In Africa, are donor darlings stifling democracy?
Christian Science Monitor Clashes between opposition protesters and security forces in Ethiopia killed more than 46 people in the past week. By Abraham McLaughlin | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA – In Africa’s decade-plus experiment with multiparty democracy, there appears to be significant backsliding, ironically, among some heads of state once heralded as the next generation of great leaders on the continent. And the slippage, observers say, is sometimes being abetted by the US and other rich-nation donors – in part because of the war on terror. The most current example is Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who was a member of British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Commission for Africa and is an important partner in America’s terror war. After a disputed election in May, he’s mounted a brass-knuckles crackdown on opponents in which at least 76 people have died. He’s also edging toward restarting one of Africa’s most deadly wars. Other examples i
