Russia, that China is more darstardly than Japan, that the UK and the French have different moral compasses on these issues is fairy tale.

[MMMMMM]

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Calling American soldiers slobby thieves sounded like Mencken to me. I was agreeing with you.

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Ah, I see...in that case you may want to check out this link...Taki on "Sofa Samurais"

http://www.takistopdrawer.us/2003/march/article_2003-March-29.html