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The Escalation of War in Ethiopia

153 points · 167 comments · mooreds

  1. hn_submit · · focus · HN ↗
    The main culprit of poverty in Africa (and other countries) is the widespread corruption. It's the destroyer of all entrepreneurial and business activity in those countries. Any business is continuously being robbed, ransomed and conned into paying "protection" money by gangs and law enforcement alike. In addition the civil servants demand payment for the most trivial licenses you need to operate your business. These all add up and make any business unprofitable because you cannot pass on those costs to customers.

    To combat corruption these countries need to educate their population of its effects plus hefty penalties, including capital punishment, to get it under control. The higher up the tree the more severe the punishment should be. Politicians and senior civil servants should always be put to death since their corruption has the greatest impact.

    1. confidantlake · · focus · HN ↗
      Who decides who is corrupt? The dictator that rules the country? You? Every single dictatorships always accuses their political enemies of corruption.

      A country with high levels of corruption cannot be trusted to fairly carry out capital punishment.

      1. halJordan · · focus · HN ↗
        And yet, here we are with one of our greatest legacies- The Roman Republic/Empire which did do exactly that. Cleanse a horridly corrupt system with liberal use of the death penalty. "Every man is always thinking of the Roman Empire" except when it explains what we don't want to know.
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