Kicking sand in their faces

There they are the addicts hanging around the aid exchange waiting for their next fix. This time however there fix comes with strings. It seems that the EU is in the final stages of tying up the next ACP agreement. This agreement is the method that the EU bungs vast sums of our cash at a collection of despots and dictators in the South. The ACP, (Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific) countries, will get their fix yes, but they have to sign up to a number of things. One is a WMD non-proliferation agreement. (that'll be as much use as a Calvinist in a convent) but it also pushing for adherence to the International Criminal Court. This of course will put those countries on a collision course with the US:

This is of course what they mean by soft power. Bribing countries to take your point of view - particularly if it is anti-American.

According to EU Observer
"ACP countries fear that the EU's demands will jeopardise their trade and development relations with Washington".

A senior ACP official is quoted as saying;
"We agree to include the ICC in the document, but we do not want a strong position because some ACP members are concerned that doing so would affect their commitments with the US. The ACP says that decisions should not be made unilaterally by the EU but by agreement. As it is, if the EU does not like an aspect, it can withdraw co-operation".