Reuters: Analysis – G8 Promise a $20 billion Chance to Beat Odds on Hunger
Leaders of the world’s wealthiest nations face daunting odds to make the G8 agriculture pledge count. The plan, which aims to rebalance farm aid and food aid, has been lauded by development advocates. However, Reuters reports that agricultural investment’s lack of immediate results combined with pressing and massive domestic spending priorities could restrain enthusiasm in Congress for the G8 promise, particularly ahead of elections next year. Still, several bills making their way through Congress would authorize extra spending on foreign farm aid and overhaul the way America manages its foreign aid.

New York Times (A1): South Africa is Seen to Lag in HIV Fight
The New York Times reports that despite its many resources, South Africa is lagging behind other African nations in the fight against AIDS. The latest example is circumcision, which has been proven to reduce a man’s risk of contracting HIV by more than half. Yet two years after the World Health Organization recommended it, the South African government has been “notably silent,” and still does not provide the surgery to help fight the disease, or educate the public about its benefits. The Times writes that the major international donors to AIDS programs, including the United States and the Global Fund, are ready to pour money into male circumcision, but countries have to be ready to accept the help.

New York Times Editorial: Trade and Climate
The New York Times editorial board writes that a failure to agree on how to address global warming could undermine half a century of opening world trade, as trade and climate policy have become increasingly entangled. It says that an international accord that includes trade-related enforcement measures must also include commitments on emission reductions, as well as financial aid for poorer countries to meet the caps without sacrificing economic growth. It urges that any action to deal with the world’s economic emergency set clear guidelines on how to identify and quantify environmental transgressions and establish appropriate countermeasures, and cautions that it must not open a backdoor for protectionism.

AFP: Africa’s Struggle to be Heard on Global Stage
Following the G8, experts fear African nations may forever struggle to be truly heard, no matter the global forum. Some believe the G14 will now take precedence over the G8 – adding emerging economic giants Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa, plus Egypt- but it may not offer much more for Africa, despite including two African voices at the table. AFP writes that neither South Africa nor Egypt could ever be said to represent the vast swathes of sub-Saharan Africa to which most aid is directed. It adds that South Africa is already a member of the G20 – a gathering all the major world economies, developed and emerging – that will meet at the end of September in Pittsburgh, and African nations have long complained of their lack of collective voice in that forum.

Newsweek: Fareed Zakaria: A Way Forward for Africa
Fareed Zakaria writes that one of the great underreported stories of the last decade has been the rise of the “new Africa.” He notes that before the economic crisis many African countries were growing, and that even now, for the first time in a long time, there is forward momentum in the continent. Zakaria argues that Rwanda has become a model for the African renaissance, as it is “stable, well ordered, and being rebuilt every month” and attracting investment from companies such as Google and Starbucks. He says that anyone who has studied Rwanda (African or Westerner) would say its secret is the leadership of Paul Kagame.

-Grace Lamb-Atkinsons