Kagame in Rwanda

Paul Kagame has now been reelected to an additional seven-year term in Rwanda with 93% of the vote. While his reelection was never in doubt, his position as Rwanda’s ruler for the foreseeable future ensures the country will continue its course of steady economic development underneath the supervision of a paranoid and repressive government.

It was only in 1994 that this country effectively destroyed itself through horrific genocide, with Mr. Kagame putting down the perpetrators and restoring order to what remained of the country. Rwandan society was completely restructured shortly thereafter, with ethnic distinctions being completely banned and Mr. Kagame establishing an iron grip on power.

When I was in Rwanda in 2005, only eleven years after the slaughter, Mr. Kagame’s vision for Rwanda was well under way. Since I have left, it seems to have only continued, with the central government providing a stable environment for outside capital investment and donor aid. The country is orderly, the rule of law is strictly enforced and criticism of Mr. Kagame’s regime is repressed.

Mr. Kagame’s management of the country and the measurable improvements are being achieved underneath his supervision are remarkable. He has turned a country that nearly ceased to exist sixteen years ago into one of the most successful and rapidly developing nations in Africa. No small achievement. Are the authoritarian practices of his government a small price to pay for the results that have been produced?

It’s a tough call.