S.S.D.D.

February 21, 2013 in Articles, México

Courtesy of The New York Times

The 19th-century French novelist Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr once said that “the more things change, the more they remain the same.”

This aphorism seems to resonate in Mexican politics more often than officials care to admit.

When President Enrique Peña Nieto came into office in December, he pledged to reduce the violence created by the organized crime and drug trade in Mexico. He appeared to be on pace to “walk the walk” by introducing to the nation his crime prevention program that would turn the discussions about Mexico away from drug violence.

Recent flare-ups in the state of Guerrero, where a group of masked gunmen gang raped a group of Spanish women on vacation in Acapulco and nine police officers were ambushed and killed, have all but forced the Peña Nieto administration to put this new plan on the backburner and resort to the same tactics employed by their predecessors in the Calderon administration.

The explosions of grenades near the U.S. Consulate in Nuevo Laredo and the kidnapping and consequent murder of popular folk group Kombo Kolombia have led some to question if this new crime prevention strategy that Enrique Peña Nieto campaigned on would be different after all. One does not need to look further than the citizens of Guerrero who have formed their own militias out of frustration at the police’s incompetence to see the increased discontent among the Mexican populace. 

In fact, this discontent has also had an impact on Peña Nieto’s approval ratings. In a poll consisting of a thousand face-to-face interviews with Mexican citizens, pollsters found Enrique Peña Nieto’s approval rating to be at 56% at the start of his term. Compare that to the 58% approval rating for President Felipe Calderon at the start of his term six years ago.

All of this begs the question: is it too early to begin questioning Peña Nieto’s successes on reducing drug violence?

For starters, there is a dispute over the accuracy of the homicide numbers for the first two months of Peña Nieta’s term (December and January). One Mexican newspaper puts the total at 1,939 whereas another newspaper put it at 1,524. A third source gave a figure of 1,758. These are all third-party estimates and analysts are awaiting the release of data by Mexico’s Secretary-General of National Public Safety.

Even with the release of an indisputable and accurate figure by the Mexican government, it is hard to determine how many of those deaths truly are linked to organized crime and the drug trade since police and other agencies use various characteristics to categorize the murders. To further complicate things, it is another matter of discussion if these numbers would indicate a drop (or even increase) in violence when juxtaposed to the data from President Calderon’s tenure.

However, the good news from Ciudad Juarez should not be ignored. There has been a noticeable, and substantial, drop in deaths in what was once called the most dangerous city on the planet. From a peak of 268 homicides around this time last year in the city, that number has dropped to just 26 in the month of January.

Peña Nieto should not be quick to take credit for this enormous drop in violence, especially when the city of Chicago recently named drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Laura its Public Enemy No. 1 – a title not awarded since the days of Al Capone in 1930.

So let us answer the question on everyone’s minds: is it then too early to judge Enrique Peña Nieto’s success in fulfilling his campaign promise on a reduction in drug trade and organized crime-related crime?

The short answer is yes and no.

It is too early to judge just HOW successful, or unsuccessful, he has been due to the statistical inconsistencies in the murder rates and the questions of how to apply them. It is also uncertain whether or not these recent upticks in violence would have happened under Felipe Calderon’s presidency. One could also argue that the slide in disapproval ratings for Peña Nieto is also just a continuation of a general sense of exhaustion and distrust that is pertinent throughout the Mexican population.

In the opinion of this citizen, however, it is not too early. When one campaigns on being different than their predecessor and within two months of office has already capitulated into those “failed policies” he sought to break away with, the words of Alphonse Karr should ring in their ear.

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Don’t Forget International Mother Language Day!

February 20, 2013 in The World Today

By Aniket Maitra

We sometimes forget the holidays that we don’t get off. In the year 2000, the General Assembly recognized February 21st as International Mother Language Day. It’s a day we overlook but one that we should take a moment to recognize.

The origins of this holiday date back to a brutal cultural war between Bangladesh and Pakistan. In 1947, two countries raised their flags on two separate sides of a border that the British departed from. One country was named India, the other, Pakistan. But the story of Pakistan extends a bit further since it was in reality not one but two far apart geographic regions named West Pakistan and East Pakistan. You might wonder why you can’t find both on a map. That’s because West Pakistan became Pakistan and East Pakistan became Bangladesh. Both countries were established as the homeland of British India’s Muslim population. 

