Armies for Africa?
How can we help the developing countries of Africa? This three-minute BBC radio interview (RealPlayer required) features an interesting take on the issue from Paul Collier, an Oxford Professor of Economics.
Collier points out that Africa has some fragile democracies which are at real risk of falling to a military coup or descending into civil war. The security that comes from stable government makes it more feasible to escape the cycle of poverty. Hence the rich European countries could help by supplying some of their military power, if backed with a legitimate authority.