I have a Venezuelan friend who says he would prefer a US invasion of his country to the status quo. That's quite an admission from a proud latino who has seen his nation go from first world OPEC wealth to third world hell hole in his young life.

Such talk is colonialist sacrilege today but it is clear that the best African and Latino people are not rising to the top in domestic politics. Instead they leave.

I have one Somali-Canadian colleague who returned home in order to attempt to initiate western style democracy to his country. He was killed in a car bomb.

Self determination is the ultimate goal for these nations but I have no easy answers on how to get there.