At the time of independence, however, the area of West Pakistan decided that Urdu would be the official language of all of Pakistan despite the fact their brothers in East Pakistan spoke their mother tongue of Bengali. When students at the University of Dhaka protested the forced imposition of an outside tongue, many were killed by the police in defense of one of their most basic fundamental rights. The bloodshed occurred on February 21, 1952.

This rallying movement for language recognition would continue for nearly two decades more as the Bengali people of East Pakistan sought independence in memory of the preservation of their language. In 1971, after a war that involved mainly three nations (India, West Pakistan, and East Pakistan), Bangladesh would be liberated from the oppressive reign of their former rulers and establish a country literally named Country of the Bengalis (“Bangla” meaning Bengali language or people and “Desh” meaning country).

It is in the martyrdom of these students who sacrificed their soul to preserve their mother language that we recognize this holiday. We also recognize it as one of the few moments in history when people fought not because of their ethnicity or religion, but because of their mother tongue.

The legacy, however, cannot be a remembrance of those that died for their mother language, but a remembrance perhaps of our own mother tongues. Whether it is one of the six official languages of the United Nations or whether it is a language spoken by our family, our community, or our nation, all languages deserve recognition on this day. Perhaps even a language we might even be learning right now. And last, we should even take a moment to recognize those languages that many governments around the world have not recognized because language is not only how we communicate but a definition of who are as individuals as well.

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The Keystone Blackmail

February 18, 2013 in The World Today, United States

George Zornick

By Stewart Benson

Imagine a world where the United States and Canada are no longer allies. Previous brotherly excursions (the Second World War, invasion of Afghanistan) now rest in the past, the borders have restricted access, retaliatory tariff policies are enforced, and the Canadians won’t even buy our F-35 fighter jets. While it is probable that most of this will not come true, the Canadians are not guaranteeing anything as President Obama makes his decision regarding the Keystone Oil Pipeline. Thousands on each side of the issue have stated their case on the pipeline, and it is now left to the President to decide on allowing Canadian crude oil to travel through the U.S. or veto the project. Potentially tens of thousands of jobs, the development of the Canadian tar sands oil industry, having Canada as an economic partner and the destruction of the environment are at stake. President Obama will either cater to the industry advocates, the environmental advocates or somehow discover a plan to balance both of those interests.

 In Canada’s recent general election, a thoroughly conservative government came to power, with Prime Minister Stephen Harper as the leading voice in getting the Keystone pipeline getting approved. PM Harper hails from the province of Alberta, which happens to be his heavily conservative base and the home of the Canadian tar sands oil fields. Harper has made it clear that United States cooperation in creating the pipeline is essential, and refusing to do so would be recognized as “unneighborly” and would bring along retaliation. What this “retaliation” would involve remains unclear, but most likely involves retaliatory trade policies including refusal to purchase American fighter jets. This would not be the first time Harper and Obama have differed on the subject of oil production; Harper’s government has thoroughly rejected Obama’s concerns on climate change and withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol. If the U.S. rejects the pipeline, then Canada will be forced to search for other options, perhaps even with China. Development of the Canadian oil industry has serious potential benefits for the overall Canadian economy, and they have been pushing hard for the project to receive approval.

 However, President Obama must also look to his political base, which greatly disapproves of the Keystone pipeline. Several major environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, are greatly involved in the Obama administration and helped gather support for both of his campaigns. Ignoring his support base would be very surprising, and not a smart political move. Obama has also recently stated his administration’s plan on climate change during the Inauguration and the State of the Union Address, which favored development of renewable energy and less dependence on foreign oil. President Obama has made good on some of those promises already: the U.S. currently imports around 2.4 million barrels of oil daily from up North, and that’s more than twice what we import from Saudi Arabia. Will the draw of economic growth and jobs sway Obama to cater to the Canada oil industry, or will he stick true to his political base and focus on the longevity of the planet?

 It is proven that Canadian tar sand oil is some of the crudest and corrosive type of oil in the world, and environmentalists agree that its destructiveness on the grasslands and South of the United States could be incalculable. Canada is overproducing their oil currently, and adding an estimated 700,000 barrels of oil through the U.S. reaches past our point of consumption. Environmental scientists say that if the Keystone Pipeline is approved, production of greenhouse gas emissions will reach a “tipping point” level; in other words, the beginning of the end. This project is more important than simply adding jobs and stimulating the economy, it will test us to see if we truly can organize ourselves together, forget about business interests, and secure the long-term health of our planet. Freeing ourselves from the interests of the few in order for the betterment of the whole is how we defeat the growing effects of climate change, and vetoing the Keystone pipeline is the first step in that process.

