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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.