Y

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A{Pr93/l
 PO

BR

AN

s0rwiloN #n
GO tOW ]IECH goo

Seo
hits
nee

PROVI D iod
sup
Ihe
ind
lhes

Disl

ULTIVI INS
helr
in i)
has
Sinc
diso

How mony limes hove we heord mothels remind us of thildren in developing c'ounrrieiii
dying of storvotion when we leove food behind on the dining loble? 5odly, mu(h lrulfiil
liqs in such $olemenls 0s lwo in three people ore suffering from molnufition worldwidell|
orcording lb eslimobs by lhe World Heolth 0rgonisolion. Ahhough o lock of (olories";
is the mostwell known form of molnutrilion, "mirronulrienl defiriency" is the mordr'"1;
prevolent form lhot ollrods scunl ollention, even from our wellmeoning molhersF.,,..
bvt
i * icronutrient deficiencY is Adeficiency- H e,
$;* esseotialll'a lack of iodlne. Apart from general solutions for First, a siDple and inexpensivtnull
$b> i, vitamin a and iron in one s malnutrition, such as improved solution is to distribute iron cookinQref
e 5:diet- Tbis can lead to water supply, sanitation arld pots that slowly emit iron in poobou
marasmus (a chronie wasting of hygiene, there are more direct and countries. It only costs about $o.2tnul;
body fat, muscle and otier tissues), effective methods that should be to help each individual sufferinFita
stunted growth and irreversible employed to de-al witlr micronutrient from iron deficiency- Yet, benefitdisi:
brain damage due to iodine deficiency. in terms of increased productivitfan
blindness, incrcased risk
defi ciency, yields as much as g5o per personchilr
ofinfection and death fiom vitamin

04 BR0ADIR PTRSPIflVIS tie endolyear special

 LITITAL TbMMITMENT IN MAKING THI DRUGS EASITY AVAILABLE INABLED
(OMPANIES WHO I(IPT THE PRIIE OI
RAZIL TO DEFY PHARMA(EUIItAL
NTIRTIROVIRAL DRUGS NEIDLESSLY OU OF REAIH OF THE VAST MAJORITY.
ugh the speed ofiron emission
these pots miSht noibe quick
nough to helP the rqPidlY
etedorating destitute, others are
iven a chance of survival. This will
ly, but surely, Yield resulis in
time.
econd, prescribing multivitrmins
it<il]e nail on its head. Tlere is no
eed for further research since
odine, vitamin A anil iron
lupplements are readily available
ihey ought to be d5tributed to those
in developing coultries in need of
these micronutients-
Distributing nlicronuttients also
help to stave offthe onset ofAIDS
in poor countries- AIDS in Aflica
has robbed the country ofmillions.
SinceAIDS is a nutrient deficiencY
- - ..disorder caused by the HIV viNs,
one can remain AIDS free bY
norrnal amounts of the
1f ;lgtna;ntaining
- . .rlour nutrients (selenium, c]steine,
llUl bplophan o nd glutaminc) tlat H IV
from the body..llent e.
l/idd.:'"o1:.
lrst rr bu tr n g m u I rl ! ltlm I l1
gfiglupplements can s]ow the
rrosrcssion ofHIV infection to full-
It0lf,r,,,in nrnc
hers
l'-urthermore, a 2oo7 press releJse
)y the Harvard School of Public
llealth recomm ends th at
:nsiv!nultivitamins be dis.tributed to all
DkinSlsgnanl women in developing
I Poolountries. They found that
$o zhultivitamin supplemelts such as
ferin9111-ir'r" R-complex, C and lI
:nefitgistributed to pregnant woman in
ctivitlt'anzania reduced the risk of
ersonrhildren born with poorgro*tlr and
cognitive development, neonatal
and infant mofiality, and morbidilv
drreto c.hronic diseases later in life,
such as diabetes and heart disease.
DISTRIBUTING
MITRONUTRIINTS ALSO
()IT THT
HTTPS TO STA\II
ONSTI OT AIDsIN PO()R
(OUN]RIES.
Ilowever, the main gripe about
distributiDg tnultivitamin
s[pplements in poor count es is
high cost-
"
On thc coD t rary, providing
multivitamins do not have to be
costly. Many developing countdes
already have a distribution system
in place where iron and folate
supplements are distributed to
.p regna nt rvomen. These
supplements, prodrced in bulk by
the United Nations children's Fund
(UNICEF), are ava able at a cost{f
less than $1 for the duration of
pregnancy. IncorPorating
multivitamiBs into lhese
supplements can be done without a
large increase in cost- This would
be a higNy cost-effective method of
improving bidh outcomes in
developing countries-
i\{oreover, leaders of poor nations
can also leam from Brazil's examPle
in provi<ling antiretroviral drugs
that treatsAIDS. Usuarycosting up
to $r5 ooo a year per person, the
government now makes copies of
the brand name drugsused to treat
AIDS al a lolver cost anddistributes
them for free- The program almost
pays for itself as it has balved the
death rate from AIDS, prevented
thousands of new hospitalizations,
cut transmission rate, stabilized the
epidemjc and improved the overall
public health rin Brazil. Political
commihnent in making the drugs
easily available enabled Brazil to
defyphanraceutical companies rvho
kcpt the pice of antiretroviml dmgs
needlessly out of reach of the vast
majoriiy. Brazil s'erves as a model
for providing multivit amin
supplenents in a cosl efficient
mant)ef-
So the next time your mother
reD:linds yorl about the starving
children in developing countries, do
remind her about the large numbers
suffering from micronutrient
defi ciency. Finishing that last grain
of rice is not a cure for these children
but sending them some
multivitamins is. f ,
by H0 KHENG LIAN
 IH
i PU

.Y OF
?
t0

Rel
SOtUTilON #2 Ins
Pl.
GO HilGH TECH of
unl
$ car,
of
the

GTNETI dur

ffiffiffiHF itn(

Po*ed wifi45%moreprolein lhgn the troditionolp0l0l0, fie'pr0l0l0'is sel to conquetl

