In DR Congo, a place far closer to Pres. elect Obama's hometowns in Kenya than Chicagoland corruption, he will be tested by a series of events that characterize many of the corrupt and tribal governments of Africa. If he is to be the first African President, he'll be tested to come up with a solution to centuries of poverty, corruption, disease, and government ineptitude. Basically, although colonial powers were thrown out, the citizens of these countries have yet to enjoy true democracy or rule of law.
From the Washington Post today:
Expectations for the president-elect are high not just in America. And eastern Congo will be an early foreign policy test for the administration -- its suffering not only engages our conscience, it is the most urgent expression of a difficult question: What does America do with failed states and regions?
After generations of mismanagement, the vastness of eastern Congo has become a vacuum of sovereignty. And the chaos has attracted some very bad elements -- Rwandan genocidaires, Lord's Resistance Army terrorists, militias of every ideology and description.
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