Getting rid of the dictator is only a first step in establishing a free society. The dictatorship must also be disassembled.

Hippos kill more people in Africa annually than any other wild animal.

Virtually all of Africa's civil wars were started by politically marginalized or excluded groups.

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

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

To be sure, dictators are crafty, evil geniuses with awesome firepower at their disposal. They are also brutally efficient at intimidation, terrorism, and mass slaughter. However, a force is able to dominate because the counterforce is either nonexistent or weak.

You have to separate the humanitarian impulse from the record of aid itself. We all want to help. Many people would say that it's the moral impulse of the rich to help the poor, but the record of aid has been terrible.