molnutrition oround th; world. This super-p0t0l0 ond 0n 0rmy of olher super-rr0ps orql:
rolledively known os genetirolly m0dified ("GM") rrops lhol ore sloled to erodi(0tFol
;;;iJ h;ft;; i;trJi'ily, d"it.l iioirt of ihlse plonts huve been enhonted with exoc|}'
0((ur0ry in'loborotories io increose ils resistonte lo herbitides 0I improve ils nulrilionoi"i
(ontent: The lotesl molerulor biology terhniques 0re 0pplied. This highteth melhod ol
soving people suffering from molnulrilion works Mofold. Ro
.pn
to
. i$t, th;s is potentiallytie best disease, the crop han'est iDcreases micr-onutrient deficiencl, which ;re(
' wav to solve the fundamental el?onentr_ ly. These advancements a form of malnutrition Sufferer;',
.. trump nature's harmful effects that lack certain imporiant nut ents i\n,
' p.olt"rn of inadequate
food
supply for our booming could not be effectively dealt witlt theil diet such as vitamin A, iodinL
populatiot that has topped 6 billion previousiy. An abundant croP and iron that can Iead to varioui"
people and predicted to double in harvest can belp to eliminate diseases alrd death. The fortillcatioli'o
the next 5() years. By increasing a starwation in developing counlries. of flour, rice and salt lvith thesle.
crop's tolcrance to herbicide, cold necessary nut ents can lmplole iLri
ternperatures and drought, and Secord, GM crops are also able to lives ofbillions. t
improving its resistance to Pests aDd cleal with the problem of i
06 BR0ADIR PTRSPIITMS tlrc end of year special
 E II\,IPOVERISHID STUIK IN OUR PROFIT DRIVEN OIMATT CERTAINI.Y BENEFIT FROM
UBTIC DONATIONS SUCH AS THE BILLAND
MEIINDA GATES FOUNDATION'S GRANT
r TO RESEARff INIO GM TROPS FOR THT BENEFII OF POOR FARMERS AND
S25M
(OUNIRIES.
ONSUMERS IN DEVELOPING
n example is "golden" rice'
crs at the Swiss Federal
nstitute of Techndlory Institute for
Sciences have created a strain
f i;oJden" rice containing
an
usually high content of beta-
ne (vitamin A): Consumption
f this GM croP vdll alleviate
he common problern of blindness
ue to vitamin A deficien'cy in
ing countries.
o'wever, even rrith such high
ogy, GM cmps as a cure for
dhunger is limited by cost and
general sense of aPPrehension
these "FrankeDstein" crops.
Aag)rinst
Derilopin!! GM croPs is a lengthy
and costly process, which exPlains
whl agri-biotech comPanies Price
U 0beeds so high tha t small farmers and
o rril$'31;i1ilT;ff ili.:";i:
gf(non profit agencitls step in to offer
their Droducts rt a redrrccal cosl to
i0(i-ppu"ri.1tq4 nations can this
take full flight in curing
n0solution
worl.lhllnser.
lol
Humanitarian efforts sucb as
Rock, iellar Foundations' offer to
provide "golden" rice seeds for free
, .to ary third world country that
clr lr"oo,51s
for it is a step in the right
Iteldire.,ron,
The impoverished stuck
tl t'in or,
orofit dtiuen climate certainly
ornbenefi
is from public donations such
l9uas
the Bill anrl Melinda Gates
]t'ohoun,lctiorr'. grant of $z5m to
GM croPs for the
!."11"..rt.f into
benefit of poor farmers and ln light of such public oPinion, stiff
rcgulation must be in place to rcgain
consumers in developing countries'
public confidence in GM crops-
Oxfam International, a global
organisation working to reduce
GM TROPS A5 A IURI poverty ald injustice has made
TOR vll()RLD HUNGTR several recommendations tlat
IS UIIIIED BY (OSI AND ought to be heeded.It recommends
that Governmenis retain the right
A GTNTRAT STI'I5[
()f APPRTHINSION to take precautionary action to block
AGAINST THtST
GM crops and seed imports
completelywhen scientific evidence
TRANIGNSTEIN" IROPS.
that they are risk free to human
health and the environment is
unsatisfactoll'. It also aecommends
In addition, the public's feat that that t]le World Trade Organjsatjon
GM crops are dsky to htman health direct governrnents to require
is a real limitation on its progress' .mendatory labelling of GNI foods
since they have argued against its accllrately by producers and traders.
development. There is growing These recommendations rvill go a
concern that introducing foreign long way in soothing the Public's
geues into{ood plants maY have an nerves in acccpting GM croPs'
unex?ected and negative impact on
human health. Although scientists
have stepped uP to expunge these
unfounded beliefs, tlre public is still NEID TO
WE JUSI
wary.
TUTTI\IAIT A FTRTITT
This is not helped by the fact that
TNVIRONMTNT TOR
THI DT\JTTOPMINT
ma n ufactu te rs have made
unsubstantiated claims about the 0r 0M tR0Ps,
benefits of their GM croPs. The
developen of the 'protato' claimed
a "high increase ;n all essential
amino acids with conesponding
increase intotal protein content" in
their product- A critical examination
of the levels of amino acids reported
for the'protato' reveals that the
claims are not substantiated by the
data provided-
 a,t
t-r!
):
"\'
Ia&3
I't
SOtUTilON #N
IMPROVE THE
DOMESTilC SilTUATilON

e REATE
m EMER
HruTEL t lo<
rni

A supersliliori exisls 0mong cilizens, lhot lhe donger of empowering lnlelligenci"'

0gen(ies is the groduol erosion 0f individuol liberties lhrough the outomotioffl
inlegrolion ond fte inlerconneclion of mony smoll, seporole record-keeping syslem:";
eoch of which olone moy seem innbruous, even benevolent ond whol[y iunifioblh;
.Jl

ith tbe gro\ving polver and incr"u.irrgly -yopii ond intolerant History has der;onstr^t"a tftrt o#
-,.'. i: influence ofthe press, the of major fiascos, Intelligcnce does not require a majority trur
r'. frequently irratioial agencies in the ftee world arehard previtil, but mther an irate, tirelesen
notions of the naive public, prcssed to meel the expectations of mirority committed to a cause arhcl
nore than anlthing else,hinder the heats and milds at hone, while at uncom p ro m isin g i n t h,rhi
conduct of Intelligence today. the same time discharging their implem6ntation oftheir plans. Thbn
Reliable and effective intelligence duties in an environment which rule applies in panicular to rogttre
with headline arrests however, can could best described as a states and radical factions seekinal
justi{y and make acceptable even 'fi?gDented bureaucratic quagmire'. . to acquire nuclearweapons forthe,uc
the most dmmatic and controversial In this environ of insecurity and nefarious ends. ,ul
neasures taken by authorities, indecisiveness, it is possible for ak,
provided tiere are no embarrassing certain grolps to acquire nuclear en
scandals.With the public becoming weapons uninhibited. ne'

