But such unique challenges are not surprising on such a diverse and complex continent as Africa. That said, I wish to emphasize at the outset that what we are seeing in Africa today represents no less than a quiet revolution in the attitudes and aspirations of people across the continent. Six years have now passed since Namibia led the vanguard of 19 African nations onto a new path of democracy. The United States can be proud of its contribution to democratic reform, but we should be mindful that it is Africans themselves who have chosen democracy. Today, I would like to talk about why we believe they have done so, what results their efforts have produced, and why it is in the self-interest of the United States to continue its support.
People tend to see the Cold War as a watershed.
But the fact is that the people of Africa began to abandon old political ideologies and experiments in centralized economic systems well before the end of the Cold War. They saw democracy and free market economies as hopeful alternatives to the failed policies that had left them less well off than their parents. They looked to transparent and accountable government as a cure to corruption. They saw the possibility of participation as a way to end conflict. They hoped that democracy would allow them greater control over the political and economic systems that governed their lives.