by As printed in the Houston Chronicle, Jeffery D. Sachs asks what if super-rich in U.S. helped save Africans? Good question, what if they did?
The primary problem with African nations is not poverty, as Sachs so blithely postulates. While quite serious, this condition is simply a by-product of the real issue. The real problem with Africa is that much of the continent is ungovernable in its present form.
Nigeria, Liberia, Congo, Rwanda. What do these countries have in common? Bloody tribal and religious riots, constant active military conflicts, a complete lack of stable government.
Sachs editorial hits the right tone: if well-off Americans want to volunteer money and services to Africa, then they should be encouraged to do so. But no one should believe that doing so will make a difference. Until the people of Africa want to live in peace, there’s nothing to be done from this side of the Atlantic.