10 BR0ADIR PtRSPttllVB the eruJ ofut:or speciol

 () LONGER ARE NUILEAR WEAPONS IONFI}|ED TO EXPENSIVE, STATI
NDED DELIVERY SYSTEMS SUCH AS HIGH ALTITUDE A]RTRAFI OR INTER-
ONTINENTAL BATLISTIT MISSILES.
o longer are nrlclear weaPons
to expensive, state funded
eli!ery systems such as Ligh
titude airclaft or intet-coniinenlal
llistic missiles. Now, \vith the
black ma.ket, coupled with
fluidity ofthe itrtemet t}le
and
herently'chameleonistic' nature
f today's terror8i grouPs, it is
ntirely conceivable for a radical
ion, coveftly e.ntrenched it the
est, to construct a nuclear device
site, and detonate it at a location
their c}oosing- tf the worlil
free
to har'e any hope of surviving ihis
ewest enemy in ottr midst, our
telligeDce Agcncies, whose charge
is to preemptivell' ideDt ify threats,
ust evolve accordingly, brilging
nto the fray supe.ior technologics,
loctrines, expert personnelrDd an
rninhibitcJ presPncc iD the lucdl
:nvjron, nol jlrst abroad.
' Non Prolifemtion Trealy signatory
uen0
.. lenr-rallv in dcm(rcratic sirerulies
olrori,;ir;;;;;;; r"
",r"ri","."".."
'lgm(.q u irinr, llr" hiShpst oossihlc
,- r r clrrrns lor lhP governml.nt s
l0bl$\"slm"I.t. lhis crertes ir drality
n decision rnaking, rvith the
ntelligence or Law cnforcement
ihai onodies frequently obstructed by
'rity turcaucratic rpd tirpc or nroralistic
lirele.,.rtimc lJlitt. Th. lrec uorld is
tuse alhcreasinglv becomin€: pre) to a foe
o thrhich capiialiscs upon ourpoliticnl
rns. Thbrrectness. Agencics are caught at
:o roglhe crossroadc, playing a delicatc
seeki[alancing act between silent
for theLuccesses ver sus sensationally
rublicized bungles, Actions nust be
aken to protect the intelligence
' rticcs lrom thc o., "r srrrrr,ulour
nedia, to prevent instances rvhcre
the authorities are in
an ideal
position to inienene and avert
catastrophe, but must refrain from
doing so to avojd bad press- The
security of the nation and the
integity of the intelligences sewices
must always subordinate such
things as ego and public opinion.
AGINCItS ARI CAUGHT A]
IHI CROSSROAD' PTAYING
A DETITATI BAIAilONG ATf
BTTWIiI.I SItFNT
suc(ts5t5, vtRSus
StNSAII0NAttY PUBUCIStD
BUl{GIIS.
' re complete elinination ofDuclear
weipons outside of the Nuclear
states, may be a totai impossibility,
bul the Intelligerce services
prerogative should be nothing short
of full cooperation and inter-
cornpatibility beiween fo.eign
inielligence aDd I ocal larv
enforcement, to protect the natioD
ftom foreign military powers, state
sponsored terroism abroad aDal
local infiltration gmups, Tlre nut'.lear
aegis of the 21st century will ha\€
to be rnultidimensional and ever
evolving to contend with its
reciprocally mutating foe- It will
need to be capable of contending
not only witb major playe$ and
theirballistic nuclear arsenals, but
also sn-raller, morc radical groups
uho lack not the lvill or r petus to
carry out such an attack, onlY the
means and the resources.
'l'here is no such thing as a'pefect
state of equilibrium' between
security and civil libefties, one lvill
always have to be compromised in
order iobolster its counterpart. The
lntelligence services, military and
Law enforcement bodies must form
a unified trio which can effectively
combat the acquisition of the
lrcreasingly available eomponents
needed for nu clear weapons, as well
as the increasingly diversilied
metiods of delivery - be it a
strcaking missile or parkcd minivan.
IfgiveD the neans and nethod, they
will be able to alischarye their duties
without omitting the fundamental
principles they thenrselves are
fighting to protecl each day. The
\,'.orlcl tnight never be fi:ee of nuclear
weapons,but with the right balance,
intellilience agencies caD be given
the means to enstre things never
r point where nuclear
reach
weapons are both ubiquitous,
rnd in the hands of those who
worrld deploy them with reckless
abandon.6t
THI NUILTAR AIGIS OF THE
215i GNTURY Wtt HAVI
]O BE MUIIIDIi,lINSIONAT
AND TI/TR I'/OTVING
TO TONTIND WTH
ITS RTCIPROIATLY
MUTAIING fOI.
by LEON NEEDHAlitl
 fir
th
c(
ln lhe heginning, nudeor weopons were unotloinoble to oll but ihe mosl weohhy ond powerfuF
sloles. Amid$ *e [old Wor, lhe governments of lhe Uniled Slotes ond fte Soviel Union, performeo"l
o prerorious gome of oneupmonship, eorh reciprorolly producing inrreosingly deslrudive nudeoi|
weopons. Wilh the world effeoively split bemeen lwo (cmps (The Uniled Slotes ond irs NAI$
ollies in Europe vs. the Soviel union ond its client wonow Pod$oles) rhere existed on inescopoblil
Yr
poronoio of obliterotion.
tc.

oth were convinced that should
'. .' even one nuclear lveapon be
l. -l used in anger, it would induce
. capability for unbridled devas'tation,
" a grand excbange of atonic
munitions lhat wouki r-esult in a loss
oflife on a scale tlre likes ofrvhich
the rvorld had never seen- While
both sides stockpiled enough
nuclear delrces to litqrally end all
life on earth several tjmes over, they
ivere boih more interested in
furthering their owtl geo political
influence abroad, as opposed to
seeking the actual destructioD of
rl(
one another. The ironic by-product
lo
of trvo supe4ror,vers possessing the
rh
is that it spawned 1\.hat modern
THI OBJECIIVE 15 NOI
hislorians refer to as _mutually
T() iUMINAIE RtGIMES,
assured destruction", a r eciprccated
BUT RATHTR T() IR()DI
fear of devastation so great ihat
while both sides had the meaos to PUBTII SUPP()RT AND
obliterate each oiher with impunity, THUS THT MTAI.IS IO
literally with a touch of a trutton, PURSUT l{UCTTAR
neither wouid ever commit to such TIIHNOT()GY.
an act for fear of the consequences.

