1.0Harvard Gazettehttps://dev.news.harvard.edu/gazettegazetteimporthttps://dev.news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/author/gazetteimport/African leaders assess African leadership — Harvard Gazetterich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="9R2FZj0RKw"><a href="https://dev.news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2003/05/african-leaders-assess-african-leadership/">African leaders assess African leadership</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://dev.news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2003/05/african-leaders-assess-african-leadership/embed/#?secret=9R2FZj0RKw" width="600" height="338" title="“African leaders assess African leadership” — Harvard Gazette" data-secret="9R2FZj0RKw" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script>
/*! This file is auto-generated */
!function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document);
//# sourceURL=https://dev.news.harvard.edu/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js
</script>
Purposefully, and without fanfare, 11 prominent African leaders spent last weekend at the Kennedy School diagnosing the dilemma of elected political leadership in Africa. Why, asked two former presidents, two former prime ministers, a foreign minister, and a clutch of current and former ministers, did so many promising democrats become autocrats after their first terms in office? Why have so many initially honest leaders become corrupt? Why have so many elected officials preyed on their own peoples as kleptocrats?