In The News

America in Africa: Addressing a Mix of Islam and Oil

Ricardo Rene Laremont February 6, 2007
Amidst the lingering turbulence in the Middle East, US policymakers look to Africa as an alternative source of petroleum. Washington has launched military training operations in a number of African nations in an effort to combat Islamic terrorism and secure oil supplies. While there is no doubt that such military investments are necessary in the post-9/11 world, Ricardo Rene Laremont expresses...

Market Medicine

Johan Hjertqvist January 16, 2007
The European Union is exploring strategies that would allow patients and clinicians to cross borders and increase savings in health care. The system might also improve quality of care in a system that generally does not rank health-care providers, allow patients to access their own records or pursue second opinions, or provide immediate treatment. “At least four out of five Europeans are denied...

The Challenge of Global Health

Laurie Garrett December 20, 2006
Wealthy nations and their citizens donate billions in cash to end AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and some other high-profile problems in the developing world. But with uncoordinated programs, lacking in sustainability and long-term planning, the fast flow of cash could make problems worse, not better, argues health analyst and author Laurie Garrett. Studies have shown that focusing on high-profile...

Theologians Battle Female Circumcision

Amira El Ahl December 19, 2006
The World Health Organization estimates that up to 140 million women worldwide are circumcised, most living in Africa, with some also in Asia and the Middle East. Some cultures – mostly in Africa, but also in Asia – have embraced female circumcision for thousands of years, expecting it to decrease sexual desire in women. The practice is common in Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia, but not in Iraq,...

AIDS Threatens India’s Prosperity

Pramit Mitra November 30, 2006
December 1 marks World AIDS Day, and by some reports, the world’s second most populous nation – India – has more AIDS cases than any other country in the world. The percentage of cases in India, at 0.09 percent, is miniscule compared with rates of 30 percent in some African nations, but the size of the nation’s population – 1 billion, with two out of five people illiterate – raises concern among...

Our Moral Superiority About Sex Is Proving Deadly

Saral Boseley November 28, 2006
Western nations like the US and the UK have split personalities when it comes to sex. Western cultures are obsessed with the topic, allowing it to dominate the media, consumer products and everyday life – yet their politicians and professionals are quick to criticize or advise developing nations about high rate of AIDS or promiscuity. A series published in the journal “Lancet” suggests that the...

Vietnam Plays Wary Host to APEC

Thomas Abraham November 16, 2006
Vietnam’s surging economy and increasing attractiveness as a place to do business have raised its profile in Southeast Asia. Its turn at hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leadership summit now offers the country the opportunity to further burnish its image. But that opening has also come with risk. Having a relapse of the avian flu outbreak that hammered the country in 2003 would not...