Differentiating Africa: Report of the 2006 Tswalu Dialogue

The Tswalu Dialogue was established in 2002 as a premier African forum to discuss issues of concern to continental development and security. The theme for 2006 braided together local and external concerns in identifying strategies for stability, recovery and development, and learning from past successes and failures.

Many external strategies for African engagement take sweeping views of Africa, rather than the more differentiated perspectives that are demanded by the varying situations of African states. This event considered the means required to reinforce the success of those African states which have successfully pursued reforms and identifies the lessons from their recovery, examined the past record of Western policy engagement with Africa, considered some of the lessons from Asia and elsewhere within this context, and established what can be done about those African countries considered to be weak, failing or failed states. Finally, it considered strategies for successful reform.