After a year when the problems of laggard developing economies and failing states came to the fore, the political will of the rich world to bear the costs of more proactive engagement will now be put to the test.
Amid a flurry of recent initiatives, contradictions have already become apparent in the approach to international aid, and in the responses of poor countries. For the first time in many years, concerns about sub-Saharan Africa were placed high up the agenda.
