Politics

On March 4, 2022, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Board was briefed on “the economic impact of the war in Ukraine, and on possible fast-tracked financial assistance for affected countries.” There is no doubt that costs to human life and the damage to the economy in Ukraine are massive. More than two million Ukrainians have fled their homeland. Equally important is the effect of the underappreciated, and unprecedented coordinated sanctions on Russia by the West.

Africa is full of promises. It has immense untapped natural resources and a growing human capital base estimated at one billion three hundred million Africans, mostly young. Its potential is constrained by poor governance, corruption, and massive illicit outflow of capital, tribal conflicts, and terrorism. Conflict ridden and war-torn Ethiopia represents Africa’s promises and pitfalls.

The USA possesses national institutions that can mitigate risks and avert “destabilization of this great nation.” Who will defend weak nations targeted by the USA? Indeed, the USA Government’s nefarious activities are destabilizing Ethiopia. The Biden Administration’s pro-Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF)’s position has tainted and undermined mutually beneficial relations between USA and Ethiopia.

When the Cold War ended in 1989 with a slew of arms limiting agreements these people in the Blob were effectively unemployed. While they were down and out this should have been the time for both superpowers to get rid of all their nuclear weapons. What were they needed for? Lying around, albeit unused, they could be picked up and deployed again if relations turned for the worse–which they did. Simply put, this was a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Africa has been depicted as the "hopeless continent" by Western media and the public. But Africa is more diverse and bigger than most people think, with a land area exceeding Europe, the United States, and China combined and a three trillion-dollar economy. According to UNDP, Africa has 1.34 billion people (17% of the world pop), home to some 30 % of the world's mineral reserves, 40 % of the world's gold, 90 % of its chromium and platinum, 12 % of the oil reserves, largest reserves of uranium in the world and 65 % of the world's arable land. Despite such a long list of natural resources, Africa can't fully feed itself.

The lorries have no drivers. The supermarket shelves are emptying. The poor are having their subsidies cut. The British government ties itself in knots trying to square what is a circle in Northern Ireland. Brexit–the leaving of the EU–is failing the nation. But Europe itself is not failing. In fact, it is about to get stronger. Writing in 1751 Voltaire described Europe as "a kind of great republic, divided into several states, some monarchical, the others mixed but all corresponding with one another. They all have the same religious foundation, even if divided into several confessions. They all have the same principles of public law and politics unknown in other parts of the world."

One must accept that international politics as we read about and knew it then has died a natural death since the coming down of the Berlin wall leaving us with only the Chinese wall. This means, there is no need for President Joe Biden’s Administration to pursue either his own foreign or national policies or the “Make America Great Again” policies of former President Donald Trump. A few months ago, there were images at the US border with Mexico which spread on social media which were not different from those seen during the Trump Administration.

Wednesday, September 15, was the International Day of Democracy. It was established through a resolution passed by the UN General Assembly in 2007, encouraging governments to strengthen and consolidate democracy.