IN THE same State of the Union address in which George Bush prepared the world for war in Iraq in 2003, he announced a foreign policy initiative of an altogether different kind – “a work of mercy beyond all current international efforts to help the people of Africa”. This was the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a $15 billion commitment that dwarfed all previous efforts to combat the disease.
Along with the Iraq venture, PEPFAR represented the high-water mark of Bush self-confidence. Over five years, a can-do America would give anti-retroviral drugs to 2 million people in poverty, prevent…
