A Washington Post report that the Bush administration has decided to propose listing the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act is good news for Bangladeshis and hundreds of millions of other people in the developing world whose lives are threatened by global warming.
The passing last week of Saparmurat Niyazov, better know as Turkmanbashi, Father of the Turkmen, has brought his unfortunate country briefly into the limelight. Niyazov was the dictatorial leader of Turkmenistan for more than 20 years, maintaining his hold on power even as the Soviet Union dissolved. It is no secret that Niyazov oversaw the steady destruction of his country.
Yesterday the World Bank released its 2006 review of the effectiveness of its operations (Annual Review of Development Effectiveness 2006: Getting Results). Among other findings, "perceived governance quality has not yet responded to large-scale public sector reforms." As shown in a chart on p.
My previous post about Congressional in-fighting preventing the extension of trade preferences was quickly overtaken by events. To my surprise, the lame-duck Congress hammered out a better-than-expected trade package, though it will likely be passed as part of a bloated catch-all bill that has been thrown together in a process that short-changes transparency and accountability.
From the Washington Post on December 5, 2006:
It shouldn't matter whether you're conservative or liberal, for globalization or against: Some trade bills are so obviously beneficial and unobjectionable that there's no excuse for letting them languish. This is the case with a raft of measures that would extend trade preferences for poor countries - preferences due to expire at the end of the year.
Heading to the local multiplex this weekend to enjoy the blockbuster Blood Diamond, starring Leonardo DiCaprio? Why not bring some analysis along to go with your popcorn?
Yesterday at Carol Lancaster's launch of her new book on Foreign Aid: Diplomacy, Development and Domestic Politics a somewhat confusing exchange took place between Carol and Andrew Natsios, the "commentator" (in quotes because much of what Andrew had to say was pure Andrew) prompted by moderator Sebastian Mallaby's question: "So where do the two of you think levels of U.S.
Policymakers and pundits are still scrambling to decipher what the results of the U.S. midterm elections mean for the U.S.’s role in the world. Caught in the middle of this is the question of global trade.
Though you can't tell from the name, the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor is a World Bank-housed brain trust for 33 public and private donors that support microfinance. CGAP has just released the final, "endorsed" version of a Compact for Better Aid for Access to Finance.