12 BR0ADIR PIRSPIOIVIS r/re end o/y eor special

 i /ith the eDcrgence of several
states' nuclear arsenals, it was
the Soviet Union and tle
States which the world at
feared would wage nuclear
Yet, every Pos,sible measurc
iken to ensurc lYhat all the
ies were planning for woukl
ri6i:r corne to Pass. Hotlines were
setup directlY between the Krcmlin
and the White IIouse, while
diplomats were on fiIst name basis
a intent on deweloping nuclear
rc-h other. Billions ofdollars, and
horsands of nuclear warheads
ter, tie Soviet llnion collapsed
and the \nra r to end cjvilisation never
rred,
chief concen today lIoweYer,
tle acquisilion of nuclear arsenals
y e tovernnlents. The
rogLr
eoce of we)l funded, widely
upported, and nuclear equipped
rcbmnd regimes pose the gravest
hreat to global stability in lhe
onternp ora ry gedbolitical
nvilonment- The fear of such
lrfu eSimes using their nuclear
me apons in a hostile manner is
tched by worries ofthc likelihood
deo smaller radical terror groups,
itb no borders or diplcnnatic
IAT
mpediments to dissuade them,
r0b cquirjng the technologyby prory.
uclear proliferation cannot be
chieved by the rristriction of the
eapons and their components
one, as the resources and know-
ow to their procurement will
be accessible. The failure of
Soviet IInion itselfleft behind
tensive nrrclear facilities and
esources withorrt the budset to
in the high level of security
uired to keep them safe, Russia
remains a chief source of "loose
ukes" as shadv deals are made
disgrunded and underpaid
ian security guards and the
ssian Mafia to smuggle out
uranium for sale on the
lack market for weapons.
Indeed, regirne change as an
impending solution to potential
rogue nuclear states as well as
terrorist groups appeaN to be the
motivrtion behind America's
belligerence towards Lebanon,
Syria, North Korea and especially
Iran. American and European
intelligence agencies, and the
I nternational Atornic Energy
Agency [IA.E.A.) agree that Iran is
weapons. Wlrile Iran insists that its
research is for peaceful purposes
only and in keeping with the
Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty,
there is a gowing conviction among
members of the United States
military and in the inte.nationsl
community that AJnerica's answer
to the Iranian nuclear question is
regime change. Bush's bawkish
adminisiration believes ftat $e only
way to solve the problern is to
change thepower stnrchrre in Iran
throulh pre emptive strikes.
Iranian Presidelt Mahmoud
Almadinejan's oft-quoted desire to
'wipe Israel off the map' is often
cited as a justification for fighting
for regime change rathe. thanjust
engaging w'r'lh the regime th.ough
diplonarl.
Regime change can be brought
about thrcugh a combination of
strategies: military force, support
for anti government rebels as well
as enemies, sabotage by staging
industrial accidents or even
fosterirg ethnic tensions to
undermine tIe current govemment.
The objective is not to eliminate
regimes,but mther to erode public
support and thus the means to
pursue truclear technologr, while at
the same time fostering the
willingness to pursue tle economic
and political incentives offered.
IIowever, with the democratic
masses growing increasingly weary
of inter_ventionist action against
upst,aft nuclear regimes, great car:e
must be exercised to ensure that
both credibility and integrity
are preseryed. Never can tbere
be an environment where suspicion
and speculation alone, is sufEcient
to warrant armed conflict-
The problem ho\ rever is that
the intangible successes of
disarmament and preventative
measures go unnoticed in
obserwational hindsight rvhile the
rogue nuclear factions attain
diplomatic impunilr and the powers
that be are called into question for
their apparent short-sightedness.
Another danger about such
clandestine planning is thai it may
rcinforce lhe logue nuclear powers'
belicf that the only way to defend
tbemselver is io hold on even tighter
to their d.eam ofnuclear capability.
'l'he cunent state$/ should instead,
be rnore interventionist focused,
putting a premiurn on creating a
political climate which would make
both the procurement and
implementation of nuclear weapons
ecouomically and politically
prohibitive. Short of extreme
measures such as decapitating
regimes anil replaciDg them with
compliant proxies, firm and tangible
actions in the form of steep
sanctions and political exclusion
must be fully enacted upon
prospective mrclear Powers. !t
by tt0N NEEDI|AM
Until rerenily, the drug rocktoils thot hove tronsformed the Arquired lmmune Deficienr
Syndrome {AIDS) from o deoth senlence to o chronic diseose were prohibitively expensit
for the impoverished mosses in developing rountries. The developing world could on
hope to proled lhe uninfecled using prevention pr0grommes surh os rondom promoliot
As for lhe 32.5 million people infeded with the Humon lmmunodeficiency Virus (Hll
in the develtlping world, their doys weye numbered. Todoy, however, cheoper drugs ot
posible..Brozil hos shown us lhol polien{s ore eduroble; polenl laws ore mslleobl,
drug romponies are vincible, ond lhe world's AIDS rrisis is resolvoblt

irst, some background on
how the drugs work. HIV
attacks the human immune
system itself, our very defenc€
mechanism against viruses and
other infections- Over time, HIV
positive people are likely to become
ill more and more often untii they
this point tiat they are saidto have
AIPS - when they {irst become
seriously ill, or when the number of
immune system cells remaining in
their body falls below a certain poiDt.
Without drug treatment, a
reasonably nourished HIV positive
person develops AIDS in an average j
AIDS ancl death more rapidJ
Modern combination aIltiretrovl
therapy prolongs substantially l
time between HIV infection and
onset ofAIDS.

become ill with one ofa number of of ten years. Someone who js I

particularly severe illnesses. It is at malnourished may well progress to i

BRIADIR PIRSPIOIV$ .the end ofyear special

,)
 PUBLICIIY ABOUT GENERIC
S IN THE DTVTLOPED
GS? THESE ARE ISSUES WHICH CANNOT BE SWEPT UNDER IHE TARPET.
tl.eatment has begun, Patients
stick to a rigorous and
icated daily schedule ofPills
i siite of side effects and other
. If the trcatment regjmen
not followed assiduouslY, nore
istant strains ofthe virus mighi
. In the face ofcriticisms fiom
oped countries that it was
ngering lives$y iltroducing
binatior aDtireircviml therapY
ithoulthe conditions to administer
properly, Brazil proved that its
DS patients werc just as able to
ke theii nedicine regularly
patien{s in the united States.
rwise, it lvould have been
responsible to distribute
ntiretroviral drugs in Brazil no
atter how cheap they were.
0en
en5lr
WITllOUT DRUG
dqn IRIAIMINI
t0li0 A RIASONABTY
NOURISHED llIV P(}SIIIVE
(Hr PTRSON DTVItOPS AIDS
gs0 IN AN AVIMGT
OI ITN YIAR5.
e0bl
/0 bl
ow did Brazil make the drugs
ap? It altered the basic social
rapt ntract under which drug
an[facture$ receive a 2o-veat
s monopoly in rctum for the
tially
n and
ks inherent in developing new
Brazil deciiled that to save
people fiom AIDS, ii had to
olate this contract. The drug
mpanies' intellectual property
came second to the lives of
victims.
PRIffS IN IHE DTVELOPING WORI-D PUSH DOWN DRUG
WORLD? WOULD IT BE A DISINCENJIVT TO DEVELOP NEW
AtDS C0iKTAltS
MARKETED AT USSIO,OOO
IN THE WIST (AN BT
DISIRIBU]tD IOR AS
ro\/1/ As ljss350 tN
DIVTTOPING COUNTRIES,
Other developjng countries can
follow Bmzil's lead. lhose countrics
that have n ever recognised
antiretroviral drug patents are free
to make or import chedper generic
equivalenls ofAIDS drugs as Brazil
has done. As for World Trade
Organisation lemberc that have
had to recognise dr1lg patents, they
can obtain a compulsory licence to
manufactLrre oi- imlolt geDerics if
ilrere is a national emergencyunder
Article 3r(b) of the Agreement on
the Trade Related AsPects of
I ntellectu al Property Rights
(I RIPS). This means that AIDS
cocktails marketed at US$1o,ooo
in the West can be distributed for
as low as US$35o in developing'
counhies, making state sponsored
AIDS trcatment feasible.
Since Brazilian labs began
manu{acturing genedcs of AIDS
drugs, the price ofthepalent drugs
have d.opped 79%. Even thb prices
of AIDS drugs with no Seneric
equivaleDts dropped 9% ftot 1996
to 2ooo- Merelythe credible threat
of generic competition is sufficient
incentive for manufacturers to lower
their prices. But notwithstanding
the cheaper prices or the fact that
A-IDS treatment eventually pays for
itself by reducing hospitalizations
from opportunistic infections, most
countries still cannot afford to get
started. Many African nations have
annual health budgets amounting
to less than $1o per capita.
There are hopes tlrat an
intemational organisation like the
world Health organisation or the
Joint United Nations Programme
on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) will gather
the will and funds to administer
antiretroviral therapy ) la the
United Nations Children's Furd's
(UNICEF's) global vaccination
programme. However, even in that
hap'fy state of affairs, the pressing
concern is this: what if it leads to
the pharmacertticai companies'
worst nightmare - that publicitY
about generic Prices in the
developing world will push down
drug prices in the deve)oPed world?
Would it be a disincentive to
develop new clrugs? These are issues
which cannot be swept under the
carpel ft
MANY A[RICAI'I NATIONS
HAVE ANNUAT
HEALTH BUDGT]S
AMOUN]ING
IO LESS T}IAN
SI() PER OPI]4.
by KTTVIN KOW
 2
teY<.

