Zimbabwe in meltdown

[blessed]

South Africa unwilling to acknowledge the scale of the problem on its borders....... Cholera spreading... Etc etc.

This is sub-Saharan Africa left to its own devices. It is woeful, but you can't suddenly take tribal people and inculcate "modern" values into them.

Inject massive amounts of Western money? Well, you can see why there isn't a lot getting there.

Racist? Maybe, but based on what I see and have seen for years. Would you like to pay for more alms, or should it be arms?

Africa needs recolonisation.

[Whickerman]

Why is it South Africa's fault or responsibility? And why do you automatically assume that Western colonisation would solve all the problems of the area, and why would you try?

Think about it - if the world's superpowers can't tame a relatively small area like Afghanistan, why would it take on the world's second largest continent?

[stokemaveric]

a lot of south africas problems are self inflicted,and the cost of human tragedy is a crime....but they dont help themselves do they?

[terambulan]

Just proves....put a suit on a gorilla doesn't make it a gentleman!

Zimbabwe was the 'bread-basket' in the experienced farmers hands. But the 'natives' can't/won't farm but choose the easier 'bread-basket' of Aid from other lands. The tribal leaders prefer to kill their tribes in their quest to horde donations to themselves.

This is an excellent example of how countries can fail left to their own devices and without interference from the West.

Who am I to tell my neighbour how he should live?

[jake-the-peg]

Yeah that's real smart - let's pick one or two countries and make a decision on an entire continent based on it!

Let's gloss over the fact that Botswana has a higher GDP per head of population than Portugal!

Or were you just planning to invade poor countries?

[Sgt.Rock]

They wanted their independence, now they must be left to get on with the consequences. Zimbabwe today, crime ridden South Africa tomorrow.

[anotheoldgit]

Africa, what can be done with this vast continent.

The white man has tried, no one can deny that. We colonised a wild continent, gave them buildings, roads, railways, schools, hospitals, built dams and supplied them with irrigation so as to farm otherwise barren land, and our missionaries also took care of their spiritual beings.

Ok before someone says "yes but look what wealth you took out of Africa" true but then it was ripe pickings in that age of discovery, all part of the game.

"Yes but what about slavery" Once again we were not on our own, it had been going on for thousands of years, between tribes of many nations, and to some extent it still is.

Back to what can be done? From the white man's perspective, nothing. We have tried, they didn't want us, and still don't. We should now withdraw our Teachers, Doctors, Engineers, Aid workers etc. we are not wanted.

All those blacks that have made yast sums of money in the white world, should now return to their 'roots' and spend their fortunes on the less fortunate peoples of their race. They could also in time organise themselves into democratic political parties and rid Africa of the corrupt polititions.

Perhaps then and only then, we may in time have a continent that could stand side by side with the rest of the world.

[jake-the-peg]

I think our engineers teachers and doctors are generally more than welcome.

Our troops are not.

I think that's fair - we have a bad history in the west of tying aid to conditions that interfere with internal politics in the country.

Imagine if the US said "We'll only continue to share security information with you in the UK if you depose the monarchy and become a true republic"

[anotheoldgit]

I think our engineers teachers and doctors are generally more than welcome.

Nothing's changed here then? still all take and no give.

Imagine if the US said "We'll only continue to share security information with you in the UK if you depose the monarchy and become a true republic"

I think you are being rather naive Jake?

Don't you think the US already says this, not by asking us to get rid of our monarchy as you suggest, but by continuing to use us as an "Aircraft Carrier" etc on the edge of Europe?

I think that's fair - we have a bad history in the west of tying aid to conditions that interfere with internal politics in the country.

This is completely incorrect, if after all the aid we have given to Africa, then surely if we had tied aid to interfering with internal politics, their politics wouldn't be in the mess they are today. It is about time someone interferred they can't manage on their own, that's for cerrtain.