W. African bloc intends to restore Mali democracy – The ECOWAS group of West African nations suspended Mali’s membership and is sending five presidents to Mali in an attempt to “restore constitutional order” following the military coup. The US and the EU have cut off all but essential aid to Mali, ECOWAS has a peacekeeping force on standby, and Mali’s neighbors have the ability to cut off the nation financially, all sanctions that encourage a return to democracy. (AP)
Paul Ryan’s Budget Draws Fire for Foreign Affairs Cuts – The 2013 budget unveiled by Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan this week, which would cut foreign affairs spending from $47.8 billion to $43 billion is drawing criticism for cutting too much from “foreign aid programs, stripping the president of tools they say are crucial to national security.” Gordon Adams, who oversaw national defense budgeting under the Clinton administration, says that these cuts “would amount to the further escalation of the militarization of American foreign policy.” (U.S. News & World Report, John T. Bennett)
African agriculture: Dirt poor – Without the benefits of expensive fertilizers, much of the soil in sub-Saharan Africa is deficient in organic matter and key nutrients, resulting in meager yields that won’t be sufficient for the growing population in the coming decades. At the upcoming UN Earth Summit in June, leading scientists and political figures will debate the benefits of inorganic fertilizers versus greener, cheaper solutions like no-till farming. (Nature, Natasha Gilbert)
Natural Disasters in 2011 Strike the Rich – While last year was a particularly bad year for natural disasters in developed countries, a new Brookings Institution report on global natural disasters highlights the “deadly combination of a natural hazard – drought – and conflict [that] led to famine” in Somalia last year. The report explains that “the warning signs were evident a year or so before the famine was declared,” yet “the continuing conflict in Somalia and particularly the lack of humanitarian access to affected communities meant that preventive action wasn’t taken in time.” (Brookings, Elizabeth Ferris)
