What We’re Reading 12/18/08

Dec 18th, 2008 10:18 AM UTC
By Steve Wilson

Guardian—Don’t neglect Aids crisis in Zimbabwe, warn health workers
Health workers in Zimbabwe are warning that international alarm over the spreading cholera emergency is overshadowing the AIDS crisis, which is killing as many people every three days. The rising death toll from cholera, more than 1,000, has become the most visible sign of Zimbabwe’s implosion. But cholera and the failure of the sewerage system are symptoms of the wider collapse of the country. Aid workers speak of a silent catastrophe in which people are dying of AIDS by the hundreds every day for want of medicines and sufficient food because the government has blocked foreign aid workers from reaching many of the most vulnerable. The UN says AIDS kills more than 400 Zimbabweans each day.

Reuters—WTO members consider early cotton deal
Developing countries yesterday called at the World Trade Organization for an early deal on cotton, now that chances of an overall agreement in the Doha round have been put back well into 2009 at the earliest. A deal on cotton is a litmus test of the WTO’s ability to create a fairer trading system for developing countries, experts say. West African cotton producers, backed by other developing nations, are leading the charge against trade-distorting U.S. subsidies which they say squeeze their own poor farmers out of the market.

Financial Times—Africa offers intriguing prospects
As global financial markets continue their downhill slide, investors are increasingly looking to Africa as a place to put their money. The IMF’s most recent outlook for the sub-Saharan African region says growth is likely to slow from 6.5 percent in 2007 to 6 percent in 2008—a slight slowdown that compares favorably with western markets in deep recession. However, while the IMF report highlights the region’s relative insulation from financial volatility in global markets, it also urges caution surrounding Africa’s immediate economic future, noting that aid and overall private capital flowing into the continent will likely slow.

Washington Times—LARSON: Madness in Zimbabwe
In a Washington Times op-ed, professor Charles Larson adds to the chorus of outrage at the situation in Zimbabwe, writing that the cholera outbreak is simply the latest example of President Robert Mugabe’s inability to face reality. Larson says it’s time for the West to take more dramatic action. He proposes measures to shut down Mugabe’s government through cutting off government bank accounts and limiting Mugabe’s ability to travel freely.

-Steve Wilson

TAGS: Policy News, What We're Reading