s0r
c

P
ffi

The fomilior "ABCs" of HIV prevention - "Absloin, Be Foilhful, Condomize" - con b

seen ernblozoned on billboords os one drives through countries in the lhroes of onl
tl!! effqrls such os Souih Afriro. Bul how for should lhe fight ogoinst HIV/AIDS foru
qn,c.liohging,individuol volues, porticulorly volues regording sexuolity? ls fie fundomenlr
a
0s 1llB(s lruo - thol HIV/AIDS is o problem of individubl behoviour, rothr
tliiilf ii' prOdtjii,qf s00
sbciol circum$dnce br ronstroinl?
: :: :. r, i:;:::;t:ti!47:rtti a!,:: l
.Lii.i,r::-:r -.
fl the I Additionally, rhis focus on the
ndeed. a sign ficaot part o I
E lesponseto Hry/AlDSshould I individualcan.realeamoralhigh-
p focus oo -sex .ed.ucation, ground Lhat stigmalises HIV testing TDUTATING
thereby equipping pripulations and treatment. Educating at-risk
] AI,RISl( POPlJIATI()Ns
wilh the knowledge required to ] populationsaboutproteetedser js
protecl themselves. Bulefforts that la crucial component of anti- ABOUT PROTIOED
aim only at changing indiridual lHtV/AtDS efforrs. This is SEX IS A TRUCIAL

ll
.r lI .*l"r..ry'-r".i"";;;;.";:
u"r,.J""1.*1";"!nJ*"atbecause ...-.q9.$l9.UNl9i
ir'"y
"*"'" rhe existence i"", "'i',ir."r l,;"1. p"'uri I I ANII HIV/A|DS EFFORIS.
individuil choice in situations where messaging may be
''i "," due
less effective
I
il is in fact constrained or absenl. I lolow ex?osure high illiterncy-
^nd

i8 BR0ADIR PTRSPIflIVIS the end of yeac special

 EN CONSTITUTE THE MAJORITY OT
OUNTRIES PRECISELY BECAUSE THEY LIVE IN DEEPLY MATE-DOM]I{AIED HOUSEHOLDS
D CANNOT MAKE DEMANDS OF IHTIR HUSBANDS.
solution for such Populations
be as simple as having nurses
se iee condoms and explain
eir use. In this sense, changing
ividuals' behaviour by equiPPing
em lviih the knowledge and
sources to protect themselves
arily constjtotes a pivotal
ent oftie effqrts against tle
of HIV/AIDs.
owever, as with most things, the
ividual is only part ofthe story.
is is especially true in any
esource poor area whete
1VIAIDS is a problem. In this
nse, approaching UIV/AIDs
tion as a matter of iDdMdual
iour change llas limited effect.
forinstance the woman whose
nd refirses to wear a condom
tng sex. Wonren constitute lhe
Liority of FllV-infected individuals
tn many developing countries
0n iselybecause they live il
deeply
ale-dominated households and
f make such demands of their
ds- In such situatioDs, a high
of knowledge ibout sex may
completely useless. This is one
ampleof a situation h4tere
V/AIDS is perpetuated not
rough individual misbehaviour,
more fundamentally through
in social norms and strucfures.
orts focused solely on the
idual fail because they overlook
key point.
focus on structural or social
raints also illuminates why
inence can be an ineffectual
mmerdation. For instance,
impoverished young women
HIVjNFIOED INDIVIDUALS IN MANY DEVII"OPING
are driven to prostifution as a means
of survival. Otherc may feel that they
depend on their boyfriends for
financial support and must
therefore cleave to their requests
for sex. Here the issue is that of
severely constrained choice-
individuals pushed to such extremes
simply do not have the luxury to
choose abstinence. By framing
HfV/AIDS as a matter ofpersonal
choice and values, the "abstinence"-.
solution, especiallywhen attempted
in the developing world, is almost
certainly a misdirected one.
A MORI PRAGMATI(
SOIUTI()N IS]O PITIHTHT
PUBI.I( MISSAGT AT A
LTVTI. WHTRI IT 15
A(GPTABTE TO THE
GRTATISI l,lUMBER,
There are more practical reasons
why teaching abstinen'ie is riot the
best solution. Erperience sho s thzit
it simply does not $'ork. Young
people may learn the message, but
they usually do not internalise it-
Encouraging abstinence may also
c-ont.adict the values of more liberrl
individuals'who'may therefore
ignore the message. If most anti-
HIV/AIDS efforts focus on
abstinence, and there is a sizeable
number of people who will not
accept it no matter what, then tiese
people remain equally at risk of
contracting HIV. A more pragmatic
solution is to pitch the public
message at a level where it is
acceptable to the greatest number.
Finally, linking HIV/AIDS
infections to individual values and
behaviour constructs HIV/AIDS as
a highly moralised disease. This may
fuel a sense of moral superiority
arnong those who remain uninfected
by the virus. Besides intensifying
existing prejudices against qeitain'
social groups, this belief is also
dangerous because it lulls the "low-
risk" groups into complacenQy.
More importantly, it tncreases
stigmatisation around HIV/AIDS,
as well as tbe shame associated wit}i
the virus. This can be extremely
damaging for efforts to encourage
individuals to test for HIV, or to
disclose their status to their
partners,
While tle abstinence and safe-sex
solutions to HIV/AIDS have some
merit, they can only be useful if they
adopt practical considerations and
offer options that are actually
relevant to individuals' lives. Aside
from advocating abstinence and
safer sex, far more fundamental amd
holistic interyentions rcquired
arc
to change those behaviours and
beliefs tlat inadvertendy perpetuate
the spread of HIV/AIDS. I!
by NGIAMXIN WEI
 SOtUTflON #T
THilNK MilCRO

