I'm not a fan of the Cato Institute either, but I don't think that single fact in isolation can be considered more than simple ad hominem. Full disclosure: I be

I'm not a fan of the Cato Institute either, but I don't think that single fact in isolation can be considered more than simple ad hominem. Full disclosure: I believe that any time someone talks about a whole continent in sweeping generalizations, their argument is probably lacking. I also believe that problems in the poorer parts of Africa such (DRC, Mali, Sudan, etc) cannot be simply explained just through something like Libertarian economic theory. BUT, I also believe that it's a factor, because frankly West and Sub-Saharan Africa are not the only parts of the world that were brutally colonized. They are one of most persistently poor and dysfunctional though, and so I think more than just kneejerk "history was hard on them" is needed to explain matters. I think the author offers one element of the puzzle, but by presenting it as a full, standalone explanation he undermines himself and misses the multifaceted nature of complex problems that vary enormously depending on WHICH African nation we're talking about. But still, you can do better than just dismissing him because he's politically misaligned to you. DOUBLY so when he's just cross-posting someone else's work. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magatte_Wade https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magatte_Wade This is the person who wrote the content, and she does not work for the Cato Institute.