ABC in Uganda: success or subterfuge?

Since the enactment of the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2003, US officials have repeatedly pointed to Uganda as an example of the effectiveness of the "ABC" (Abstain, Be faithful, use Condoms) approach to HIV prevention. Uganda is one of few African countries to have experienced a decline in national HIV prevalence, from approximately 15 percent in the early 1990s to an estimated six percent today. While scholars continue to debate the reasons for this, the US government has attributed the decline to increased abstinence, faithfulness and condom use among Ugandans, and thus has made ABC the centerpiece of its global HIV prevention strategy.