In The News

Globalization and the Corrupt States

Branko Milanovic November 2, 2007
Corrupt states thrive on producing goods and services that are illegal but increasingly profitable in the global world. Due to low costs of transportation, more illegal goods enter middle-class markets. Once criminal groups start controlling an economy, they throw their support behind corrupt politicians in government, complicating the work of local activists or international organizations that...

Bad Neighbor

October 22, 2007
International criticism of the Myanmar military junta for violent repression of recent protests includes US and EU sanctions and a UN Security Council condemnation. But the junta shows no signs of ending its brutal and rigid control. Neighboring states like China, India and the member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are the largest economic partners of Burma, renamed...

Far-Right Swiss Party Divides Nation on Immigrant Issue

Elaine Sciolino October 17, 2007
With Swiss elections on the horizon, the campaign of the country’s strongest party, the Swiss People’s Party, or SVP, has turned alarmingly xenophobic. The SVP campaign has featured posters, films and speeches attesting to its staunch stance against the immigrant population. SVP offers a vision of foreigners as the “hell” that invades “heavenly” Switzerland, and the party supports the deportation...

Children Trafficked From Asia to UK to Work in Cannabis Factories

Nina Lakhani September 27, 2007
In 2004, Britain declassified cannabis, decreasing the penalties for growing or possessing the controlled substance. As fear of punishment faded, demand grew and so did the appeal of producing the drug for greater profits. Organized crime rushed to fill the gap between supply and demand, and with record levels of production, Vietnamese gangs rely on children to tend plants. So declassification...

The Middle East’s Five Crises

Joris Voorhoeve July 16, 2007
The unrest in the Middle East may seem overwhelming, but the key to stability rests in five areas, according to Joris Voorhoeve, former defense minister for the Netherlands – the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and the overall conflict between extremists and the government. Practical solutions are possible for each area: With Iraq troubled by...

The End of Vaccines?

Laura H. Kahn July 13, 2007
Since the 18th century, vaccines have been hailed as miracle drugs by some and feared by others. Some individuals do have adverse reactions to vaccines, most recently with parents expressing concern that vaccines may have triggered autism in some children. Health concerns and legal cases, particularly over vaccines that once included thimerosal, a mercury-derived preservative, could slow global...

How Dr. Chan Intends to Defend the Planet from Pandemics

June 19, 2007
Diseases can emerge on any point on the globe, spreading quickly, and health providers cannot have vaccines ready for every disease in every location. Complicating the treatment of any infectious disease: Entities within any country may regard disease as a business opportunity, a security risk, a reason for shame or a matter to hide. Indonesia only recently provided the World Health Organization...