Obama urges African nations not to make economic 'excuses'

[applegrove]

Obama urges African nations not to make economic 'excuses'

By Annika McGinnis at Reuters

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/28/us-africa-obama-idUSKBN0FX1WW20140728

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(Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday gave a preview of a summit he will hold with African leaders next week, saying African nations should look inward for solutions to economic woes and not make "excuses" based on a history of dependence and colonization.

Speaking to 500 young Africans finishing a six-week Washington leadership fellowship, Obama said while it was important for developed countries to consider providing some targeted debt relief, it was time to end the notion that all of African nations' problems resulted from "onerous debt imposed by the West."

"At some point, we have to stop looking somewhere else for solutions, and you have to start looking for solutions internally," Obama told the enthusiastic audience.

“And as powerful as history is, and you need to know that history, at some point, you have to look to the future and say, ‘OK, we didn’t get a good deal then, but let’s make sure that we’re not making excuses for not going forward.’"


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[Scootaloo]

1. If only those developing economies had been allowed to develop...

Instead of being immediately looted and plundered.

no, it's not entirely the fault of onerous debt. Just [overwhelmingly the fault ofthat.

[applegrove]

2. Corruption is one problem that is currently being addressed in Africa.

Just because the continent was so plundered by the corrupt humanity of colonialism, and then the corruption of the cold war, and then the corruption of getting the poorest nations to take on debt, doesn't mean you don't want the current corruption to stop. Obama is the person to say it loud. Corruption is bad in whatever form it takes.

[Scootaloo]

3. And the corruption just appeared out of nowhere, of course

had nothing to do with anything else, ever. Africa in a vacuum. Thanks for the loot, now shape your shit up.