Is Tony Blair’s legacy on Africa at risk?, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, May 2007

With the trade talks failing and aid volume way below target, is Tony Blair's legacy on Africa at risk?  The G8Group of Eight meeting in Heiligendamm, Germany, in June, provides a last opportunity to persuade the most powerful leaders in the world to deliver on their promises.  Angela Merkel will need to show some muscle.

Africa is only on the agenda in Germany because Blair won Merkel over.  He persuaded her not to focus exclusively on her preferred topic, energy security (for which read relations with Vladimir Putin).  This was a brave decision, because Germany is one of the countries in the firing line for not meeting pledges made at Blair’s own G8, at Gleneagles, in 2005..........