Stagnation in Africa has been caused by external meddling, to which Africans have acquiesced, according to Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni in an article published last week in the Daily Nation. “The wrong priorities in many African countries are, in many cases, imposed by external groups. Failure to prioritise infrastructure, for instance, especially energy, is, in part, due to some of these pressures. Instead, consumption is promoted.”
Museveni goes on to point out how the West uses double standards in its treatment of countries: a no-fly zone gets imposed in Libya, but a blind eye is turned to similar conditions in pro-Western countries. At the moment the West is able to impose its will on the rest because of its military superiority, but this is only going to cause disaffected countries to scale up their acquisition of weapons technology.
These are good points, but perhaps they overlook some factors which might make Museveni opposed to Western intervention in Libya. Firstly, Muammar Gaddafi has made significant investments in Uganda so that Museveni is somewhat beholden to him, and secondly, the Libyan uprising is an attempt to replace an autocratic leader who has overstayed his welcome, a fact situation uncomfortably close to home for Museveni.