Weekly Development Policy News

Click here (opens Google Reader) to access my weekly selection of mainstream news articles covering rich-world policies and practices that affect poor people in developing countries.This week's development policy news centered on the U.N.’s efforts to stop the violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the impact of the financial crisis on the food crisis.Sample articles:U.N. Steps Up Pressure over Congo Rebellion (Financial Times: 10/30/08)As the violent dispute on the border of Congo and Rawanda unfolds, the U.N. urges peace talks. Many Congolese citizens express frustration at the U.N. for resisting military intervention to protect them. The U.N.’s intervention has relied on diplomacy as even now U.N. envoys are heading to both country's capitals to encourage peace.Financial Meltdown Worsens Food Crisis (Washington Post: 10/26/08)After the credit crisis, China scrambled to set export tariffs on food to ensure their food security. Despite these protectionists measures by China and richer countries that exacerbate the food crisis, the global financial crisis has dwarfed the worsening food shortage in poor countries.Read all the articles from this week (opens Google Reader)