Assailed by things deadly, horrible, inexplicable and invisible we naturally ask why?

That plaintive question bridges, race, gender, class, identity and education.

Why is COVID 19 killing more men than women?

Why is the accursed virus proving more deadly to minorities in the northern hemisphere countries were it now rages?

My guess is we will still be asking these and other questions by the time a vaccine is discovered and tested.

One recurring question, however, bears immediate examination: why are women leaders dealing with the pandemic better than men.

I think immediately of Germany’s Angela Merkel, New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern, Finland’s Sanna Marin, Norway’s Erna Solberg, Iceland’s Katrin Jakobsdottir and Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-Wen.

They constitute a healthy slice of the 7% of female heads of government on the planet.

How does one judge a leader’s performance in the worst international crisis since World War II?

It might actually be too bold to make a judgement before we can more accurately gauge the economic disaster brought on by the virus and the lockdown to keep it out.

We might have to reconsider after seeing what is left of the economies that were opened up..

But for now we know that the severity of the pandemic is determined by three things: population density, exposure to travelers carrying the virus across borders and the speed with which borders were closed and people forced into lockdown.

Leadership had little to do with the first two points, but it can be judged on the third.

The severity of the pandemic was substantially lower when leaders acted sooner to lockdown – even by a week.

This flattened the curve , reduced the RO factor which is the  number of people each coronavirus victim infects and prevented new cases.

There were male leaders who acted swiftly. 

But those who stand out now: US President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister  Boris Johnson and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro down-played the risk of COVID 19 until it was too late.

By contrast each of the woman mentioned above acted days sometime weeks ahead of their neighbours.

In doing so they took the  bold and unpopular step of closing down life as they knew it against an invisible enemy.

Despite the dishonest bluster and backsliding of their President, 80% of American males still picked men  when asked to name leaders they most admire.

Nearly three-quarters of men believe they are more intelligent than their peers.

By comparison 57% of woman believe they are smarter than average.n

They don’t suffer the over-confidence of men, preferring to seek input and listen in order to make decisions that support communities.

They engage diverse advisers and a wide network of opinions, building teams rather than trusting their own judgement and instincts as men tend to do.

Women acknowledged for being “other directed” and emotionally intelligent are showing themselves in this crisis to be every bit as  decisive and transformational as men by excelling on vision, inspiration, direction setting and thinking outside the box.

Perhaps there is something instinctive about turning to a woman in matters of physical hurt.

When you grazed your knee, bumped your head or cut your finger, who did you turn to first?

Why, Mum, of course.

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The actors that needed to be in Berlin at the weekend were all there. But the agreement they reached on Libya is as full of holes as a colander.

So much depends on what happens at the follow-up meeting in Geneva later this week.

Will the five parties named by each side in the conflict be able agree on how best to monitor the deal?

The success or failure of the deal concocted at the German-hosted deliberations will be determined by whether it can be translated into a resolution that can be unanimously adopted by United Nations Security Council.

The ultimate question, however, is who holds the economic trump card?  

Libya has confounded the best-intentioned peacemakers since the fall and killing of Muammar Gadaffi in 2011.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hosted peace talks in Moscow a week before the Berlin gathering can hardly be said to fall into this category.

Neither, in all honesty, can German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

She was able to get the great and good to attend her talks.

But her motivation, like Putin’s, was not altruistic.

An increasing number of the desperate  people using Libya as a launching point for reaching a more secure – both physically and economically – future in Europe end up in Germany.

She has to be seen to be doing everything she can to stem this flow.

The oil-rich nation of Libya has become a poor country split between the weak United Nations-backed Government of National Accord led by Fayez Al-Sarraj and the rebel- held Benghazi in the east led by Khalifa Haftar.

Both these leaders were present in Berlin but did not overtly participate in the talks.

This was left to the leaders of Russia, Turkey, France, Egypt, Italy, the United States. and Britain.

Berlin was a convenient stopover for the World Economic Forum meeting starting in Davos, Switzerland.

Algeria, the United Arab Emirates, China, Congo Republic, United Nations, European Union and African Union all sent representatives.

En route to Berlin Al-Sarraj and Haftar stopped over the Athens for talks with the Greek government that has taken a far more active interest in Libya following the signing of a maritime and military agreement by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Al-Sarraj.

Fears of Libya becoming a proxy war are plainly well grounded.

No surprise, therefore that the primary demand from Berlin was of non interference.

Ironically it as the interference of Turkey – whose parliament voted to allow deployment of troops to protects to GNA – and Russia playing its more muscular regional role that led to the ceasefire earlier in January.

The Berlin conference, having called on players to implement the 2011 arms embargo on Libyan combatants, urged those opposing parties to observe the ceasefire.

The conference added that sanctions will have to be imposed on those breaking this embargo – yet another issue that has to pass the UN Security Council

The only way through the impasse is by restoring the political process.

That is what has to happen in Geneva.

The biggest question is  whether Haftar, who walked out of the Moscow meeting, actually inked any document in Berlin.

He maintains he holds the whip hand when it comes to Libyan oil.

He has brought the flow of oil out of Libya to halt by preventing exports through the ports of  Brega, Ras Lanuf, Hariga, Zueitina and Sidra.

As long as  he maintains this choke-hold on the economy, he can be considered effectively to control the peace process.

Even human rights, always a major consideration, has to follow the money. 

In Berlin countries were once again urged not to return rescued migrants to the appalling conditions in the Libyan detention centers.

