African and Caribbean governments have recently adopted a coordinated strategy to seek slavery reparations that also include formal apologies, financial compensation, debt relief, and “cultural restitution” from former slave‑trading states in Europe as well as the U.S.
The demands were part of a 19-point reparations plan endorsed at the end of a three-day conference in Ghana, whose U.N. resolution recognising transatlantic slavery as the “gravest crime against humanity” was approved in March despite resistance from Europe and the United States, countries which have a legacy in the sprawling human trafficking system that saw millions forcibly taken from their homelands.The plan was adopted by the African Union and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Commission on Reparatory Justice. It does not mention which specific countries should apologise.It calls for the establishment of a Global Reparations Fund, comprehensive debt relief and cancellation for affected countries and reforms to international financial institutions to ensure fairer representation for nations in the Global South.
I would argue that the U.S. has already given plenty of money to these regions. A review of the numbers shows that since 1945, our nation has already spent $3.8 trillion in foreign aid, with $500-$700 billion directed to Africa and perhaps as much as $200 billion to Latin America and the Caribbean.
Americans are all tapped out when it comes to squandering more on corrupt governments and greedy, ineffective NGOs.
Laughably, the demands also include climate justice financing and the “right of return“.
It does call for debt cancellation, climate justice financing, expanded citizenship pathways for Africans in the diaspora and what organizers describe as a “right of return” for descendants of enslaved Africans.The plan also urges African countries to preserve former slave forts and castles as memorial sites….The resolution passed with 123 votes in favor, but the U.S., Israel and 52 other countries either voted against it or abstained.According to Reuters, the United States and European Union raised concerns that the resolution could be interpreted as creating a hierarchy among crimes against humanity by treating some atrocities as more serious than others.
I am sure the descendants of the Congolese will be thrilled to return to the Ebola-impacted region. But if they want to go, at least they have the freedom to visit and convince the African government of their choice to accept them as citizens.
And here’s a handy guide to renouncing U.S. citizenship for those who wish to do so.
Good luck persuading Americans to write the reparations check.
Support for reparations varies significantly across countries that could potentially be asked to contribute.In the United States, for example, public opinion remains divided. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in 2021 found that only around three in ten Americans supported compensating descendants of enslaved people through measures such as financial payments or land grants.The differing views highlight the political and legal challenges that reparations advocates face as they seek broader international support.
I suspect that European nations, which are struggling with myriad economic troubles and immigration crises, are disinclined to write large reparations checks, either. A recent economic assessment of the European economy shows it faces slow growth, high energy costs, an aging population, and weak productivity, all of which threaten its competitiveness.
Writing huge checks over something that today’s European populations have nothing to do with isn’t likely to be popular, especially among citizens already deeply unhappy with leadership.
Bonus: Many Europeans have been entranced by the realities of the American way of life after enjoying our hospitality during the World Cup. These people will likely go back with new attitudes focused on celebrating exceptionalism and personal responsibility.
In the end, this isn’t a serious policy agenda so much as a shakedown operation by a transnational class of professional victims and their enablers, who would rather shake the tin cup in Washington and Brussels than do the hard work of governing their own nations well.
Instead of obsessing over ever‑more creative ways to tap Western taxpayers for “reparations,” “climate justice,” and whatever the next buzzword will be, these bureaucrats might try something truly radical: cutting corruption, securing basic public health, protecting property rights, and creating the conditions for their own citizens to prosper.
Until that happens, Americans and Europeans should treat these demands exactly as they deserve to be treated—politely ignored, firmly rejected, and filed under “yet another excuse from leaders who refuse to take responsibility for their own futures.”
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