USA Africa Dialogue Series - china and africa

the following article is by howard french, quite possibly the best reporter on africa from the u.s. in our times.
the article is great. i strongly recommend it. it is a topic we have debated on this list in the past. french's considered judgment is refreshingly solid to hear, informative, and trustworthy.
ken

NAIROBI, Kenya — For nearly a decade, as China made a historic push for business opportunities and expanded influence in Africa, most of the continent’s leaders were so thrilled at having a deep-pocketed partner willing to make big investments and start huge new projects that they rarely paused to consider whether they were getting a sound deal. (for the rest, see below:)

 http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/17/opinion/into-africa-chinas-wild-rush.html?rref=opinion&module=Ribbon&version=origin&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Opinion&pgtype=article

--   kenneth w. harrow   faculty excellence advocate  professor of english  michigan state university  department of english  619 red cedar road  room C-614 wells hall  east lansing, mi 48824  ph. 517 803 8839  harrow@msu.edu