In The News

In India, Economic Prosperity Is Spreading Slowly

Saritha Rai July 5, 2005
The boom in India's technology sector, and its status as the top destination for many American and European outsourcers, has brought the country high growth and a widespread boost in standard of living – at least for the middle and upper classes. But the majority of Indians, especially those in outlying rural areas, still live in poverty and do not reap the benefits of India's success...

A Report from the Ground Zero of China’s AIDS Crisis

Pierre Haski June 30, 2005
The international community has praised the Chinese government for its recent change of heart toward the AIDS crisis. Whereas central authorities considered the epidemic a foreign issue just five years ago, Chinese leaders today acknowledge the severity of the problem and are participating in international programs aimed at the prevention and treatment of the disease. Journalist Pierre Haski...

Social Network's Healing Power Is Borne Out in Poorer Nations

Shankar Vedantam June 28, 2005
A three-decade-long study by the World Health Organization has shown that patients diagnosed with the mental illness schizophrenia consistently tend to recover better in poorer nations than in developed nations. Researchers attribute these surprising results to the cultural differences in treatment. Seen by most Western psychiatrists as an organic, incurable brain disease, schizophrenia is...

Lifting Africa's Debt Sentence

Doug Saunders June 13, 2005
A summit of financial ministers from the G-8 announced on Saturday that 18 of the world's poorest nations, most of which are in sub-Saharan Africa, will be relieved of their debt burdens. The beneficiaries – deemed to have satisfactory governments and economic structures – were selected via an intensive vetting system. The agreement has sparked opposition on both sides of the African aid...

Think Continental

Gamal Nkrumah June 10, 2005
Amidst controversy over the arguably paltry US aid offerings to Africa, many countries on that continent are meeting at this week's Cairo African Trade Conference to discuss regional and continental trade as an independent path to prosperity. African nations are interested in forming a unified front at WTO negotiations to increase their trade power and improve their disadvantaged position...

Agreeing on Africa, Up to a Point

June 8, 2005
As incoming president of the G-8, Tony Blair has made reducing African poverty the focus of his agenda, aiming to pardon the continent's staggering debt and increase aid by US$50 billion. But he faces opposition from Germany, France, and Japan – who propose focusing efforts on just five developing countries – as well as the United States, reluctant to double its aid. With Africa's...

"In Larger Freedom": Decision Time at the UN

Kofi Annan May 31, 2005
The wide range of threats afflicting different regions today complicates international collaboration. In an interconnected world, however, these threats are often more closely related than we realize. Extreme poverty and civil conflict in one country, for example, encourage terrorist groups to strike in another; the outbreak of disease in a region with poor health care may spread to wealthier...