Army hard-liners in Burma are resisting President Thein Sein’s opening to the West.
Burma as Capable of Scapegoating Muslims as Anybody
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Labor, Trade, & Finance
Explaining the Cyprus Shakedown
In June 2012, the Cypriot government requested a bailout after its two largest banks took massive losses—around 1.6 billion euros—on Greek government bond write-downs. In order to remain solvent, it was determined that Cyprus needed 17 billion euros in assistance. What Cypriots got was a government claim on their own private bank accounts.
Tunisia and the IMF: Ennahda’s Mana From Washington (Part Two)
News reports suggest that Tunisia and the IMF are close to coming to terms over a $1.78 billion loan.
Postcard from Mumbai
Even if you have not been to steamy Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat, Mumbai’s well-known outdoor laundry facility, there is a chance that your clothing has. Densely packed against Mumbai’s central rail system, this iconic complex is the largest of many sites that collect, hand wash, dry, and deliver much of the city’s laundry. It’s also one of many reminders that the modern economy has not transcended the realities of undercompensated manual toil.
Structural Adjustment: Former President Ben Ali’s Gift to Tunisia (Part One)
The rip-off continues.
Wall Street’s Climate Finance Bonanza
Government officials from an elite group of developed countries meeting in Washington, D.C. at the invitation of U.S. climate envoy Todd Stern appear to be on the brink of instigating yet another corporate handout and big bank giveaway—this time in the name of fighting climate change.
Blood Phones and the Congo
Although most of the developed world has long been unburdened with knowledge of the violence in the DRC, the slaughter is intricately linked to electronic components carried by millions of people in the United States and Europe.
An Agreement on Arms — With No Teeth
Fearing the disruption of gun exports, the National Rifle Association vociferously opposed the Arms Trade Treaty that was approved on April 2 by the UN General Assembly. The joke, though, is not just on the NRA. While the treaty doesn’t do anything to affect American gun-owners, it’s so weak that it doesn’t seem to affect anybody at all.
The Great Afghan Corruption Scam
Washington has vociferously denounced Afghan corruption as a major obstacle to the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. This has been widely reported. Only one crucial element is missing from this routine censure: a credible explanation of why American nation-building failed there. No wonder. To do so, the U.S. would have to denounce itself.
SOPAC Expedites New Seabed Mining Legislation for Lockheed Martin
Mining companies are jockeying for position to be the first to successfully vacuum up Pacific resources.