Bolivia raises maritime access at OAS General Assembly

Regulations relating to the selection of candidates for judicial elections scheduled for 16 October have been passed by the Plurinational Legislative Assembly. The Electoral Law has also been amended to allow for greater coverage by the media in the run up to the elections. Blog this! Bookmark on Delicious Recommend on Facebook Tip on Hyves [...]

The making of a mafia state: warning signs and omens ignored

Introduction In the late 1970s Paramaribo buzzed and bristled with innuendo and gossip after members of the elite became arrested on charges of narco-trafficking. Sordid detail was the fact that the center of business was a butcher shop in the center of the city. This story baffled but also intrigued society, because right under their [...]

Protectionism: US, China and Brazil

Is the US the most free-trade nation on earth as it projects itself, while vilifying other countries or economic blocs like the EU? Is China the most protectionist and most guilty of protectionism? Is Brazil engaged in unfair trade practices to strengthen its own industries, or do Brazil’s protectionist measures protect both domestic and foreign [...]

Gaddafi’s arms suppliers & UN-ICC justice

On 23 March 2011, NATO imposed an arms embargo on Libya, as a precursor to the air strikes that unfolded in the weeks to follow. The action was based on UN Resolution 1973, and according to NATO’s web sites it was intended to ‘This is part of NATO’s contribution to the broad international effort to [...]

China to replace us as world’s no.1 economy

Just a few months ago, I wrote on the prospects of China’s economy when it replaced Japan as the world’s second largest behind the US. Relying primarily on IMF studies that speculated how China would surpass the US economy within the next two decades, I then argued that the state-directed Chinese economy was easily leaving [...]

How conflict, disaster and trauma affect children and the need for education

Children are indisputably the most victimized by that of armed conflict as well as natural disasters, and the long-term impact which is has on their development is profound. It is that heavy impact that can often become a parent’s worst nightmare as they work to help their children recover from trauma. A child woken each [...]