World: Forward & Backward

In Africa, at last, a great bloc dedicated to common sense and moderation is taking shape. Foreign ministers of 19 African nations* met in Lagos, Nigeria, last week to approve the charter of the Organization of African and Malagasy States, which is dedicated not to revolution and fiery boasting but to the peaceful settlement of disputes, economic growth, improvement of education, transport and health.

The new grouping, a kind of miniature African United Nations first planned in Monrovia a year ago, joins most of the former French territories with the prominent English-speaking lands...

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