ftllf,effiffiFflfwAruer
loo Tzu-soid, "Give o mon o fish ond you feed him for o doy.Ieoch fi
how to fish ond you feed him for o lifetime." Muhommod yunus, hower
sow lhol il is nol.olwoys obout fishing skills. somelimes, ir is obout j
.money tb buy fishing nets; ond oflen. lhe fishermen ure reolly womr

rameen Bank began in 1976 through microcredit - small

when Profess'iii Muhar iitid
Yunus, head df the Rural
Economics Prdgrarnrne at the
University of Chittagong in
' Bangladesh, launched a research
project to investigate the feasibility
of providing credit and banking
services to the rural poor. The
Grameen ('rural" or "village" in the
Bangla language) Bank Project
aimed to help landless peasants
break the vicious rycle of poverty
BR0ADIR PERSPIOIVIS the end oJsear special
unsecured loans to the poor allowing
them to launch their orvn I
enterprises. Professor yurus.s
microcredit experiment took place
THT MAGI( OT.
in Jobra (a vilJage adiacent to
Chittagong University) and some Ml(ROtRrDtT ts
neighbouringvillages beMeen 1976- IN THE |JSE OF
1979. It met witl immense success
SOCIAT IAPITAT.
andproved that by tapping on social
capital, even poor peasants lvho
lacked and steady could be
creditworthy.
tl
 ]
1RTY llAS STRUfiURAL IAUSTS. WITHOUT ADDRESSING SOTITTY'S
i.III IIITOUNTMES, SUCtt AS BY IMPROVING
IATION, MICROFINANCE CAN ONIY DO 50 MU(H.
magic ofmicrocrealit is in the
Lir
e of social capital. Five PeoPle,
ically women, form a Peer
group to Provide mutal and
y binding group guanntees
lieu ofthe collateml required bY
tional banks- Initially, only
membem ofa group are allowed
apply for a loan. Depending on
iI performance in repalrnent, t}Ie
can subsequent\ apply'- These
ps formtbe basis ofsolidarity
inq, which levers varior$ tpes
social capital like peel pressur-e,
tual support and a healthy
Iture of repayment. Solidarity
rding is particular\ suited to rural
where nrobility is lorver and
I capital is stlonger.
edit is also special because
its focus on rvomen. According
hl the Microcredit Summit
paign, "Expe ence shows that
VE n are a good credit risk, and
t lvomen iDvest their inirome
utl ard the well being of their
ilies. At the same tiFe, women
rme ves benefit from the higher.
ial status they achieve within the
when they are able to provide
e."
mical Grameen Bank success
begins witl a'rBicycle banker"
iting a village to discuss starting
expanding a small business, such
Padily-husking, garment sewing
weaving. For example, two
en may borrow 3,4oo taka
ximately US$so) to buy
ns so they can sell eggs. The
PUBL
loan, incluiling interest, is paid back
weeHy when the loan officer visits.
During the weekly yisitst the loan
officer also helps the trdo ladies to
set up a savings plan. As the
chickens multiply, they will Iave
more eggs to sell. Soon, the women
can also sell the chicl<s. They deposit
some of their eamings into a savings
account and use the rest for family
needs such as lhe children's food,
clothing and schooling. Grameeii
Bank uses their loan paynrents and
aleposits to nlake anotherloan, and
the virtuous cycle iontinues-
TXPTRIENIi SHOWS THAi
W()MTN ARI A GOOD
IRTDIT RISI( AND iHA]
WOMTN INVIST THIIR
INC()MI TOWARD
THT WEII- BIING OF
IHIIR FAMIIIES-
The success of microcredit was
affrned in zoo5, which the United
Nations declared to be the
Intemational Year of Microcredit.
In 2006, Professor Yunus and the
Grameen bank were honored with
the Nobel Peace Prize.'Microcredit
is not a handout, it is a business
solution to poverty. Its success has
led to the development of
microfinance in general the
practice of providing financial
sewices, such as microcredit,
mioosavings or microinsuraDce to
poor people. The principles on
rvhich Grameen bank operate have
HEALTHORE AND
also been successfully exported
around the world by the Grameen
Fourdation. One example is the
Chiapas Project, a nonprofit
organisation founded by prominent
Dallas business and civil leaders to
expald microfi nancing prcgrammeJ
to poorwomen in Chiapas, Mexico.
Critics of microcredit, however,
point out that credit may increase
women's dual burden of market and
liousehold labor. A.lso, they caution
that group pressurc over repayrnent
in Grameen's loan circles can just
as easily create conflict among
women as build solidarity- The
arrolv that llies the nrost true,
holvever, is armed at tlre neoliberals
who champio n microfinance
because they believe that poverty is
problem ofindividual behaviour.
a
Poverty has structural causes.
Without addressing society's
built in irequalities, such as bY
improving public healthcare and
ealucation, microfinance can only
clo so much. f,!
MltR0(RtDlI ls
A HAi{DOUI
,IIOT
IIIS A BUSINTSS
s0rul0N
TO POVIRTY.
by KELVIN KOW
 sotuT[oN #2
THINK MACRO

FREE& FAI RT
The foir tode movement is premised on o simple proposilion: the moinslreom internolion
lrode syslem is unfoir. Pul blunlly, il is unfoir becuuse it ollows developed rounlriesl
ocquire goods from desperately poor people in developing rounlries ot exploilolivd
low prires. Foir lrode is rommiiled lo ensuring lhol producers in developing counlrii
ore remuneroled fairly by tonsumen in developed rounlries. lt is o strolegy for poverl
.0lleviolion.ond susluinoble development oryong disodvontoged producers wl
hove been morginolised by ronvenlionol internulionol lrode. However is foir troi
simply rhority disguised, or is it o genuine step in oddresing the sysfemic problerl
behind poverty? I

W he 8ap berween rirh and poor lhe proponenls of fcjr lrade "upporl I in responsc to markpt
-",:::informali
H "ounLries is gowingeverwider the theory ol lree markels, they I Fair trcde attempts
ts to address thJ
th
p under rhe on"iaught ot I loinroutihat the ruralagricultural I ou.por,",l market failures
liberalised tr.dinS regimes. I socicties in many developing providing producers I::.:":'"""::l
acc"ss
] premium markets and a bett
f H:::l
Wealthy countries have contimrally I countries are suffering from market
re fuscd to reform the ir lemational fajlure. Key conditions on which Istabler price lor their cro
lradesyslem in ways that would ] neoliberal rrade theoriesare based,
j
benefit the poor. The 2ool Doha they say, are absent- For erample, I

