2019-11-09_The_Economist_-_Asia_Edition

(Brent) #1

10 Leaders The EconomistNovember 9th 2019


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F

or 37 yearsonemanhasruledCameroon,a staggeringlycor-
rupt,oil-richstateincentralAfrica.PresidentPaulBiyaisan
old-fashionedautocrat.WhendemocracysweptacrossAfrica
afterthecoldwarended,hecalledita “distastefulpassingfe-
tish”.Thenherealisedhewouldattractlessforeigncriticismif
hequietlyintimidatedopponentsandriggedelectionsinstead
ofbanningthem.Hehasdonesoeversince,andkeptongood
termswithWesternpowersbyposingasa championofstability
ina fissileregion.Histroops,trainedandequippedbyFrance,Is-
raelandAmerica,battlethejihadistsofBokoHaramandIslamic
StatearoundLakeChad.Theyalsoregularlydonbluehelmetsto
keeppeaceincountriessuchastheCentralAfricanRepublic.Yet
MrBiyacannotkeepthepeaceathome.
Instead,a countrythatwasonceseenasan
exporter of security is now being wrenched
apart.AsecessionstruggleragesinitsEnglish-
speakingregions.Governmentforcesareburn-
ingvillages, shootingyoungmenand raping
women(seeMiddleEast&Africasection).The
conflicthaskilledthousandsandforcedmore
than500,000peoplefromtheirhomes.
Thestrifebeganasa seriesofpeacefulprot-
estsin2016.Anglophoneswereaggrievedattheirmarginalisa-
tionina countrydominatedbyFrench-speakers.Cameroonis
toorigidlycentralisedtosatisfyminorities:only1%ofgovern-
mentspendingislocallycontrolled,comparedwithmorethan
50%inneighbouringNigeria.Strikesanddemonstrationsover
theerosionofEnglish-stylecommonlawandthedominanceof
Francophoneofficialshavesincemutatedintowhatlookslikea
civilwar.Itcouldgetmuchworse,aschaosgrows,armedsepa-
ratistskillandsoldiersinflicthorrorsoncivilians.
Theoutsideworldhasbarelynoticedthisdisasterunfolding.
Appealsforemergencyassistancehaveattractedlessthanone-
fifthoftheirtarget:lessthanhalfthepeoplewhohavelosttheir
homeshavebeengiventhetwopiecesofplasticandropethat

makeuptheun’sshelterkit.Cameroon’smainbackershave
lookedaway,hopingMrBiya’sgovernmentwouldquellthere-
bellionandgetbacktofightingjihadistsintheSahel.Insteadof
corrallingthewarringparties,theAfricanUnionandunSecurity
Councilhavestoodaside,rousingthemselvesonlyto“welcome”
and“praise”MrBiya’s“nationaldialogue”,a shamtowhichkey
separatistleaderswerenotinvited.
Thisisa disgrace.Theconflict,althoughbloody,isnotintrac-
table.MostpeopleinCameroon’stwoEnglish-speakingregions
areprobablymoderateandwouldbehappywithsomemoreau-
tonomyandanendtothefighting.Theycouldfindcommon
groundwiththoseonthegovernmentsidewhomightbewilling
togivea bitmorepowertotheregions.
Thelongerthefightingpersists,theharderit
willbetoresolve.Withthearmyandseparatists
instalemateonthebattlefield,peacecancome
onlythroughtalks.Forthosetohappen,both
sidesneedtobuildtrust.Theseparatistsshould
startbyliftingtheruinousbantheyenforceon
childrengoingtogovernmentschoolsinthear-
eastheycontrol,whichthreatenstocreatea lost
generationofilliterates.Rebelleadersabroad
shouldtonedowntheirinflammatorytalkofsecession.Thegov-
ernmentshouldreleasepoliticalprisonersandprosecutesol-
diersresponsibleforabuses.
OutsidersshouldpressMr Biyatomakepeace.President
DonaldTrumphasrightlyscaledbackmilitaryassistancebe-
causeofatrocitiescommittedbythearmy.Hehasalsokicked
Cameroonoutofa programmewhichgrantsduty-freeaccessto
theusmarkettoAfricancountriesthatrespecthumanrights.
Europeangovernmentsshouldalsoturnthescrews,especially
France,MrBiya’sclosestally.Theageingstrongmanoncesaid
thatonlyone-partyrulecouldholdCameroontogether.Infact,
hisovercentralisedautocracyhascreatedpressuresthatcould
blowit apart.Onlydialogueanddevolutioncansaveit. 7

Words and weapons

A bastion of stability in central Africa could fall apart if outsiders do not help

Cameroon’s forgotten war

B

ashing billionaires is gaining popularity—especially
among candidates to be America’s president. Elizabeth War-
ren wants to take up to 6% of their wealth in tax every year. Ber-
nie Sanders says they “should not exist”. “Every billionaire is a
policy failure,” goes a common left-wing slogan. In Britain’s elec-
tion, too, the super-rich are under fire. Jeremy Corbyn, the leader
of the Labour Party, says that a fair society would contain none.
On October 31st he vowed to “go after” Britain’s plutocrats, sin-
gling out five individuals and bemoaning a “corrupt system”.
Left-wingers blasting inequality is nothing new. But the idea
that vast personal fortunes are made possible only when govern-

ment goes wrong is a more novel and serious idea. It is also mis-
guided. Personal wealth is at best an unreliable signal of bad be-
haviour or failing policies. Often the reverse is true.
The left’s charge is based on a kernel of truth. When competi-
tion is fierce and fair, persistently high profits should be difficult
to sustain. Yet on both sides of the Atlantic too many companies
crank out bumper profits in concentrated markets. Some billion-
aires have thrived where competition has failed. Facebook and
Google dominate online advertising; Warren Buffett likes firms
with “moats” that keep rivals out. Meanwhile America’s political
system is riddled with lobbyists cheerleading for incumbents.

In defence of billionaires

Large personal fortunes are an unreliable guide to where government policy has gone wrong

Squeezing the rich
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