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The ally of German Chancellor  Angela Merkel will be the first woman in that job.

Domestic politics caused Germany to abstain in the vote nominating Ursula von der Leyen to succeed European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

Her nomination still requires European parliamentary approval.

Belgian-born van der Leyen, whose family moved to Germany the  she was 13-years-old will be responsible for enforcing EU rules, proposing new laws and handling trade deals.

The British and German educated woman is the mother of seven children.

She strongly backs EU integration and closer military cooperation in the bloc.

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The South African leader completed an official visit to Berlin that included attending the G20 summit.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s official visit to Germany has  reinforced co-operation between the countries on bilateral and global issues.

The presidency says Ramaphosa emphasized Germany’s critical investment role in South Africa which sustains inclusive economic growth to reduce poverty, unemployment and inequality.

There are more than 600 German companies operating in South Africa, creating more than 100 000 jobs in  this country.

In talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel, Ramaphosa’s undertaken  to energize the South African economy and end corruption.

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He’s addressing political and business leaders from the world’s 20 richest countries.

South Africa’s the only African member of the so-called G20.

It primary goal is promoting balanced and sustainable economic growth to reduce poverty. 

Invariably the leaders also turn to pressing political and security issues.

African leaders have a strong vested interest this and are invited to engage this powerful grouping at its summits like the current gathering in Germany.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah el Sisi and Ethiopian premier Abiy Ahmed were invited by the summit host Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Ramaphosa’s visit began with an official visit to Germany that included dinner with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

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Having infamously scrambled for the continent 120 years ago, Western leaders are today seeking to dance here.

British Premier Theresa May twice skipped the light fantastic during her three-nation safari.

She danced her robot mash with Cape Town schoolchildren and with boy scouts and girl guides in Nairobi.

French President Emmanuel Macron boogied with musician Femi Kuti at the New Africa Shrine in Lagos last July.

Neither posed any immediate threat to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

But it showed the lengths they were prepared to go to make friends in Africa.

May was in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria. She sought to reassure the African heavy hitters that Brexit will not affect their economic ties with Britain.

Macron’s visit was billed as more culture than policy.

But his return to Lagos, where he spent six months as an intern in 2002, was obvious.  He wishes to keep the lines of communication in good order.

Angela Merkel was also in  Africa in the last week of August. She did not pack her dancing pumps for Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria.

Her preoccupation was securing deals with her hosts curbing the stream of irregular migrants from African into Europe.

All  these leaders mentioned Africa’s enviable economic growth and the market potential presented by its growing young population.

But they dared no raise hopes either at home or at their African destinations.

There is a new player in the modern scramble for Africa – and it is one that dwarfs them.

China’s dominance of the African market will be demonstrated at the Forum for China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

Meeting in  Beijing, it is expected to feature a number of eye-watering offers from China to help Africa’s infrastructure deficit.

At the previous FOCAC in Johannesburg, this amounted to $60 billion.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has recently embarked on his own safari.

He stopped  Senegal and Rwanda before arriving in South Africa for the BRICS summit. Then he visited Mauritius on the way home.

China’s belt and road programme, designed to give Beijing better access to foreign markets, dominated.

Africa, providing strategic resources, played a major part in transforming China to the world’s second largest economy.

It does business differently from Africa’s traditional partners.

It does not impose values like observation of human rights and rule of law.

It provides credit freely. Approaching $100 billion dollars has been loaned by China for building African roads, railways, ports and major buildings.

Critics say Beijing’s constructing an elaborate death trap.

Beijing responds that the critics are none other than the former colonialists, who have an axe to grind.

Who can blame cash-strapped countries being attracted to China’s credit honey pot.

South Africa is among the latest, taking a $2,5 billion loan for ESCOM.

All above board and properly thought out, is the assurance from President Cyril Ramaphosa. 

Question: could that loan have been secured safely and on better terms  from the more rhythmic recent visitors? 

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The EU summit in Brussels agreed that secure centres for migrants may be set up in European states to process asylum claims.

The agreement on controlled centres that will be set up by European state on a voluntary basis is designed to satisfy Italy’s new rightwing government and conservative elements keeping  German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition government in power.

But it falls way short of addressing the core problem of exactly who should take in the migrants.

Their numbers have reduced dramatically to about 80 000 a year.

But the latest drownings show yet again what an emotive issue this remains. 

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Yesterday’s  mini EU summit in Brussels on the issue has shown the extent of divisions within the 28-nation grouping over migration.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte says he’s happy with the emergency meeting in Brussels where he presented proposals on re-writing the rules on migration into Europe

He’s rejected French President Emmanuel Macron’s assertion that with the number of  migrants down 80% from the peak in 2015, there is no longer a crisis.

And he’s brushed off German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s plan to get smaller bilateral and trilateral agreements within the EU grouping on dealing with migration until the issue of first arrival is addressed – taking the pressure off Italy, Spain and Greece.  

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However  Chancellor Angela Merkel, hosting the G20 summit run Hamburg achieved her primary goal of reaching agreement on a single communique pledging support for trade, finance, energy and Africa.

In a rare public admission of disagreement the G20 summit broke with President Donald Trump on climate policy.

It’s considered a blow to multilateral cooperation on this planet-threatening phenomenon of global warming.

Tump’s ship to a unilateral approach has left a void in global leadership,  deeply unsettled traditional European allies and opened the door for rising powers like China to play a bigger role

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