Whither the Legal Experts?

A thought came to me earlier today, and I haven't been able to chase it off since. The only thing I can think of is to rant about it here, and see if anyone pays attention.

Often times, when a new bill is signed into law back in the States, the major news networks call in their legal experts to talk (or argue) about its significance and probable impact. This happens all the time, of course, with federal law. But the national networks often cover state laws as well - even city or town charters, provided the material is controversial enough.

The legal experts aren't just called in to discuss American laws. International law is occasionally debated as well. We hear about the internal politics of the E.U., Russia, China, Middle Eastern countries, and other nations and regions that regularly interact, in one way or another, with the United States. We watch the legal experts debate these arguments on television, we read their op-eds in our newspapers, and we hear them speak on the radio. More than anywhere else, we find these debates taken up on the blogosphere, where they are discussed by experts, so-called experts, self-proclaimed experts, crazy people, and crazy experts.

So here's my question:

When was the last time you heard a high-profile "legal expert" talking about new developments in the legal codes of African nations?

And when you think about it for a minute and answer "never," or, perhaps, "a long freakin' time," I have to ask: What gives?

For sure, if you scour the blogosphere for hours (as I have been doing), you're bound to happen upon a few nuggets of legal expertise focused on this continent, which one billion people call home. But you won't find nearly as much information as you'd think.

Good Lord, why not? It's not for a lack of legislative activity around here. If I decided to start writing about legal developments in Malawi alone, I'd have more than enough material for one blog.

It's certainly not for a lack of interesting stories. The stories that grab our attention in the West are found out here too. Affirmative action? Check. Most African nations have struggled with this one, as they deal with different tribal populations - many of whom have been put at a disadvantage by state policies dating back to the colonial era. How about gay rights? Big time. You're not going to hear too much about gay marriage out here (other than in South Africa), but you'll hear plenty about the illegality of homosexuality, itself. "Homosexual acts" remain illegal throughout most of of the continent. However, some African nations have decriminalized homosexuality in recent years, and several more are debating the merits of doing so (homosexuality remains illegal in Malawi, carrying a sentence of up to 14 years in prison, though gay rights advocates had reason to celebrate in 2008 when this country's first ever gay rights organization announced itself to the public). OK, here's another one - separation of church and state. It's not nearly as cut-and-dried in most countries as it is in the States. All of the sexy issues are here, folks - and I promise you, it's not dull. Particularly when you consider the number of foreign governments, multinational corporations, and ostensibly well-meaning aid agencies that try and wedge themselves right in the middle of it all. It's like a big party...with lots of drunk relatives.

Finally, this dearth of discussion is certainly not due to a lack of issues that are applicable to our own interests in the West. For just a moment, set aside the fact that the U.S. and Africa are major trading partners, and think of the billions of dollars in aid money that we (Americans) spend on Africa each year - coming from the U.S. government, American businesses, charities, and churches, and individual donors.

What do we think - does our money work like magic? Any American dollar given through any organization, in any fashion, for any project, to any developing country, guarantees "one US Dollar's worth of progress"? Exactly $1.00 worth of aid and development? Um, no. The truth is frankly more complicated than I could ever hope to understand, even in part. We have to consider the efficiency of the aid organization in question (including, for one, their overhead costs). We have to look at the nature of the project. We have to understand the local culture where the project is taking place. And, we had damn well better know a thing or two about the legal background of the country where our money is being put to use, if we want to be at all effective in implementing aid! Which countries are considering a more conservative approach toward teaching birth control in schools? In which countries do aid workers need to think twice before criticizing the local government's policies, for fear of facing arrest? Which countries have not yet taken old laws against witchcraft off of the books, and which countries are still enforcing those laws?

Our aid investments...one big reason why the laws of African nations are applicable to our own interests as Americans. And, come on, what about general human interest? It would do us good to be a bit more "in the know." Many otherwise well-informed, well-read Americans are embarrassingly ill-informed about the day-to-day goings-on in this part of the world, going so far as to assume all of Africa is one homogeneous mass of starving orphans. And lions.

Wow, I got on a tangent somewhere and I never got off. Where was I? Lions? No, okay, I remember. The legal experts. Basically, I'm saying that someone with a law degree, who actually knows what they are talking about, should educate the West about the latest legislation coming out of the continent of Africa, and what it means for America...and the wider world.

Thank you very much.

OK, this right here is a textbook example of the problems with ranting. Even if you have a good point, you are shouted down by your inner stupid.