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Discussion needs to expand to more action

February 15, 2013 in Africa, The World Today

Photo from Toronto Star

By Razanne Chatila

It took one horrible crime to be the tipping point to spark a national controversy in South Africa on what actions are being taken to prevent and prosecute sexual crimes against women and children.

When news earlier this month of the gang-rape and murder of 17-year-old Anene Booysen, who was badly mutilated and left for dead on a building site in the town of Bredasdorp, 80 miles east of Cape Town, broke out, it sparked outrage by the South Africans and politicians alike. Boosyne who was found barely alive by a security guard the following day, was taken to the hospital where she managed to identify one of her rapists before dying of her injuries It seems to be an echo of another recent case, being compared to the gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a New Delhi bus that triggered huge demonstrations in India against endemic gender violence.

“When a very similar incident occurred in India recently, there was a massive outbreak of protest and mass demonstrations in the streets; it was a big story around the world,” said Patrick Craven, spokesman for the Congress of South African Trade Unions in a recent interview. “We must show the world that South Africans are no less angry at such crimes and make an equally loud statement of disgust and protest in the streets.”

Many rights groups complain that the reason rape crimes are still occurring is because it has been normalized in society and has lost the power to shock, especially in South Africa, and the statistics definitely emphasize this. In 2010-11, there were 56,272 rapes recorded in South Africa, which is an average of 154 a day. This is more than double the rate in India. According to a study in 2009, one in four South African men has admitted to having raped a woman. The last significant public outcry was a year ago when a 17-year-old mentally disabled girl from Soweto was gang raped by young men who videotaped her anguish and offered her the equivalent of 25 cents to keep quiet.

This time, however, it has garnered the attention of the South African president who called on the courts to “impose the harshest crimes, as part of a concerted campaign to end this scourge in our country.”

He further stated, “The whole nation is outraged at this extreme violation and destruction of a young human life. This act is shocking, cruel and most inhumane. It has no place in our country. We must never allow ourselves to get used to these acts of base criminality to our women and children.”

Many criticize the lack of action taken by the government and have accused the government of neglecting the issue of rape and violence against women. This lack of initiative has also raised international concern as the top human rights official at the United Nations, Navi Pillay, says the scourge of rape in South Africa must be addressed in a “macro fashion in order to find the root causes.” She emphasized the U.N. stance that the primary responsibility of protecting civilians, including from rape, lies in the hands of the state. As such, she commented on South Africa’s approach and praised the law but objected on the lack of implementation, connecting it to the endemic societal patriarchy. Also noting the need to open up the discussion to all citizens, women and men alike should pick up ideas and share solutions in order to change a culture where discrimination and violence against women is condemned, and where punishment is duly given.

 

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Bread For Bullets

February 14, 2013 in Articles, México

Courtesy of the New York Times

My hometown of Mexico City has recently experienced an uptick in violence and kidnappings. This is unprecedented seeing as how the capital, home to some nine million people, has escaped the drug violence that is ravishing the rest of the nation relatively unscathed with an average of two homicides per day. This is a rate lower than many large cities in the United States.

In attempt to reduce violent crime, authorities in Mexico City began a gun buyback program. More colloquially referred to as a cash-for-guns program, the program has recollected around 3,500 guns along with ammunition and grenades. People throughout the city can stop by a tent at the Basilica of St. Mary of Guadalupe, the holiest site in the capital, to trade in any sort of weapon that they have and do not use. They can get as little as $20 for an airgun to as much as $500 for an RPG.

Officials in the city chose this site since it is an almost unanimously known site, and there are elements of society that might not trust the police or the government. Here, people’s anonymity is guaranteed with the sole purpose being to get these weapons out of people’s homes and reduce the likelihood of accidents. Experts doubt the success of these kinds of cash-for-guns programs in reducing gun and drug violence, but the authorities behind this program in Mexico City are aware, and their stated goal is to build communication and awareness among the populace. 

Tied to the gun buyback program, social workers have also been going door-to-door to remind residents that ownership of a firearm without a permit is illegal and that owning a firearm does not guarantee their safety. Officials are hoping this will also work towards registering more of these weapons in a country where, of the 15.5 million civilian-owned guns, only 2.8 million of those are registered legally.

