The Short cut to international development: representing Africa in ‘New Britain’

Summary Under New Labour, the British Department for International Development (DFID) promises a radical and alternative new ‘development agenda’ and, more specifically, an end to ‘development handouts’. The short cut to international development envisioned by Secretary of State Clare Short is explored in this paper, as is the ‘messy’ contextuality of writing about development in ‘New Britain’. This paper raises questions about New Labour's discussion of the ‘moral authority’ for international development in ‘post‐colonial’ Britain, particularly in light of the recent ‘arms‐to‐Africa’ affair involving Britain and Sierra Leone. The paper argues that Britannia's neoliberal vision of development is not so ‘cool’ and that, in ethical terms, the development of foreign policy toward Africa has not been consistent. In conclusion, the paper raises doubts about the likelihood of world poverty being halved by 2015 (as the DFID has confidently predicted).