Karl Rove, the former advisor to George W. Bush, attracted much publicity yesterday when he expressed pride in the US Military for waterboarding terrorist suspects. In the article below, Justin Frewen traces the history of the anti-torture campaign through to the most vocal present-day advocates of torture.
Mental health issues are on the increase in Ireland, debilitating more and more people, placing greater strain on health services and costing the country up to €3bn annually. However, neither funding nor political commitment are being given to adequately address mental health issues. By Justin Frewen and Anna Frewen.
The burden of debt on poorer nations is crippling but simply cancelling debt is not enough.
Between 1970 and 2002, the continent of Africa received some US$540bn in loans. However, a UN study showed that despite repaying some US$550bn in principal and interest over the same period, there was still some US$295bn outstanding.
Previously, I have examined overseas development assistance (ODA) and the priority – or rather lack thereof – awarded to it by the wealthier nations. However, many argue that ODA is not the best way to tackle poverty and its attendant ills – the solution is increased global trading. By ensuring the inclusion of all countries, particularly poorer nations, in the worldwide trading structure and networks, poverty will be eliminated.
Wealthy nations continue to renege on their promise to Overseas Development Aid while spending massive multiples of this on war. Since 1970, only five ‘wealthy’ countries have honoured their ODA commitments. By Justin Frewen
Today Haiti is most commonly known for being the poorest country in the western hemisphere and a land wracked by destitution and despair. This picture has only been reinforced by the horrific consequences of the 13 January earthquake, 15kms southwest of Port-au-Prince.
The UN's Millennium Development Goals (MDG) are failing to meet their objectives and highlight wealthier nations inadequate approach to tackling global poverty, writes Justin Frewen.
The humanitarian crisis unfolding in Haiti has forced the West yet again to consider the plight of the poor and destitute in the developing world. While Haiti widely covered by the media - if not generally in any great depth as to the underlying causes of such wholesale poverty – billions of people continue to live in dire poverty, hunger and inequitable conditions globally.
In most of the world, the difference in income between rich and poor is growing, and the wealthy consume more while the poor are forced to live ever more frugally. Justin Frewen discloses the nature of global and domestic inequality.
The inability of people from poorer, ‘developing’ countries to meet their basic food needs is a perversity driven by the food demands and greed of wealthy nations. Children in poor countries are the worst affected by the imbalance. Food production is measured purely in terms of market value - this must change for the imbalance to be redressed. By Justin Frewen
True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. Necessitous men are not free men. - Franklin D. Roosevelt (State of the Union Address 1944)