Here's what Hillary really wants: "Hey, Africans to "get over" the trauma of colonization"

[Catherina]

Mon Jun 14, 2010 5:58pm EDT

Clinton: Africa must launch tough economic reforms

African nations must stop seeking handouts and begin tough structural reforms, especially on trade, if they truly want to improve their economies, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday.

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"If you look at trade between African countries, it is abysmally minimalistic," Clinton said. "African countries don't trade with themselves. They have barriers and tariffs and customs problems that stand in the way of developing their own economies."

Clinton's sharp comments were in response to a question about broadening the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a measure passed by Congress in 2000 which gives favorable access to U.S. markets to dozens of African countries.

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"They'd rather have the biggest piece of a small pie than a smaller piece of a big pie. So if you are going to have that mentality, it is really hard to utilize the incredible tool that AGOA is," she said.

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Sounding almost exasperated, Clinton indicated that Africa's arguments for the redress of economic imbalances left by colonialism were beginning to wear a little thin -- at least in Washington.

"For goodness sakes, this is the 21st century. We've got to get over what happened 50, 100, 200 years ago and let's make money for everybody. That's the best way to try to create some new energy and some new growth in Africa," she said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/06/14/us-africa-usa-idUSTRE65D61920100614