Developmenl Roundofworldtrade I there is no ability lo switch

i
negotiations is faltering. Although production techniques and outputs

24 ER0ADIR PIRSPIOIVIS the encl ofsear special

 l'rr
:r..j,.r:
nTl
vl I,IIHSTANDING THE SU([ESS'0F FAIR TRADE, tRlllCS AfIACl( FAIR TRADERS
0R \4/ORKING WITI|IN THE IURRENI SYSTIM RATHIR TITA-N ISTABLISHING A
El1/ IAIRER, FUILY AUTONOMOUS IRADING SYSIEM.
e fair tmde movement began in
194os rvhen Non-Govemmental
isations (NGOs) such as Ten
ousand Villages and Sales
for Refu gee Rehabilitation
d Vocation (SERRV)
ternational begat arranging for
ndicrafts flom
developing
untries to be soldin churches or
The first Altemative Trading
. the labelling initiatives. 1'oday, all
isations IATOS) were]ormed
the 196os with the creation of
itish Oxfam's "Helping by-
ling" programme and the first
orldshop in the Netherlands.
ough it i{as warmlyrcceived, the
nt {altered when its novelty
off.'l here were only so-many
ndmade (louble-jute plant
olio ngers from Baogladesh that
lries useholcls could buy. Tlr e
ovement remedied this bv
oliv ing through into ag cultural
modities. The 6 rst fairlv tra derl
unlri ffee was exported into the
f.om Guatemalan small
t0ve
cooperatives.
'5W
r lro 1988, fair trade received a major
when Solidaridad. a Dutch
rble
created the Max Havelaar label
ich suaranteed tlat labelled
ods met certain labour and
vironmental standards. Before
rma
ax Jlavelaar, fair trade was
nerallv limited to sm all
ures
orldshops and oxfams scattered
:cess
s Europe and North America.
r bet
trade labels allowed exparded
tribution of fair tlade products
tough mainstream retailers.
labelling initiatives such
the Fairtrade Foundation .nd
Retwisemarkt originally operated family, some ofthat premium also
independently with their own addresses structural and systemic
campaigns and certification mar_ks, problems by financing community
the Fai.rtrade Labelling projects like schools and potable
Organisations International (FLO) water.
was created in tggT to co-ordinate
tie labelling effort.In 2oo2, the new
Intemational Faiftrade Certifi cation Notwithstanding the success of fair
Mark was launched to harmonise traale, cdtics attack fair tradem for
worling within the current system
but three labelling initiatives hav_e rather than establishing a new,
adopted it. The F'LO now certifi63 fairer, fully autonomous tmding
and rnarks a large v4riety of system. Some argue that the
prcducts, including coffeeltea, ce, resources of fair trade enthusiasts
cocoa, cotton, sugar, honey, {resh would be far better spent lobbying
fruit, wine and even footballs. for reforms in the intemational trade
regime - reducing developed
countries' agricultural subsidies and
I prolectionism. The question is
posed: does fair trade rnerely divert
IAIR JRADE ATTIMPTS
our attention from these issues? Or
IO ADDRtSS THI5E.
is it the best way of raising public
PURPORitD MARl(II
FAILURTS BY PROVIDING
awareness of tmde injustice, setting
the stage forbmader changes in the
PRODUITRS ACIESS
mainstream trading systerD? (t
TO PREMIUM MARl(IT5
FOR THBR TROPS.
Among the beneficiaries are FAIR TRADT LABELS
Brazilian farmers like Rafael de ATI()\|/ED IXPANDED
Paiva. To obtain a "fair trade"
DISIRIEUIION OF
certification for his coffee crop, he
FAIR TRADE PRt)DUCIs
had to comply with a long list of
THR()U6H MAINSIREAM
rules on pesticides, farming
RrTAil,tRS.
techniques and recycling. He even
had to show that his children were
enrolled in school. But the 20%
premium, worth an additional 3,920
reais (US$2,u6), he received for his
first fair trade harvest has made it
all #ortlwhile. It is a hanilsome surn
in the impoverished mountains of
by KILVIN KOW
Minas. More than helPing Paiva's
"This is your lost nighl." Thot wos whol Zohido Perveen, o (then) 29-yeor-old moth
of three rhildren heord when she wus lefl lo die ofter being btiunded, gogged or
cruelly muilloled by her husbond of four yeors. She wos o viclim ofon intended hono
killing - 0 (0mm0n ond onlediluviun oct by Pokistoni men lo defend lheir polriarrh
pride - bul in essen(e 0n od of oppression ogoinsl the women of their culture.

cioss the nations and
generations of humanity,
oppression by an aggressor
against a victim in the forms
of rucism, anti-Semitism, tlranny,
marginalising the. poor and
disenfranchising women and the
minority are all too vividly reco.ded
in the aDnals of our history. Just as
Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd
American president declared, "We
must remember that anY
oppression, any injustice, any
hatred, is a weclge designed to attack
our civilization", oppression is like
a malady that afflicts our very
existence and robs us of our
fieedom ofaction, speech and even
thoughts. 'fo triumph over
oppression, we thus need to rely on
our cognitive faculiies as we have
in the evolution of our kind: the
employment of knowledge and
wisdom. The axiom derived from
DarwinianTheory scienl
potentia est {knowledge is powt
- is therefo!-e, once again, the k
to our progress as it was when r
evolved frour being primiti
caveDren to what we are no
Education is the key to establishi
and maintaining a peacel
exisience where the rights of peol
young and old are respecte