All of this leads back to the drug war in the end.

It is extremely difficult to obtain a firearm in Mexico. There is only one gun shop in the entire country, run by the military, and even then the types of weapons that a citizen can purchase are very limited. You need a permit to carry a firearm outside the home as well as a permit for private gun sales. The Mexican Constitution guarantees every citizen a right to bear arms, but that right is severely restricted. However, unlike the United States where there are 89 guns for every 100 citizens there is little to no opposition to such tight gun control.

This means that all of the weapons being used by the drug cartels within the country are entering the country from the United States where the lax gun laws, public resistance to placing restrictions on the 2nd Amendment, and an oversaturation of firearms has created the perfect storm for drug lords in Mexico.

The point of this piece is not to beat a dead horse by pointing out that the United States is responsible for the nearly 60,000 deaths as a result of the escalating drug violence in the country, but to show that the Mexican people are doing the best they can to do their part. Guns are being taken off the street, awareness is being raised, and the laws are as strict as they can be.

Recently, in an interview with the German newspaper Der Spiegel, President Enrique Peña Nieto stated his belief that it was necessary to combat the inequality and poverty in Mexico if his country and his administration were to be successful in winning this war (while praising President Barack Obama’s commitment to stricter gun controls). His crusade against hunger, aimed at the seven million Mexicans living in extreme poverty, has begun to meet these ends. The gun buyback program in Mexico City, for example, has also worked to put money back in the hands of families that need it by simultaneously removing guns from the equation.

It is also interesting to note that in that same interview, Mr. Peña Nieto expressed his belief that marijuana was a “gateway drug” and as such would not support any legalization efforts, something which might complicate plans for a winning strategy over the drug cartels, but that is something for another day. 

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Peddling Downhill

February 13, 2013 in The World Today, United States

By Nicholas Petsas

A disastrous decision during the Great Depression, enacted by the United States Congress, was to implement the Smoot-Hawley tariffs which caused an international pandemonium and trade to slow to a halt. Thankfully, the international community held back its desire to increase protectionism for the most part and did not add insult to injury. But now, a few years past the height of the recession, a global recession seems imminent and global trade is slumping which is cause for concern. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected that trade growth will slow to 3.2%, compared to 12.6% two years ago . Attaining growth without an increase in trade would be unprecedented. Some of the decline is from a decline in demand such as China and Europe which is causing trade volumes to sink, but governmental interference also plays a role. To further diminish the possibility of a trade recovery, anti-trade sentiments in many countries, including the United States, are on the rise. The concerns over the negative effects of trade are ill conceived and pander to special interests over the global community, but a global trade decline is imminent but there are ways to prevent it.

First, it should be stated why free trade is valuable, not only to the United States but to the rest of the world as well. Trade is a basic tenant of economic liberalism and plays a part in every transaction. Freeing trade is beneficial because it increases people’s standards of living by enabling consumers to search the field for a wide variety of goods. Also, producers will compete to provide the best products at the lowest prices enabling consumers to buy more goods at lower prices. Greater competition will lead to innovations in new products which will begin the cycle over again. On a macro level, free trade enables each country to specialize in goods and services and global resources are allocated efficiently using a price system. This is why it comes as no surprise that global free trade would increase global income by nearly two trillion dollars according to Robert Krol from the CATO Institute Center for Trade Policy Studies. The United States alone is three-hundred million dollars better off because of importing goods and services according to CATO’s studies. Globally, millions of people have risen out of poverty and raised their standards of living as a result of a greater volume of trade.

Why all the negativity towards trade? Special interests (such as corn lobbies, businesses, manufacturing firms) would all benefit from protectionism that helped their particular industry. Their jobs would be safer and they could gain a greater market share. They make a good point; free trade doesn’t necessarily create jobs. Paul Krugman, a Nobel Laureate for his work in international trade, comments multiple times on his blog that free trade is about efficiency and does not create demand (Consumption + Investment + Government Spending + Net Exports is what makes up demand but net exports is about the difference not volume so employment isn’t bettered by a greater volume necessarily). But the special interest effect has net negative effects as well. Take for example the case of the corn lobby whose jobs are protected through protectionism. United States grows a vast amount of the world’s food crop but as a result of the Environmental Protection Agency’s mandate to produce and subsidize ethanol, corn has been diverted for fuel instead of food which has caused prices to skyrocket and the poor are most affected by price shocks. Foreign Policy Magazine reported in 2008 that government subsidies accounted for 33% of food price increases and led nearly 100 million people back below the poverty line. This policy is internationally rejected by all major organizations: the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the World Food Program and more. The policy’s inefficiencies have caused prices to rise to a point that it becomes hard for people to sustain their own lives. US protectionist policies, as of late, have also caused global backsliding. Brazil, citing US “Buy America” programs, loose monetary policy and bailouts has justified a new round of protectionism on hundreds of goods (Review and Outlook, WSJ, 8/11/12). This will cause trade to slow even further as countries become more skeptical of the gains from trade when the US is perceived to be protectionist as well. Free trade works to create efficiency in markets to deliver goods to people, but protectionism limits efficiency and economic freedom which is why solutions are needed now. 

