Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog

ARTICLE: "When China Met Africa," by Serge Michel, Foreign Policy, May/June 2008, p. 39.

All the same tendencies to enclave, just like the European colonialists a century before, so no surprise, all the same obstacles cropping up.

Compare this to the Indians, who embed so deeply you barely notice them when you travel around Africa.

This kind of reporting is only natural. First came the unrealistic harping. Now comes the less sanguine stuff. The truth will lie in between, methinks.

But overall, a great read.

The line I like best: "China seems to have difficultly maneuvering in countries more democratic than itself."

What? I thought the "model" was beloved the world over?

Turns out China will have to change to maintain connectivity or it'll get chased out. Big surprise.