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What Africa Really Needs To Fight Ebola

Lasrick writes Laura Kahn, a physician on the research staff of Princeton University's Program on Science and Global Security, writes that the high tech solutions being promoted to help fight Ebola in Africa will make no difference. What Africa really needs is anti-corruption efforts, now. "A case in point is Liberia, which has received billions of dollars in international aid for over a decade, with little to show for it. The country ranks near the bottom of the United Nation's Human Development Index and near the bottom of Transparency International's Global Corruption Barometer. And while international aid groups and non-governmental organizations such as Doctors Without Borders and the International Medical Corps provide important humanitarian assistance and medical care, they also inadvertently absolve African political leaders from developing medical and public health infrastructures."

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  1. Re:The RIver of Myths by rtb61 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Humanity is bound to two types of evolution individual and social evolution. Social evolution allows all those individuals to achieve far more as a group than they could ever achieve individually. So what really does happen when you attempt to force social evolution upon people who have not adapted to it. Individually a process of selection must occur that allows adaptation to social evolution a conjoined process. So the harshest question of all must be asked, should regions be required to solve some of the problems they create themselves in order to allow effective social evolution.

    Taking a more detached perspective, how would say aliens view aiding humanity as it resolves the problems that humanity itself creates. Would they isolate them and allow them to resolve those issue and only prevent it from spreading. So what is the correct answer, do nothing or just provide the knowledge and let them do it and isolate them until they do (succeed or fail) or attempt to do it for them and force solutions on them (treat whole societies like children).

    Attempting to force solutions upon societies that have not adapted to them often creates nothing but conflict. Are we helping or just foolishly fuelling conflict and war. Is foreign aid just something to ease the conscious of the public as we steal the resources off the people we are pretending to aid? Isolationism, who do we isolate ourselves or those regions that fail to develop? Should we force development? Should we allow, wild zones where people can remain 'wild' but are isolated from civilised zones? How much does help end up crippling development rather than supporting it.

    As countries, do we only help because those regions have something we want (suspiciously, it is starting to look very much like that and no amount of PR=B$ will keep it hidden) ?

    --
    Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
  2. Re:Pay attention, everyone! by ebusinessmedia1 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Absolutely agree! There is *no* excuse for the poor medical infrastructure conditions in Africa - none. Boatloads of money have been sent to Africa: too much of it has lined the pockets of corrupt politicians, businessmen, and others It's disgraceful, and *we* are part of the problem because we don't insist on results and accountability.