Solutions to trade problems have been scant. The Doha trade rounds have been stalled for a decade, and bilateral and regional agreements have come to replace the authority of the WTO. These agreements are inherently discriminatory in practice and therefore violate one of the main principles of the World Trade Organization and free trade. But without any other solutions occurring, regional agreements look like the top choice. Before we settle for less, there are some other options on the table. Environmental protection (whether it is solar panels or ethanol) is coming under fire from trade. Being able to solve climate issues in a cheap and efficient manner should be a priority and that is why the Information Technology Agreement of 1996 and the Clean Technology Agreement should both be revaluated to boost trade in this area to link developing and developed countries concerns together. This might even benefit the Doha round as it would promote cooperation amongst parties. Until unique measures like these are taken, trade will continue to bicycle downhill along with economic efficiency and growth.

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Venezuela devalues its bolívar, highlighting economic problems

February 12, 2013 in The World Today

By Elise Zimmerman

Many economists’ speculations were confirmed Friday when the Venezuelan government announced a 32% devaluation of its currency, the bolívar. The devaluation caused the exchange rate to increase from 4.3 bolivares to the dollar to 6.3. The measure, meant to lower the government deficit, was announced on the eve of a four-day weekend in order to curb potential “panic-buying” that could cause negative market repercussions.

Some analysts have expressed concern that the devaluation’s impact on the price of imported goods will cause inflation to increase beyond the 22% currently measured. However, others have noted that Venezuela’s last devaluation, in early 2010, saw only around half of the inflation economists expected at the time. 

Opponents of Chavez are using the announcement to highlight what they claim to be widespread mismanagement of the nation’s economy since Chavez took office. Politician and prominent anti-Chavez advocate Henrique Capriles claimed that the devaluation was an attempt by the government to make up for money spent by Chavez during the presidential campaign last fall. Others have suggested that the decision is a restructuring move similar to those suggested by Chavez’s party during the campaign. This point has gained notable popularity in the wake of last week’s announcement, with organizations known to publish pro-Chavez opinions questioning the decision and maintaining a somewhat skeptical approach to covering the issue.

Despite the mounting criticism of the devaluation, dissent from the general public may be limited for now, as many Venezuelans are still reeling from the massive food shortages experienced throughout the country earlier this month. According to one poll, nearly one third of markets in Venezuela experienced shortages of essential goods like cooking oil, flour, sugar, coffee, and maize flour. The government attempted to shift the blame from itself by suggesting that large-scale food hoarding and price speculation were to blame. Last week’s devaluation, expected for several weeks, is likely the government’s response to these shortages.

Regardless of its source, criticism of the Chavez administration is on the rise throughout Venezuela. Still in Cuba recovering from a cancer surgery last December, President Chavez’s prognosis appears dimmer with each passing day. If Chavez were to die while in office, the nation’s constitution mandates an election for a new president. The natural successor in this situation is current Vice President Nicholas Maduro, who has taken on many of Chavez’s public relations roles during his absence. However, growing disapproval of the government’s economic management would likely cause Maduro to lose a notable amount of support in this vote.

Ultimately, the devaluation of the bolívar highlights Venezuela’s precarious economic situation. As long as the country’s leadership is uncertain under Chavez, it is unlikely that any major reforms will fix the nation’s stagnant GDP and sustained inflation. While government officials have claimed that this will be the last major announcement for some time, Venezuelans should expect to see more adjustments like this one until major changes can be made.     

