In Africa this week, after violent elections in Zimbabwe 20 years ago, the United States and the European Union led mostly Western nations in imposing travel bans and freezing the assets of top officials. But their impact is much more far-reaching, hamstringing the efforts of ordinary people to rebuild their country. In Tunisia, where recycling is almost non-existent, one of the country's few recycling companies sort through mountains of plastic and cut it into fine chips for industrial use. The iconic Ducor Hotel overlooks the Liberian capital Monrovia. It was the first five-star hotel in West Africa when it was built in 1960. But in ruins since 2003 due to the brutal civil war, the Ducor has become a den of drug addicts and squatters.

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