Full print edition -- economist.com
After China and America, it is Europe's turn to woo Africa IT IS a coincidence, but an appropriate one nonetheless, that Europe should try to relaunch its relations with Africa in Lisbon. It was from here, in 1415, that Portuguese ships first set out to begin the European exploration and conquest of the dark continent; and it will be here on December 8th that politicians from 53 African and 27 European countries will gather at a summit to bury the old colonial relationships in favour of something more modern and "equal", as the Europeans like to put it. The get-together is the idea of the Portuguese, who currently hold the EU presidency; they see this first EU-Africa summit since 2000 as the capstone of their six-month tenure. They accept that the summit carries a "political price": the one-man-against-the-rest EU split caused by the refusal of Britain's prime minister, Gordon Brown, to attend, in protest against the presence of Zimbabwe's president, Robert Mugabe. But, the Portuguese say, they had little option. China, and others, have forced their hand. ...
Full print edition -- economist.com
The dictators of Sudan and Zimbabwe should not have been welcome in Lisbon IN LISBON at the end of this week, the leaders of the European Union will sit down with the leaders of the African Union. It will be a grand jamboree, the first of its kind since a summit in Cairo seven years ago. But one prime minister from the European side will not be showing up. This is not because Gordon Brown has been having such a torrid time filling Tony Blair's boots in Britain, though he has. He is staying away because he refuses to attend a meeting that is also being attended by Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe. Behind the scenes, Britain's allies complain that this is mere grandstanding--and Mr Brown is capable of that. But on this occasion it is he who is right and they who are wrong. ...