In The News

International Bodies, Government Seek Ways to Deter Corruption in Aid

Tony Hotland April 7, 2005
Newspapers are reporting that the Indonesian government may have used tsunami relief money to purchase an eight million dollar villa for their ambassador to Switzerland. The report has prompted an uproar from Indonesians and international donors, who fear further misuse of relief money. Given the scope of reconstruction projects, say donors, well-connected officials in any affected country could...

Sudan: Helping the Exiles Return

Ramiro Lopes da Silva March 31, 2005
As civil unrest in southern Sudan settles down, exiles from the region have begun to return in droves. Despite better living conditions in developed countries in Europe and the Americas, these immigrants are surprisingly willing to move back to their country of origin. "Given the choice, people will almost always return to their homes," writes Ramiro Lopes da Silva. This voluntary...

Where Faith Is a Healer

Madeleine Bunting March 28, 2005
While secularism has taken hold in Europe, the story in the rest of the world has been quite different. Seemingly different regions, such as the Americas and the Middle East, have experienced substantial increases in religiosity. Africa is no exception: Christianity and Islam are expanding dramatically, and traditional African religions are experiencing a renaissance. A forthcoming BBC report...

Poverty – Not Ideology – Must be World Bank's Focus

David Dickson March 24, 2005
When Bush administration-favorite Paul Wolfowitz was nominated last week to head the World Bank, much of the international community recoiled in shock. Many critics fear Wolfowitz's lack of economics credentials and his ideologically charged reputation make the neo-conservative unfit to head the World Bank. Yet David Dickson argues that Wolfowitz can prove the world wrong for crying, "...

Old Threats, New Opportunities in Tsunami's Wake

Christopher Jasparro March 23, 2005
The Aceh region of Indonesia, among the hardest hit in last year's tsunami disaster, could be a strategic center in Indonesia's battle with terror – and in the larger struggle for security in Southeast Asia, writes Christopher Jasparro. Several groups with differing political aims – Islamic militants, Acehnese separatists, the Indonesian army, and international relief groups – find...

Bush's Conversion on the Road to Tehran

Philip H. Gordon March 18, 2005
These days, the competition for the title of "World's Most Pressing Nuclear Threat" seems tight. Weeks ago, North Korea stole the show with its admission of nuclear weapons possession; but in the battle for headline primacy, at least, the Iran issue has emerged as this week's winner. The most recent development involves the United States: On March 11, the Bush...

Central Asia Is Corrupted by Cotton

Quentin Peel March 10, 2005
Though many developing countries are cheering a recent WTO ruling declaring US agricultural subsidies illegal, indigent farmers in Central Asia will never know the difference. Since the dismantling of the Soviet regime, the cotton industries in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan have been hijacked by wealthy insiders. Working with international traders, middlemen sell expensive inputs to...