IMF report recognizes that inequality slows economic growth

Recently, a report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was published that found that lower inequality in countries was associated with faster economic growth. An article was recently written commenting on this new report by those at The Nation. The IMF already has a reputation for its neoliberal approach to development, focusing mainly on shifting a developing countries burden to the middle and lower classes. This has been true in many cases over the past few decades in Argentina, Bolivia, and nearly the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa. The notorious programs have devastated countries in the past and caused political crises as well as development to come to nearly a standstill when it comes to the middle and lower classes of these societies.

That being said it is unclear what the IMF will actually do with this new found knowledge as it currently stands, because this information turns all that the IMF has done in the past on its head. For the IMF to go from protecting major industry bosses and encouraging privatization to funding public health programs, education, and public sector jobs (all of which encourage greater equality) is probably not going to happen overnight. However, some change has already come as was referenced in the article which suggests that the IMF is likely on the right path when it comes to reworking its policies towards those that.....actually work.

Yanukovych Leaks Started Up by Ukrainian Journalists

Earlier this week as Yanukovych headed for the hills (or one could say the Urals) his large and extravagant residence on the outskirts of the capital Mezhyhirya was left open and unattended. That being said the home soon became open to activists and journalists who wanted to see how the former President lived. An article that appeared on the Global Voices website told the story of how a group of ambitious journalists came across a treasure trove of private government documents that had been hidden away from the public. Much of the documents were found floating in the Dnieper river and the Kyiv Sea which required the journalists involved to get very creative in salvaging them. The documents and their status have received a great deal of attention on Twitter with both local and international news agencies taking notice of the find. An interesting bit of images have also been floating (literally) around on Twitter showing documents floating in the near frozen river as well as one where documents are seen laying out to dry inside of the sauna of the former Presidential estate. The website YanukovychLeaks.org appears both in English and Ukrainian and has some very interesting stories of corruption that border on the edge of hilarity. Some of the documents speak about a zoo, some about how money was spent to manage the fish population in the river, and some about how the deer population was getting out of hand around the house. This still being a recent development it will be interesting to see how the new government responds to the criticisms of the government that preceded it and if anything will be done to address the corrupt members that may still be holding governmental positions.

Al-Jazeera Journalists Accused of "Joining or Aiding a Terrorist Organization" Begin Trial in Egypt

As Egypt's democracy continues to degrade under the rule of Gen. Sisi, the lives of three journalists from the Qatar based news agency Al-Jazeera have been watched closely since they were arrested on the 29th of December. The journalists (Mohamed Fahmy, Peter Greste, and Baher Mohamed) along with five others were refused bail before their was adjourned until the 5th of March according to an article from the BBC. The 3 journalists have been accused of joining or aiding a terrorist organization, this organization being the Muslim Brotherhood, or the political party of the recently deposed President Mohammed Morsi. The three deny all of the charges brought against them and many in the West believe this is just another example of basic rights and freedoms being denied under the interim Egyptian government. The courtroom in which the trial is to take place is actually within the Tora prison in Cairo and the defendants appeared in metal cages, though they contest that the prisons are "physically fine, but psychologically unbearable". The other defendants whom Al-Jazeera claims are not their journalists have complained of various physical as well as psychological torture. Though this case has been receiving a great deal of attention for its blatant disregard for the freedom of speech it is not the first time the new Egyptian government has done something similar to this an example of such being when they referred Amr Hamzawy, who is a former MP, to trial for a tweet he wrote questioning a court ruling.

Boko Haram Attack Kills At Least 90 in Northeast Nigeria

Following a recent campaign of bombing raids by the Nigerian Military, members of the Boko Haram militia group attacked the village of Izghe in Northeast Nigeria near the border with Cameroon this past Saturday. Boko Haram is a militia group that seeks to carve out a state that is ruled by Islamic law in the Northeast, which has the highest population of Muslims in the country. Though this group claims to have Islamic goals, their extremism has not put them past targeting Muslims with the same frequency as Christians in their murderous campaigns. A brief overview of the Boko Haram and this most recent attack appears in an article from Al Jazeera, in which the author describes the difficulties that the Nigerian military has faced when dealing with this group. Nigeria's president Goodluck Jonathan has done his best to qwell the Boko Haram by dispatching troops to wherever they appear to be most active, which has historically been the Northeast region of Nigeria. This has proven difficult to manage as the region in which they are fighting is made up of dense forest and the militants have time and again simply retreated into these forests when they feel threatened and are not then pursued as ferociously. A regional complexity is added to this when it is mentioned that Mohammed Dole, a Nigerian military spokesperson claims that a recent attack which occurred in a fishing village is actually under the jurisdiction of a "multinational task force" composed of troops from Nigeria, Niger, and Chad. It is clear that from this mention of a multinational task force that Nigeria is beginning to feel overwhelmed by the Boko Haram, turning them into a more regional concern. Given the elusiveness and violent nature of the Boko Haram it seems like a step in the right direction to have other nations get on board before the violence becomes too much for one nation to handle like that of the Central African Republic.

