3 ms·

The next big thing: Africa

11 points by TriinT 17y ago

jganetsk 17y ago
Is it the next big thing after BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China)? Because those countries still have yet to fully develop.
- garply 17y ago
  I think so - as these countries have their middle classes develop, they're going to need cheap labor to fulfill the roles that their citizens are no longer willing to do themselves. So, far in the future, China will export its low-wage factory jobs to Africa as China increasingly focuses on the type of goods that are currently produced in the US.
- TriinT 17y ago
  We could call Africa the next-next big thing, then ;-)
yardie 17y ago
I really hate these articles that paint really broad swaths of generalizations on entire continents. People, Africa is not a country! There are 40+ countries in Africa at the moment. Some are more stable than others. Some have had good success since decolonialisation. Others are in perpetual civil war. Many are still recovering from past events. If the author meant Africa is the next big thing for mineral exploitation. That would seem obvious, but the creation of a sizable, sustainable, educated middle class for the entire continent seems decades away.
- joel_feather 17y ago
  Which countries are in perpetual civil war? Are these wars confined to smaller regions within the country or do they encompass the entire country? What's your opinion on the Balkan countries? Are they also in perpertual civil war?
  - biohacker42 17y ago
    If Africa was as overrun with NATO troops as Bosnia is, Africa would be as peaceful as Bosnia is today.
DrJokepu 17y ago
I wish that would happen. I really wish. Foreign Policy is generally an excellent publication but I just don't see that happening. Apart from a few countries such as South Africa or Botswana, African countries don't have anything resembling a middle class, whose existence is indisposable for things like commerce, political stability or a fair judicial system. It's really a shame but I'm afraid Africa will remain impoverished for a very long time and I can't see the Western World or anyone else being able to help them as it is now obvious that throwing money at the problem won't solve it.
newsdog 17y ago
Africa is doomed. After Mandela dies there will be a Rwanda style massacre of the remaining whites and no one will care. The Chinese will then move in and build a pitiless slave empire and no one will care about that either. All worse case scenarios will come true, a massive die off of blacks, pollution, strip-mining and extinction of many African wild species. I'm sure the anti apartheid movement will be very proud.

11 points by TriinT 17y ago

Is it the next big thing after BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China)? Because those countries still have yet to fully develop.

garply 17y ago
I think so - as these countries have their middle classes develop, they're going to need cheap labor to fulfill the roles that their citizens are no longer willing to do themselves. So, far in the future, China will export its low-wage factory jobs to Africa as China increasingly focuses on the type of goods that are currently produced in the US.
TriinT 17y ago
We could call Africa the next-next big thing, then ;-)

yardie 17y ago

I really hate these articles that paint really broad swaths of generalizations on entire continents. People, Africa is not a country! There are 40+ countries in Africa at the moment. Some are more stable than others. Some have had good success since decolonialisation. Others are in perpetual civil war. Many are still recovering from past events. If the author meant Africa is the next big thing for mineral exploitation. That would seem obvious, but the creation of a sizable, sustainable, educated middle class for the entire continent seems decades away.

joel_feather 17y ago
Which countries are in perpetual civil war? Are these wars confined to smaller regions within the country or do they encompass the entire country? What's your opinion on the Balkan countries? Are they also in perpertual civil war?
- biohacker42 17y ago
  If Africa was as overrun with NATO troops as Bosnia is, Africa would be as peaceful as Bosnia is today.

DrJokepu 17y ago

I wish that would happen. I really wish. Foreign Policy is generally an excellent publication but I just don't see that happening. Apart from a few countries such as South Africa or Botswana, African countries don't have anything resembling a middle class, whose existence is indisposable for things like commerce, political stability or a fair judicial system. It's really a shame but I'm afraid Africa will remain impoverished for a very long time and I can't see the Western World or anyone else being able to help them as it is now obvious that throwing money at the problem won't solve it.

newsdog 17y ago

Africa is doomed. After Mandela dies there will be a Rwanda style massacre of the remaining whites and no one will care. The Chinese will then move in and build a pitiless slave empire and no one will care about that either. All worse case scenarios will come true, a massive die off of blacks, pollution, strip-mining and extinction of many African wild species. I'm sure the anti apartheid movement will be very proud.