THE U.S. IS THE MOST CORRUPT COUNTRY IN THE WORLD

For many years, stories about African leaders using their positions to economically empower their relatives or shield them from the law have been a staple in mainstream Western media outlets. These outlets have framed corruption, abuse of office and autocratic tendencies as African phenomena.

However, the last several years have shown that these tendencies are just as prevalent in the West. For example, former US President Joe Biden issued pardons to several family members and political associates hours before he departed the White House on 20 January.

Not to be outdone, hours into his presidency, Donald Trump also joined the pardon jamboree by offering clemency to the about 1,500 people involved in the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol over alleged fraud during the 2020 US presidential election.

In this December 2024 clip from a more extended reaction video on Biden pardoning his son, Hunter, African Stream Editor-in-Chief Ahmed Kaballo explained why the US is the world's most corrupt country. Let us know your thoughts, too.

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8r5g5dezk4o

https://apnews.com/article/biden-pardons-family-trump-white-hous-caee326c4723a4ba6d972f7daf750a0b

https://breakingdefense.com/2024/11/pentagon-fails-7th-audit-in-a-row-eyes-passing-grade-by-2028/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-an-early-biden-crime-bill-created-the-sentencing-disparity-for-crack-and-cocaine-trafficking/2019/07/28/5cbb4c98-9dcf-11e9-85d6-5211733f92c7_story.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58001750

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y7l47xrpko