Opinion: Why cutting PEPFAR is bad policy – A new study released last week shows that between 2004 and 2008, in African nations in which PEPFAR was most active, the odds of death were 20% lower than in other countries in the region. The FY2013 budget proposes to cut funding to PEPFAR by $550 million, yet this would “undermine the goal of an AIDS-free generation” and threaten US humanitarian and diplomatic interests. Even as the US faces tough fiscal choices, cutting funding to PEPFAR is bad fiscal policy, bad politics, and bad diplomacy. (The Hill, Chris Collins)
Linking Extreme Poverty and Global Terrorism – As the CEO of Nuru International and a former Platoon Commander for the Infantry and the U.S. Marines, Jake Harriman recognizes that “extreme poverty is the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time and a fundamental contributing factor to 21st century terrorism and insurgency.” Harriman argues that “short-term solutions [against extreme poverty] are not only ineffective, they are also counterproductive [as] material resource and infrastructure-focused solutions created in isolation perpetuate dependency and can actually further widen the gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots.’” (NYTimes, Jake Harriman)
Mysterious ‘nodding syndrome’ affects many Ugandan children; experts seek cause – Ugandan authorities estimate that nodding syndrome affects over 3,000 children in the country. The disease, which is named for its “seizure-like episodes of head nodding,” primarily affects children between the ages of 5 to 15. The seizures are most often triggered by food, and “there is a general effect on their neurological system to the extent that some can be impaired in vision, eating and even mere recognition of their immediate environment.” (Washington Post, Jocelyn Edwards)
Opinion: Can the poor save the world? – As the wealthy OECD countries face unprecedented financial insecurity, many countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America have a more optimistic outlook. The “implementation of new growth models in the [parts of the] developing world . . . that have not adopted export-led strategies,” could provide part of the missing demand that the world’s economy desperately needs. As we face the current global economic crisis, wealthy economies should not view the world’s poor as a burden, but rather as “the best exit strategy we have.” (CNN, Jean-Michel Severino and Olivier Ray)
