September 30, 2009
The U.S. Dilemma over How to Help Zimbabwe: Some Ideas from My Congressional Testimony
Zimbabwe is not only a problem for all of Africa, it’s a vexing dilemma for U.S policymakers. Some facts:
Views from the Center
July 6, 2009
Obama Right to Highlight Ghana’s Success, But Will Oil Be the Spoiler?
President Obama's first visit to Africa will be to Ghana. This is no surprise: Ghana is a close U.S. ally and has been in many ways a model of both political and economic reform.
June 9, 2009
What Would Barack Obama Be Like If He Was Still President in 2051? Ask Gabon
What would Barack Obama be like if he was still president in 2051? We would expect that despite whatever initial good intentions, that four decades in power would inevitably give way to entrenched corruption, mindless sycophancy, and probably destroy our democracy. Such an outcome is not only barred by the U.S. constitution, but sounds like an absurd question today.
December 5, 2008
U.S. Smart Sanctions against Zimbabwe Just Got a Bit Smarter
As Zimbabwe continues to collapse, most of the world’s attention has been on the cholera outbreak , a painful (and thoroughly avoidable) reminder of how far the once-thriving country has fallen.
April 12, 2006
More bad news for oil transparency in Congo-Brazzaville
According to Reuters, two anti-corruption campaigners have been arrested in Congo-Brazzaville, allegedly for embezzling funds. If true, it is disturbing that people tasked with overseeing fiscal transparency are themselves involved in fraud, and bodes poorly for Congo’s chances of breaking its cycle of wasting public money.
March 28, 2006
Congo-Brazzaville: Too corrupt for debt relief or too indebted to fight corruption?
After a bitter fight between the World Bank's board of directors and Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, Congo-Brazzaville was allowed to reach decision point in the HIPC program on March 9. The deal was almost held up after reports that Congo’s President Denis Sassou-Ngueso spent $300k at a New York hotel, but this scandal wasn’t enough to convince debt relief diehards that Congo wasn’t perhaps the most worthy recipient
February 16, 2006
I'll Take the Presidential Suite: AU Chair Sending Wrong Signal
In a Sunday Times of London report concerning a lavish jaunt to New York last fall to deliver a 15 minute speech at the UN, the spotlight was on Congolese President Denis Sassou-Nguesso. Recently chosen to chair the AU, it has been noted that the President of Congo-Brazzaville spent $295,000 for luxurious accommodations for him and his entourage at the Palace Hotel in New York City.
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