In The News

Brazil to Break Merck AIDS Drug Patent to Lower Price

Katia Cortes May 17, 2007
Brazil’s president signed an order to override the patent of Merck and Company’s signature AIDS drug, thereby opening the field to lower-cost producers to sell generic versions of the drug. Citing a 2001 World Trade Organization ruling permitting countries to overrule drug patents in cases of national health emergencies, Brazil rejected Merck’s offer to reduce the price of Efavirenz, part of an...

Running Out of Time in Iraq

David Ignatius May 15, 2007
President Bush has long resisted setting any timetable for progress or troop withdrawal in Iraq. But a group of Republicans, worried about their party’s chances in future elections, warned the president that, unless some signs of progress emerge, they could no longer support his strategy after September. So US military commanders confront that deadline, as Sunni and Shiite factions struggle for...

21 Solutions to Save the World: A Global Magna Carta

Garry Kasparov May 14, 2007
The world must develop a global treaty aimed at protecting political and civil rights, to which all nations should be held accountable, argues Garry Kasparov in “Foreign Policy.” Such a treaty would be similar to the Magna Carta, the foundation of constitutional freedom, signed by an abusive British king after his defeat in 1215. A global institution that harnesses the military and technical...

Malaysia Backpedals on Modernity

Sadanand Dhume May 3, 2007
A fundamentalist streak of Islam within Malaysia is coming into conflict with the flourishing civil society that has made the nation a model of peaceful and democratic development in Southeast Asia. Muslims in Malaysia, unlike their Hindu or Christian compatriots, are ultimately subject to strict Islamic law, known as sharia. In fact, the national judiciary cannot override a ruling by a sharia...

Free Markets Need Free People

Gordon H. Hanson April 23, 2007
Even as US politicians and consumers decry any illegalities associated with immigration, the US economy is hooked on the conveniences that accompany cheap labor. For unskilled workers, illegal immigration is easier and provides more immediate awards than legal immigration, argues Gordon Hanson of the Center on Pacific Economies. Rigid guest-worker policies combined with strict enforcement drive...

Who's Monitoring Chinese Food Exports?

Nicholas Zamiska April 13, 2007
Food inspectors have traced to China a contaminated ingredient in pet food that has killed an unknown number of animals. Wheat gluten is a common ingredient in pet food, cereal and pasta. The discovery of batches tainted with a pesticide illegal in the US raises questions about China's growing role in the international agricultural market. In 2006, 12 percent of world fruit and vegetable...

Peaceful Resolution of the Iran-UK Crisis: Could It Be a Precedent?

Dilip Hiro April 9, 2007
The UK and Iran scored a mutual diplomatic victory, after negotiating the release of 15 British naval personnel from detention in Tehran. Although the precise details of the negotiations between Britain and Iran remain unclear, the peaceful conclusion to the crisis suggests that direct talks between disputing countries is the best way to resolve contentious issues. To avoid escalation, the Blair...