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On to the Next One

February 11, 2013 in Asia, The World Today, United States

By Stewart Benson

As the War in Afghanistan reaches its twelfth year mark, the American and international military missions are under command of their 15th and final leader, General Joseph F. Dunford Jr. In a traditional handoff ceremony conducted in Kabul yesterday, Dunford was officially given command of over 100,000 troops, overseeing the withdrawal process of that also consists of 68,000 American troops. Dunford, along with withdrawing troops and a large amount of equipment and cargo, must also successfully transfer security responsibilities to Afghan forces. Large swaths of the country are still fighting the Taliban insurgency, especially in the East and Southern regions, and in some of these areas the Taliban has successfully regained complete control. While many see the road towards a unified, peaceful Afghanistan, once American and international troops withdraw, as unrealistic, Dunford has expressed hope for the landlocked country that has been ravaged by war for decades.

 Gen. Dunford takes over duties from previous supreme commander Gen. John Allen, whose time in Afghanistan was marked by diplomatic reassurances that saw damaged relationships between the Afghan government, American troops and the Afghan public. During the ceremony, Allen also expressed hope for the country’s future, while also recognizing the tremendous sacrifices made by foreign troops and Afghan security forces. The persistence of Taliban forces were very real, Allen admitted, however he also expressed the opinions that Afghanistan will never be caught in international feuds again and will never become a safe-haven for terrorist organizations. There is increasing uneasiness that Al-Qaeda and its affiliates will call Afghanistan home once again, and a guarantee that this will not come true, in a war plagued by underestimations and misconceptions, will surely not sway many. When speaking of the Taliban, Allen said nothing of successfully expelling them from Afghanistan, admitting that victory against the Taliban may not “be marked on a calendar.” The road ahead for Afghan security forces is especially troublesome, noting the growing number of Afghan soldiers and police who have died fighting the insurgents in recent months. Instances of Taliban sympathizers within these forces are becoming even more a problem, with “friendly fire” deaths growing rapidly.

 Addressing these issues will be difficult for Gen. Dunford; however President Obama will announce specific plans and troop levels in the coming weeks. Dunford has served on a number of senior posts within the military, most recently as assistant commandant of the Marine Corps. Once arriving in Afghanistan, Dunford has sat beside Allen at several meetings, understanding concerns and learning the responsibilities of his new post. Dunford’s new job will be severely difficult, and will hopefully end with full American withdrawal and complete Afghan responsibility. Perhaps the toughest part will be having Afghan security forces perform their own recruiting, training, and equipment supply. Currently they rely on American troops for nearly everything, including medical evacuation, intelligence and logistics assistance. Afghanistan must be self-sustaining if a victory over the Taliban is to be had, and the road towards this goal will be difficult without some sort of outside assistance. 

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Somalian healthcare gets a check-up

February 8, 2013 in The World Today

Image from IRIN Africa

By: Razanne Chatila

No food. Little water. Colds turning into diseases. Children dying because of a cut. It sounds like a line out of a history book, talking about a world far different than it is today, but this is not referencing the 1300s, this is 2013.

The United Nations World Health Organization, WHO, estimates over 215,000 children in Somalia are malnourished and are at risk of malnutrition-related complications that are in need of immediate healthcare. Recently, with the retreat of Al-Shabab insurgents from urban areas of both south and central Somalia, aid has granted greater accessibility for aid agencies to increase health services and expand emergency healthcare that has made an initial step in assisting this country from a possible health epidemic.

Somalian security forces with the help of the African Union Mission in Somalia took most parts of central and southern Somalia back in late 2012 which has eased restrictions to humanitarian access to many of these areas that are in dire need of help.Previously inaccessible areas have been opened up which has allowed two hospitals to be built in Gedo and Galgaduud regions, three makeshift camps in Bakool and Lower Juba, and another three hospitals were scaled up for emergency surgery and cesarean section. These new hospitals have helped serve one million people. Not only that, but in the first time in four years, vaccination campaigns were conducted in 14 districts of south and central Somalia.

Helping save children and putting them on a healthier track has become even more a reality with the opening of the new Mohamed Aden Sheikh Children’s Teaching Hospital in Hargeisa in January, which is the first specializing in pediatric illness. It is a blessing for this region that has the worst child mortality rate in the world according to the U.N. Even though it is open, it is still under construction and is expected to be complete by March. The Onlus Somalia Association will provide the funding for the hospital for three years and plans to establish a governing committee. This hospital is much needed to supplement the growing population and the only other hospital in the area,that was built 50 years ago by the British.

WHO Emergency Coordinator for Somalia, Omar Sale said more aid is still needed.

