G-8 Makes No Progress on Africa

The G-8 Summit in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, is George Bush’s last such event as president. It looks like he will be leaving office without making much headway in getting the G-8 to act on Africa. The Zimbabwe mess is no closer to resolution, and the rich countries seem to be backing away from their 2005 pledge to double aid to Africa by 2010. Perhaps as the three-day meeting moves along, they will deal with climate change more effectively than this.

With regard to Zimbabwe, President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, who is the head of the African Union, met with Mr. Bush as part of the “Africa outreach” effort by the G-8. Mr. Bush plainly said, “I am extremely disappointed in the election, which I labeled a sham election.” President Kikwete was less forthright. He recognized America’s “concerns” adding that “The only area we may disagree on is the way forward.” That’s diplomat-ese for “we don’t know what to do next.”

Dan Price, who is an economic adviser to the White House, said, “There were differences. Not all leaders are there yet. Not all leaders are in a position to support sanctions at this time.” Of course, sanctions are just about the only tool left short of military intervention. And if some leaders aren’t ready for sanctions, they certainly won’t be ready for war.

At the 2005 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, the G8 pledged to double aid to developing countries by 2010, about US$50 billion at the time. They also promised to double aid to Africa, an additional $25 billion over the same period. Max Lawson, a spokesman for Oxfam International, told the press, “We know that these figures were taken out of the [Sapporo] communiqué. We know there's a struggle now about whether to put them back in.”

The reason for omitting the figures is simple – the rich nations aren’t even close to delivering that much. Africa Progress Panel, which monitors implementation of the Gleneagles deal, said in a report last month that current spending by the G8 will fall US$40 billion short of its target.

© Copyright 2008 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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