The Foreign Service Journal, May 2004

sonal recognition for changing many minds within the State Department bureaucracy — especially regarding our Foreign Service National emp- loyees — is former U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Johnnie Carson. Over the next decade there will be more suc- cess stories, treatment rates will increase and, hopefully, there will be new medical advances — so that HIV/AIDS in Africa, while still a great tragedy, will be nowhere near as devastating as pessimists predict. One of the most memorable state- ments I heard about Africa was uttered during the meet- ing between Prime Minister Zenawi, Sec. O’Neill and Bono I described earlier. At one point, O’Neill, recount- ing the discussion he had with President Bush prior to his departure for Africa, said that they had agreed that if we accept the fact that a child born in Africa will never have the same opportunities for clean water, basic health services, education and economic advancement as a child born in America, then we are accept- ing permanent second-class status for much of humanity — and this should not be. It doesn’t have to. There are finally mechanisms and trends in place to allow Africa to send those Apocalyptic Horsemen galloping (or at least trotting) away from the con- tinent. For this to finally happen, though, we will have to stay engaged and provide leadership to donors, encouragement and resources to those states and leaders willing to move forward, and firm opposition to the remaining dinosaur dictators who need to leave the scene as quickly as pos- sible. I predict that Africa really will make it, and soon- er than most believe possible. F O C U S M A Y 2 0 0 4 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 25 T HE R EMINGTON States which do not practice democracy and market-oriented economics should not benefit from development assistance.