“Malnutrition rates in Somalia are still among the highest in the world with one in seven children acutely malnourished, and one in 33 severely malnourished,” Saleh said.

The U.N. health agency has already provided more than 220 tons of emergency medical supplies including 36 blood transfusion kits, 67 diarrheal disease kits, 104 interagency emergency health kits, 21 reproductive health hits, and 15 surgical supplies kits, serving over 350,000 beneficiaries in 2012. A substantial amount and funding requirements for health under the Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP) 2013 are 90 million U. S. dollars. The U.N. World Food Program (WFP) said on Jan. 29 that it has also started providing food assistance in the southern Somali city of Kismayo for the first time in more than four years. With security tensions at ease, it has allowed a tremendous amount of help to reach many individuals who were isolated. However, the amount of U.N. support needs to be replicated by other world countries to really help this country get and stay healthy.

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Same Old, Same Old

February 7, 2013 in Articles, México

Photo Courtesy of El Mundo

It was not long ago that President Enrique Peña Nieto pledged that, upon being elected by the Mexican people, he would be different than past PRI leaders. However, as developments within the country have shown in recent days, that pledge has long fallen by the wayside.

On January 23rd, Mexico’s Federal Elections Commission (IFE) ruled that they would not be fining Mr. Peña Nieto’s party to the tune of $75 million pesos after accusations of spending $50 million pesos on prepaid gift cards to buy votes. According to the allegations, the PRI spent $50.5 million pesos through the financial services firm Monex that provided the cards.

The General Council of the IFE, which stated that the origin of the funds was legal and the relation between the PRI and Monex was contractual, then voted on the $75 million peso fine on the PRI for a failure to be transparent with the spending. The first vote was 4-4 among the members of the General Council and the second vote was 4-5 in favor of not fining the PRI. The tie-breaking vote? A councilor who had secluded himself from the case since July due to conflicts of interest.

In another ruling, the IFE is set to meet today to debate whether or not they will fine Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, known colloquially as AMLO and the head of the leftist-socialist party the PRD, for overspending during his presidential campaign against Mr. Peña Nieto. The crime? Going over the allotted amount of public campaign funds by $62 million pesos.

But alas, the corruption does not end there. On Tuesday, the Anti-Corruption Commission within the Mexican Senate presented the House of Deputies a bill calling for the immediate dismissal of the five commissioners at the Institute of Access to Information and Protection of Data (IFAI). The IFAI is a very highly regarded public transparency agency in the country and if the bill passes, it will give President Peña Nieto the ability to name all five new commissioners and put the independence of the agency (as well as the trust the public has in it) in jeopardy. Despite coming under scrutiny recently for mismanagement of funds, the former president of the IFAI Jacqueline Peschard has come out to defend the institution. Saying the agency is recognized both nationally and internationally, Ms. Peschard said that the IFAI must improve its planning, training, and education on transparency.

Now, we come to the recent gas explosion at the headquarters of Mexico’s state-run petroleum company PEMEX in Mexico City on January 31st. A build up of gas ignited by a spark from a faulty electrical system caused an explosion at an administrative building behind the main skyscraper where PEMEX headquarters are located. The Attorney General has come out and said that a multi-national investigation into the causes of the explosion showed no evidence of a bomb or other explosive device. 37 PEMEX workers perished in the blast and 126 were left injured. It is important to note that criminal activity has not been completely ruled out as the source of the gas, how it leaked, who failed to notice the leak, and what caused the gas to explode have all not been determined yet.

What exactly was inside B2, the building in question that is causing the controversy? The building was the human resources center of the company and housed a number of administrative records and internal audits.

The results of the investigation into the blast point towards yet another industrial failure in PEMEX’s poor safety track record, but that has not excluded it from conspiracy theories in this corrupt climate. PEMEX itself is also under a close eye as one of Mr. Peña Nieto’s campaign pledges was to nationalize the historically state-run company in order to improve its lackluster production as of late.

It was not along that the fresh-faced Enrique Peña Nieto faced his countrymen and promised to be different, more transparent, and shake the ghosts of former bosses in his party. But what these last two months have accomplished is demonstrate that Mr. Peña Nieto is just another crooked politician. He is a politician that will say and do what it takes to get elected, and when that isn’t enough, he’ll cheat. And then get away with it to heed to those party bosses and other lobbyists that put him in office. All at the expense of the Mexican people who are too busy enjoying their prepaid gift cards to notice. 

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