(March 19, 2009) A year after phillipine President Marcos and his first lady were forced from office, the U.S.
Chapter 11 – The business of the state
(March 19, 2009) Few know with confidence how the universe came into being but if God had said `let there be light’ while in Colombia, He would not have had enough money left for the rest of creation. Because the truth is that in a country where there are projects which have cost a lot, few have cost as much as the expansion of the electric sector during the last ten years.
Chapter 9 – Givers and takers
(March 18, 2009) Most taxpayers in the rich industrialized countries believe, as the Pearson Commission inquiry into foreign aid believed, that "it is only right for those who have to share with those who have not." Much of the Western World’s sharing, though, has been in the form of loans, not gifts. The Third World has borrowed about one-third of the $400 billion in foreign aid that it has received from the rich countries’ national aid agencies.
Where are Africa’s Obamas?
(March 16, 2009) The president’s fairness and honesty should serve as a powerful example to the continent’s leaders.
G8 : Some give, plenty of take
(July 16, 2009) The media has presented the G8’s L’Alqila summit promise of US$20 billion for food security and agricultural development in Africa as good news, but a closer look at the figures shows that G8 countries actually take much more out than they put into the continent, writes Yash Tandon.
Police drop Lesotho bribery probe
(November 6, 2008) British police will not investigate a construction company accused of corruption in Lesotho, they have said.British firm Mott Macdonald were implicated in an audit of a dam project in the southern African kingdom.
Liberia comes clean-er
(August 7, 2008) Liberia has risen from the bottom ranks of the World Bank’s most corrupt country list to earn the distinction of graft’s most zero-tolerant post-conflict nation, reports Africa’s opinion journal, The Analyst. A recent report by the Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators Institute (WGI) indicates that at the current rate, Liberia has shown the largest improvement of any country in the world in controlling corruption.
‘Odious debt’ recognized by British Parliament
(July 14, 2008) Debt Relief, 3rd Report 1997-1998, London: House of Commons The British House of Commons International Development Committee recognizes the concept of odious debt.
Prevention of Corruption Act: How effective is it?
(July 4, 2008) Rooting out corruption is a pre-condition for a successful democracy.
Debt cancellation a victory for the world
(May 7, 2008) Last month, the House of Representatives showed leadership in the fight against global poverty by passing the Jubilee Act for Responsible Lending and Expanded Debt Cancellation, which would extend lifesaving debt cancellation to more poor nations around the globe.
Alexander Sack and Odious Debts: A Response to Ludington and Gulati
(April 15, 2008) In their paper’s abstract, Gulati and Ludington set out to expose the “murky reality” of the life of Alexander Nahum Sack, and how this reality conflicts with the “myth perpetuated in the odious debts literature.” The dominant theme, though insinuated rather than stated clearly, is that the odious debts movement has deliberately exaggerated Sack’s eminence in order to establish the doctrine as customary international law. The authors also make few distinctions among the various organizations in the debt forgiveness movement. I would recommend that the authors stick to the facts rather than assign motives, and be precise in their charges rather than employing broad brushes.
World Bank funds Kenya’s ‘culture of corruption’
(March 26, 2008) World Bank funding has been called out as a large contributor to Kenya’s ‘culture of corruption’ in the wake of last year’s presidential election crisis.
Chad’s checkmate
(March 26, 2008) World bank system to safeguard oil revenues hasn’t exactly worked as expected.
NGOs’ letter to Ban Ki-Moon about odious debts
(February 29, 2008) A letter from NGOs to Ban Ki-Moon regarding external debt.
Challenging apartheid’s foreign deb
(February 1, 2008) South Africa’s widely commended Truth & Reconciliation Commission has a blind spot. Surprisingly, no attention appears to have been given to the foreign corporations, individual investors and Western governments that helped create and sustain the racial dictatorship which came to be known as apartheid.


