Failed US diplomacy in action: Angola

Last year the Bush administration elevated Angola to a higher trading partner status and in the process, removing another country. Human rights abuses? No problem, where's the oil? Billions of oil revenue missing from the 2nd largest oil exporting country in sub-Saharan Africa? No worries, let's be friends and keep the oil pumping. This sounds like our policy with the numbere 1 oil producing country in sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria. Some might recall Bush's good friend Obasanjo and his own questionable democratic activities and new found wealth.

Human Rights Watch is now saying that despite the billions of dollars worth of oil coming out of this country of 11 million people, most are living in poverty in a war torn country that is saturated with land mines and with minimal levels for health and education. I've seen poor people in Africa but the refuges that I saw from Angola who were trying to survive in northern (and the poorest part of) Namibia were the saddest looking group I met.

One of these days we are going to wake up and demand a bit of transparency with our foreign policy. Until that happens we better get used to more brewing disastors like Angola and quit wondering why we are so unpopular in the world.