President Robert Mugabe has pledged to uphold "democracy and the rule of law" when a raft of African autocrats signed a declaration supposedly heralding a new era of open politics.
Why bother even paying for the paper this was written on? Anyone think that the robber barons who run those African countries are going to take any notice?
They might, if we cut off funding, and we may as well, since it mostly goes to Switzerland anyway. On the other hand, the Chinese will probably make up the difference.
That declaration is worth considerably more than the paper it is written on. It must have enormous comedy value, for a start.
The Chinese will not make up the difference. They do not give aid; they do not even try to install political commissars as the Soviets used to; they buy what they want. That’s it.
What are the criteria for a country to receive aid? I mean there must be some awkward middle ground where some aid might help but it’d be a huge insult to offer it.