[jwmhjwmh]

I believe Burkina Faso did very well under Thomas Sankara, whether or not you want to call him a "strongman". He definitely was not aligned with the West. In fact, he had close relations with Cuba.

[jessaustin]

Incidentally, Sankara met Blaise Compaoré, who orchestrated both the coup that brought Sankara to power and the one that murdered him, at a foreign military training facility.

I can't help thinking that voting is a better way to select leaders. It's too bad we haven't invested in some sort of training in democracy.

[jwmhjwmh]

There were two other coups in the years leading up to Sankara's taking power, so I wouldn't say that the country was exactly in a stable state.

I don't think the problem is the lack of training in democracy. I think the problem is the powerful forces opposed to democracy. When he assassinated Sankara, Blaise Compaoré represented the interests of imperialists.