The African Union Thread

[Elta]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Union

The AU future confederation's goals include the creation of a free trade area, a customs union, a single market, a central bank, and a common currency, thereby establishing economic and monetary union. The current plan is to establish an African Economic Community with a single currency by 2023

The AU has only 2% of the world's international trade. Because over 90% of international trade consists of currency futures, Africa's 2%, however, actually makes up the bulk of real commodity traded worldwide, including about 70% of the world's strategic minerals, including gold and aluminum. Africa is also a large market for American and European industry.

High tarrifs on all the western resource companys mining and loging in africa, a little bit of human rights violations. Then here come the western world to bring "order"*



* just trying to think of what could go wrong.

 

[Dreadnought]

Psh, Africa is too desolate and poor to have this...

 

[Mastreditr111]

I hate to say it, but too much of africa hates every other part to unify any time soon. Cases in Point are Rwanda, Sudan, and the entire Congo Basin, just to name the newest ones.

 

[Kozmos]

Unless Samuel Jackson and Wesely Snipes unite, from a massive Army and unite all of Africa. *shudders*

 

[amadeus]

I would join arms with Lawrence Fishburne in the Cowboy Curtis Brigades.

Seriously, though, the AU isn't a threat to anybody's interests in the West.

 

[silver 2039]

A good start, Africa is rich in natarural resourses, very rich. It has so much potential if it can lift itself out of the poverty and war.

 

[GinandTonic]

If they formed a trade block they could be as rich as they should be. 70% of the worlds mineral wealth. Problem is they have a long way to go before they have thier act anywhere like togeather enough for this kind of thing.

 

[Che Guava]

I don't see why this is news exactly. I know that the current AU is pretty new, but pan-africanism has been around for a long time, and the Organisation of African Unity, the precursor to this organization, has been around since the 60's.

Furthermore, I dont see why this is an kind of situation. The world seems to tell africans that they have to solve thier problems for themselves, so this would seem like a logical start, no?

Psh, Africa is too desolate and poor to have this...

It really miffs me when people write off africa as simply too poor/backwards/degraded to merit any real attention or support. Sort of a self-fulfilling prophesy, no? I think silver_2039 has the right idea....

I hate to say it, but too much of africa hates every other part to unify any time soon. Cases in Point are Rwanda, Sudan, and the entire Congo Basin, just to name the newest ones.

Once again, that seems like a pretty broad brushstroke for an entire continent. There are a lot of countries in africa where ethnic violence isn't a problem. Just take a look at south africa, probably the most diverse country on the continent: despite a bitter (recent) history and economic problems, it functions as a 'rainbow' nation quite well.

 

[Elrohir]

17 years? Get real. Try fifty, at the very least, and then I wouldn't be too suprised to see some form of unity and cooperation. In the short term, at least, the AU is like the UN of Africa - a joke. A only slightly funny powerless joke, to be sure, but still a joke.

 

[Gladi]

Bright day
AU is far from perfect, but is does some succeses to speak of, alas those are far between.

 

[Shaihulud]

If they become too powerful, I forsee them chokeing the life out of trade in the freeworld! In the name of freedom and liberty, we should try to impede their progress and keep them subservient to our needs.

 

[Elta]

I dont see why this is an situation

It's not I just like using I remember watching a program on the Discovery channel called "when a united africa died" so it suprised me. Not to mention africa is so big a single currency seems like a huge undertaking to me. Any ways here's to hoping all of africa can have an HDI number at least near Latin America's numbers.

 

[Mastreditr111]

Once again, that seems like a pretty broad brushstroke for an entire continent. There are a lot of countries in africa where ethnic violence isn't a problem. Just take a look at south africa, probably the most diverse country on the continent: despite a bitter (recent) history and economic problems, it functions as a 'rainbow' nation quite well.

South Africa is the ONLY properly functioning government in Sub-Saharan Africa that has acted even remotely in the interests of its people. The areas I named, along with Nigeria, the entire Gold Coast, Somalia, Botswana, and Angola, are utter chaos, with racial hatred running rampant. (All those place put together account for about 60% of the land and population of Sub-Saharan Africa, so the broad brushstroke is justified to me)

 

[amadeus]

South Africa is the ONLY properly functioning government in Sub-Saharan Africa that has acted even remotely in the interests of its people. The areas I named, along with Nigeria, the entire Gold Coast, Somalia, Botswana, and Angola, are utter chaos, with racial hatred running rampant. (All those place put together account for about 60% of the land and population of Sub-Saharan Africa, so the broad brushstroke is justified to me)

I'd flip that around and say that Botswana is one of the few sub-Saharan African countries that isn't prejucied against whites living or working in the country.

There's no doubt in my mind at all that Thabo Mbeki does not like white people, Afrikaner, English, or otherwise.

 

[CaptainF]

A good start, Africa is rich in natarural resourses, very rich. It has so much potential if it can lift itself out of the poverty and war.

Exactly what I was thinking. Its good to see Africans working to better themselves.