The only good dictator is a dead one.

Western-style multi-party democracy is possible but not suitable for Africa.

There was free trade in Africa. There was free enterprise in Africa before the colonialists came.

There's a belief that since Africa got a raw deal from the colonial West, then the Chinese must be Africa's best friend. But the evidence doesn't show that, and the main criticism is that they are building infrastructure in exchange for Africa's resources in deals that are structured to favor China.

In the West, the basic economic and social unit is the individual; in Africa, it is the extended family or the collective.

If NATO goes in and solves the crisis in Darfur, when the next one comes along Africa's leaders will just sit back.

African history is filled with experiences of people shooting their way to power and then splintering into factions, like in Somalia and Liberia.