New "RouhaniCare" set to put Obamacare to shame

Yes your read that correctly. It is unclear whether this is a poke to the ribs of the Obama administration, or if Rouhani is just trying to get a few political laughs from the international community and his own constituency, but Iran's President has come out saying that he will be working to extend health care to all of Iranians. Rouhani has also come forth on state TV and twitter to say that this will in fact take place as you can see from the tweet below:

https://twitter.com/HassanRouhani/status/431163490519089152

The article sites numerous studies to suggest that Iran's current state run healthcare system is actually a maverick in the region, with the number of people covered in the nation extending above the regional average (other Middle Eastern and North African states) to 73% according to the Economist. The article also acknowledges that the biggest roadblock to extending coverage has been U.S. sanctions which have made it difficult for the state run healthcare system to get medications from other countries. However, it does conclude by giving Rouhani a pat on the back for standing up to the conservative forces in his country who look down on him for being too progressive and actually recommend that Obama could learn a thing or too from Rouhani in that sense.

The Success of Argentina's Conadep Truth and Justice Commission

The last half-century has seen a number of courts and tribunals set up to remedy the greatest crimes that have faced humanity. These crimes have been committed by governments specifically and thus they require special mediation that almost always involves outside governments or international organizations. This tendency is what makes Argentina's own court Conadep (Comisión Nacional sobre la Desaparición de Personas, or National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons) so unique in its application. Conadep was the recent focus of an Al Jazeera op-ed article talking about its recent success compared to some of the other truth and justice commissions that have sprung up over the last few decades. The concept of truth and justice commissions began of course with Nuremberg and was heavily influenced by Western models and external governments in relation to Germany. Conadep was much the antithesis of that in that its proceedings were carried out almost exclusively by the Argentine government. Specifically, Conadep has been unique in that it is committed to both the justice and truth aspects of the trials and have not emphasized one over the other. This has not always been the case in regards to other commissions, in particular with regard to the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala, the prosecutions against even the most obviously guilty individuals have not been binding in most cases. The emphasis of the article itself was focused on how Conadep was linked to Argentina's transition toward democracy after years of dictatorial military rule. The author contended that without truth AND justice being priorities of these commissions, countries in these circumstances would have a difficulty moving forward.

This relates intimately toward US foreign policy due to the fact that the US is either deeply involved in truth and justice commissions that have formed recently (such examples are Rwanda, Cambodia, and the former Yugoslavia) or were involved in the atrocities which were carried out by such dictatorial governments that led up to these trials being necessary (examples of such would be Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Chile to just name a few). That being said, the US should pay close attention to the Conadep model and take note of the importance of nationally supported tribunals rather than Western ones being applicable to all cases.

Paul Kagame's Dirty Politics in Rwanda

In Rwanda, Paul Kagame's presidency began with high hopes from those in the West who supported him and sought to bring peace to a volatile region. Throughout his terms as President of Rwanda Kagame has received support from the U.S. and Bill Clinton specifically has endorsed him on an international scale leading him to be accepted by many others including the former PM of the UK Tony Blair. However, Kagame has been criticized recently by those in the press and sharply from within his own country as this article from The Independent describes. Recently, Patrick Karegeya who was a political opponent of Kagame's from Rwanda was found murdered in a South African hotel. Karegeya was actually head of Kagame's foreign intelligence services, but chose to leave his administration over disagreements regarding human rights and the recent attacks on the Democratic Republic of Congo. By no means is this an isolated incident, Kagame's rivals have turned up murdered a number of times throughout his presidency by a variety of methods including but not limited to, beatings, gunshots, and near beheading. Despite all of this, there has been no diplomatic effort by the West or any international body such as the UN to curb his power in Rwanda. Kagame's presidency has been marked by an ever greater sense of authoritarianism in the country that quickly silences any dissent whether political or otherwise. It is unclear whether Kagame will remain unchallenged in the next elections or what will happen to future political rivals, but what is for certain is that as long as he has what has been called a "license to kill" it will continue to undermine the political legitimacy within Rwanda.