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George W. Bush

United States

George Bush is the former American president, most known in Africa for his $15 billion President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar) in 2008.


More by user: apark
Created: 31st Jul 2008
Modified: 3rd Sep 2012
Professional Information
Position:
Former President of the United States

Description of Work:

In 2003, Bush took the advice of his former Secretary of State Collin Powell and pushed for a heavy increase in funding for HIV/AIDS related programs in Africa. During his time in the state department, Powell had told Bush that if AIDS were left out of control in Africa, unemployment would skyrocket, causing massive regional instability and ultimately threatening American security. The legislation, known as the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar) materialized in 2003 with $12 billion dollars over five years. At the time, it was the largest single healthcare initiative issued by a single country to fight a single disease.

In 2008, partly in response to worldwide distrust and anger in lieu of the Iraq War, Bush increased the funding four fold. It is the largest aid package issued by a single country to fight a single disease, and Africa has received most of the benefits. Some have criticized the plan because it emphasizes abstinence over condomization for HIV/AIDS prevention. However, according to a February 2008 article in the Guardian (UK), aid workers in Africa widely believe that the funding gives them enough freedom to emphasize prevention methods of their own choosing. Since the initiation of Pepfar, Bush's popularity ratings have skyrocketed in Africa, and currently, of the ten nation with the most favorable views towards Bush, eight are in Africa. The others are the United States and Israel.


Biographical Information
George W. Bush
(At a Glance)
Date of Birth: Jul/6/1946
Gender: male
Place of Origin: United States

George Bush was born in New Haven, Connecicut but grew up in Midland and Houston, Texas.  He attended Yale University, graduating in 1968, and Harvard Business School, receiving his Masters of Business Administration in 1975, though he only did modestly well at either. 

In 1994, Bush became the governor of Texas.  He was reelected in 1998, but ended his term prematurely in January, 2001 when he was elected president of the United States.  During his first term in office, Bush's most notable decision was to invade Iraq in 2003, claiming a threat of terrorism and imminent attack through 'weapons of mass destruction.'  The nation went to war with very few allies abroad but with strong support at home, however years later no weapons and no terrorist connections were found.  By 2006, after being elected to a second term in office, his credibility sank.



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