The Bush administration has pledged $350 million to tsunami relief. ItÂs a safe bet that at least $248 million of that money will be spent right here in the U.S.
Aid That Doesn’t Deliver
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Labor, Trade, & Finance
U.S. Dominates World Bank Leadership
Good governance. Consultation. Participation.
Cheney’s Oil Change at the World Bank
He wasn’t in the room when President George W. Bush announced it on Wednesday, but somewhere, Vice President Dick Cheney must have been smiling–well, smirking–when the commander-in-chief’s voice coupled the improbable name Paul Wolfowitz with the title “President of the World Bank.”
John Paul II’s Economic Ethics
A steady feature in Pope John Paul II’s obituaries has been mention of his unwaveringly conservative stances on issues such as abortion, birth control, gay rights, and the ordination of women. While these positions were sources of consternation for many American Catholics, they far from represent the whole of John Paul’s ethical beliefs. Particularly in his teachings about the global economy, the Pope advanced a vision of social justice that challenges the current, narrow political debate about "moral values."
Farming for Families and Food, Not Corporate Profits
Two contradictory visions of globalization are sweeping around the world: one favors a top-down model of economic development via militaristic, corporate aggression. The other favors grassroots-led, democratic pluralism and seeks to produce diverse local development models suited to the needs of local communities.
Sell the Gold, Free the Poor
When historians look back over the past 25 years, one of the great crimes they will identify is the Third World debt crisis.
The Iglesias Legacy and the IDB’s Future
en Espanol: El Legado de Iglesias y el Futuro del BID
Torture Convention Needs Refining
The torture scandal rocking the U.S. and British militaries in the “war on terror” is shocking because of the serious breaches of international law involved. But it also exposes serious flaws and ambiguities in the international legal framework prohibiting and criminalizing torture.
The G-8 Debt Deal
Jubilee campaigns and debt cancellation advocates can be proud of their efforts. The Finance Ministers of the eight rich country governments as represented at the Group of 8 (G-8) have announced a deal on 100% debt cancellation of International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, and African Development Fund debt for some impoverished nations.
Breaking the NPT (Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty) Stalemate: Japan Could Help
Deterring attack is usually cited as the main motivation for states to keep or acquire nuclear weapons. Yet today’s NPT stalemate involves both security and economic concerns. Nuclear and nonnuclear weapons states alike have associated nuclear-energy-generating capabilities with economic growth. By far the biggest problem that the NPT faces today is that nations have come to see and use it as a self-serving accord.