But it is wracked by war, sapped by disease, and looted by rulers who have hidden their ill-gotten wealth in other continents.
Compassion is a powerful argument, says the editorial.
AIDS has become a plague of Biblical proportions. Every year more than three million African children dies of preventable diseases before they reach the age of five. Poverty is increasing, education is declining, and health services are collapsing. But more than compassion should drive Western policy. Africa's multiple crises cannot be confined to its boundaries.