(Not) the last word on the anti-Bono

The NY Times, National Public Radio, the Financial Times,the BBC... I can't get away from Dambisa Moyo! At least we're starting to see refutations of her statement that aid to Africa has been an ""unmitigated disaster." Sadly, perhaps, no one with the status (or at least, the publicity) of Ms Moyo herself is picking up this argument.

Bono's .org for aid to Africa, ONE, has posted the following:

• Since 2002, more than 2 million Africans who might have otherwise died are on life-saving anti-AIDS medication;  
• between 2005 and 2007, in Rwanda and Ethiopia malaria cases and deaths were more than cut in half thanks to a dramatic increase in bed nets and access to anti-malaria medication.  
• since 1999, 34 million more African children are going to school for the first time;

All of these successes are directly attributable to a combination of increasingly effective aid, improved African governance, targeted debt relief and the hard work of people in Africa. [ONE doesn't support the direct attributions with a link, however.--Ed.]

Bono himself hasn't gotten involved. Instead, noted-but-overstated economist Bill Easterly has issued several counter-refutations of the ONE article, without really offering his opinion of Ms Moyo's book. (He likely finds it convenient but insubstantial.) Fortunately, David Roodman of Center for Global Development has at least taken the time to declare the book "sporadically footnoted," "selective in its use of facts," "sloppy," "illogical," "simplistic"   and "stunningly naive"--providing at least a mote of evidence for some of these adjectives and adjectival phrases.

The blogs and comments at the Guardian, the BBC and other UK-based sites are filling up with invective ("imperialist!"). In the US, Ms Moyo's media coverage provokes little popular response. Why is this?"