Good questions Bamba Laye. I have a feeling that it's all of the above and more, especially on the African side. It is just mind-boggling that leaders of countries where people are dirt poor would be carting away millions of precious national dollars to appease, bribe, or otherwise fatten the coffers of wealthy European politicians. Generally, human beings are vulnerable to the corrupting influences of material wealth - unless they are either extremely humane and just (philosopher kings/queens?) or they are detered by some inanimate mechanism or fear of exposure. I think that while the British have perhaps not been as "involved" as the French in their "former colonies", we perhaps cannot completely rule out the possibility of similar suitcase diplomacy of some sort between British politicians and African despots. There seems to be some indication that IMF and World Bank reps in English speaking Africa write highly favorable reports about not-so-favorable economic performances. One suspects that these reps do so in exchange for at least some few thousand dollars from our heartless moneybags. But as the old adage goes, what's done in the dark will out in the light!
 
Baba
 

 

> Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:38:08 -0400
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [G_L] How African dictators corrupt European politics
> To: [log in to unmask]
> 
> an Interesting read Baba. This gives the flip side to the familiar stories we hear. Am inclined to ask though; is it the long standing relation and the near meddling of the French into their former colonies in Africa that exposed them to such indecencies or something else? Would it have been the same tendencies if the British were more involved in post-colonial Africa?
> 
> -Laye
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