The Dead Aid debate so far

by | Jun 1, 2009 | Africa, Economics and development

Dambisa Moyo is rapidly becoming the bête noire of orthodox development circles. Her recent book, Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is a Better Way for Africa has stirred up a good deal of controversy, arguing that that ‘overreliance on aid has trapped developing nations in a vicious circle of aid dependency, corruption, market distortion, and further poverty, leaving them with nothing but the “need” for more aid.’ (Incidentally, you would not believe how long it look me to realise that ‘Dead Aid’ is a play on Live Aid.)

In typically sceptical fashion, Emmanuel Yujuico at IPE Zone points out that ‘you also have to consider that several books have followed the same formula of catchy title plus scepticism about aid. Others have said it earlier–and better.’ He’s right, and people like James Ferguson have been writing on this for a number of years, but it’s worth noting that none of those authors (to my knowledge, at least) were black. As has been noted by Niall Ferguson, who wrote the foreword to Dead Aid, it is pleasing to see a ‘popular’ book on development that has been written by an African woman, rather than an American male. That said, as Global Dashboard’s own Jules Evans points out, Moyo hasn’t lived in Africa for years. Moreover, her career has followed the path of the archetypal high-flying western development worker – Oxford, Harvard, Goldman Sachs and the World Bank.

Back in February, Global Dashboard asked where the Dead Aid argument leaves traditional developmentists: ‘will they all dig in for a defensive game, or is a serious process of strategic renewal finally in prospect?’ Since then, promotional opinion pieces and interviews for Moyo’s book have led to a spate of debates (surely that is the correct collective noun?) within the development blogosphere and wider media that may be able to shed some light on this question. (more…)

“Airstrip One” of the Asia Pacific

by | Jun 1, 2009 | Conflict and security, East Asia and Pacific

Revolutionary Martyrs cemetery, Pyongyang

For the last 15 years I’ve studied strategic developments in the Asia Pacific region.  But until fairly recently North Korea has been something of a blind-spot for me, a regional flashpoint that I haven’t paid much attention to.

The current crisis, in which North Korea has detonated a nuclear device, test-fired missiles and threatened war, has grabbed my attention. Perhaps this is because I’ve realized that several interesting strategic issues hinge on the communist regime’s stability and its relations with other powers in North Asia. For example, a bellicose North Korea armed with nuclear weapons could prompt Japan and South Korea to go nuclear as well. Regime collapse could trigger a flood of migrants to China, South Korea and the Russian Far East.

But what’s really captured my imagination is the sheer weirdness of the ‘Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’. When I look at North Korea I can’t help but think of Airstrip One in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. While the rest of North Asia has embraced varying degrees of political freedom and various forms of capitalism, North Korea is a totalitarian state and a command economy. It is militarized, brutalized and impoverished. The regime is ruled by an aging tyrant, Kim Jong-il, who, with his late father Kim Il-sung (the ‘Great Leader’), is the centre of an elaborate and pervasive personality cult. Unlike most North Koreans, who at best have spartan lifestyles, Kim enjoys a life of luxury. He reportedly has 17 palaces, hundreds of flash cars, and spends $650,000 a year on Hennessy VSOP cognac.

In my … err, research, I’ve come across some fascinating resources. Like the DPRK’s Twitter page, which has lots of links to illuminating articles, such as “Kim Jong-il gives field guidance to Namhung Youth Chemical Complex”. There’s this photo set of long-range shots peering into North Korea. And this very cool Google Earth map of North Korea, which details everything from nuclear missile test sites and monuments for revolutionary martyrs to submarine bases and gulags for political prisoners.

(Photo: bryanh: Revolutionary Martyrs cemetery, Pyongyang.)

New guest contributors on Global Dashboard

by | Jun 1, 2009 | Influence and networks

We’re very pleased that two guest contributors will be with us on Global Dashboard for the month of June – Peter Hodge (aka Kotare from The Strategist) and Andrew Pickering (editor of From Davos to Seattle).

Peter’s based in New Zealand and writes about the full spectrum of global affairs, with a particular focus on conflict and security issues: his full profile is here. Andrew, meanwhile, is based in the UK (where he’s also an editor at e-International Relations), and focuses in particular on international political economy issues.

A warm welcome on board to both from me and David – we look forward to reading your posts!