BROADtR PIRSPEOIVIS the enel qfsear speciat

 had'this beliel
ial author of the
Independence, he
terl the people,
nd tyranny anLl
body and mind will
rits at the dawn
ucation is by far a
tool to end tle
of humanity.
through the skills,
taught to people
to comprehend the
equity, justice,
esponsibilities, that a
. and aggression_free
can be achieved.
empow e rs . and
peoplewithout being
violent; it inculcates in
ns learnt from historv
the insiglrt to our future.
d whereby people easily
warfare, extremism and
lilndamentalism to achieve
whether as an outburst
aggression or a reaction
ar of losing autlro ty, a
nsible education deeply
in the ethics of humanity
0lh d claim no life but give life to
ihat are oppressed, and refine
lot for those that are lhe oppressors.
)ntioned in the Guidebook for
0n0
nlllng t-cuijaton rn l1mergencles
rrd iRecofistructioh funded by
ited Nations Educationrl,
ific and Cultural Organization
CO), "education for peace,
ientlman rights and citizenship can
invaluable benefi ts". Such
hs k{tjatives would develop skills and
lsn r$oes in people to consciously
,ri1;'loid negative behaviors such as
no{olence, intoleran ce and
imination, and use intelligent
es to rcsolve oppression.
positive application of
and information, confl ict
and a culture of peace and
democracy would ther be buil t, The
advantage ofsuch education would
be the conflict-dampening impact
it brings, the ethnically tolerant
climate nurtured, tlle desegregation
of minds, the tolerance towards
perceived differences, and basiially,
its impact against oppression.
Through education of the
individual's rights and ljbe ies, l}re
oppressed can adopt an
integrationist movement whereby
their racial, cultural, genderor class
distinction are preserved as they
lobby for equal rights through a
non violeDt method against their
oppressors- Martin Luther King Jr
.had a drernr for his rrcielly
discrimincte,l A{rican-Americans,
and it was this same movement he
erhployed io peaceably join the
rdhinstream society. In a separate
case, Malawian Joice chibrve is able
to rise above the oppressive
impovcrished conditions in hersub-
SahalanAfrican home tir feetl seven
people Nithout difficulty, selling
beirns, tomatoes and cakes after
receMng a business education fTom
a charily called the Microloan
Foundation. "My quality oflife has
irnproved," she says.
llolvevet as much as how education
is useful as a method to combat
oppression, it is still 'not perfect.
Educating people is a long term
solution to oppression and it takes
time for its effects to besubstantial.
Also, the misuse of education is
highly possible in certain cases, such
as by the oppressor to keep the
oppressed in their places. In a large
scale', this negativity would maintain
a climate of conflict in a state of
oppression. The exploitation of
education may be used to create or
preserve positions of 'economic,
social ard political privilege, repress
culture, manipulate history for
political plrposes, diminish self-
TW
$'orth and encourage hate. Even tlle
segregation and denial of education
may be used to safeguard the
authority ofthe superior group and
ensure inequalilr and inferiority.
Should the education ofpeople be
] utilised in such a way, its true
objectivesin eliminating oppression
i would be negated. Ultimately, we
I need to have responsible leaders
and tcachers in every iDstitution to
work hard in forging the culture of
impartjal education for people to
be inculcated with the right ideas
of pcace, humanity and citizenship.
'lhe onus is tberefore on the
oDpressed masses to start by
questioning their status quo and
seek the knordedgc to better tbeir
lives. Oppression can only surwive
through silence. with those who
need the knowledge actively seeking
those who want to dispense the
knowledge and vice versa, an
assertive culture for responsible
education can be built faster and
more effectively. Zahida Ibrveen
did seek to convict her husband
through t}le ex?ertise and belp of a
volunteer lallyer and eventually he
was jailed, her case being one of the
few whereby justice was actually
served for honor killing il Pakistan.
Perhaps then, it will not be an
eternal dream to live in a world fiee
of oppression of any kind, but
something conceivable in the future
ofmankind.l!
by tLAlNt LOW
 Tibel, home lo fie Himoloyon Mounloins, vosl ploleuus ond mognificenl river voll,
is o lond mony would ossoriole wilh o greot sense of peore, lrunquilily ond spiri
enlightening. ll beors o ruslic yet elhereol beouly ond is olso home 1o lhe Doloi Lo

lhe Tibelon Buddhist spiriluol leoder ond iqtesmon. Beneolh the focode of breotlrtol
(hinese governm
,..-dlgls ond myslirism however, Tibet is heovily suppressed by the
i Lomo in politirol exile in lndio. For mony decodes, Tibelons hove b
ey uie,n_ol olone in this world in their plight.
i:i tftd it governments of our rvorld, access to social, polit
.:il''At, th" sometimes unintentional, mostly economic,rl, inter and intaper
{bert Marcuse intentional for the retention of data with the use of mo
dir:The r,neb of porver and privileges. In the face of technologies, in this case, thr
:l.g!*9U"4$Eql*,pf *re web of such a global state of crisis, we neetl media. If the new meclia can br
r!94 .1 is. society a global effort to stamp down and to bring nuch more erposur
entar
is fatallv eventually, hopefully, eradicate therefore actiol on the caul
krncls ersts ur our world i''
of many kinds
ot oppression. what better way to animal rights and global wan
the forms of racism, aiti-semitisrn,
-viable
cornbat it than with a gtob;lty it is an equally to
sexism, the marginalisation of accessible weapon, the power ofthe advocate for the oppressed a1
minority and the poor, among Dedia? With tle information age, their aggressors.
others. These acts are mostly an information explosion has
perpetuated by the prevailing propelled man to a state ofeasy

30 BROADER PTRSPIOIVIS tlrc end ctf year speciol

 assailedby a banage of
everyday. We receive,
categorise knowledge
minute ofour waking
sh the internet, television,
r r'spaperc, magazines and
rtier print media such as
ents and photography-
ame time, we readilY seek
erstand, manage and
to be
late this information
!r dispersed to another
ce. The power of media
ologies is astounding - it
iects people- globallY -
essjng this Power to rerch a
scope of PeoPle across naLions
ofus being a member of the
et/television (new medie)
lre those who are oppressed
i Seek support and draw
brr!ational backing fdr their
i!es- The speed at which the
Dwledge on such issues is
ted worldwide is now at
clicl< ofa mouse or a flick ofthe
ote. Using nerv media, the lost
ts ofthe oppressed now has a
a look at China. lt is a
.0
mmunist state where the
0ki tis slolvly losing grip on
cir citizens through the
ln
netration of new media
nologies. According to' Huang
b the measure that men who value
his article on Crippling
ment Information Control
China, the nature of strch
tiri nologies entails "pluralism,
ity and two-way interaction"
nod rrs red u cing "monolithic,
lhe ized infomation control and
be or self-imposed censorsbip".
urc ite the Great Fircwall ofChina,
ina's tlrotdehold on infomation
Setting gradually looser. In
toolfiving to improve economically,
yired Chinese are Iloia' able to
scientifi c, fi nancial, business,
trial, cultural, military and
political information. They mn even
discuss politically-sensitive issues
on the World Wide Web vritl other
parties around the globe without
the constant fear that the centralized
govemment would rcund tiem uP
the next day. Satellite televisiorihas
also broadened the horizons ofthe
Chinese. Previously only allowed to
watch state-approved programmes
that propagate communist values
and government iDterests, lhe
Chinese can now pick up television
programmes from Taiwan and oiher
Asian countries that offer different
poliiical perspectives. To maintain
valuable information outflow for the
progrcss ofthe eountry, China has
no choice but to keep the channel
open, and thus inflrx ofinformation
from so-called undesirable sources
cannot be totally clanrmed down-
Oppression ofthe minds ofpeople
are tbus gradually lifted when a rvide
anay of inforrnation from credible
global sources are readily obtainable
for insight.
NTW MIDIA
INTERNAII()NALISE5
THE PROBIIMS OF
IHE I)PPRISSED BIJT
IN.NO WAY ASSURTS
IT5 RESOIUTION.
Despite that, media is not a
new
magicbullet whereby the audience
is passive and takes in whatever
information it offers. Witb the
information o.?losion, there is even
more a plethora of causes and
plights of the oppressed broadcast
by such technolos/. Those who want
to help the oppressed - such as noo-
govemmental organizations INGOs)
like Amnesty International - would
find ithard to decide who gets the
help. "T-l],e scope of suffeing
remains so great that even the
vifiuous must repeatedly choose
among a multitude of deserving
causes", explailed Clifford Bob in
his book, The Morketing of
Rebelli,rn . Such oganisations tend
to identify more with causes or
movements that fulfils their own
political goals and missions.
The idea tha t there is a "meitocmcy
of suffering" is denied; the most
oppressed people may not get the
most help. New media
internationalises the problems
of the oppressed but in no way
assures its resolution.
Consequently, the oppressed iave
to nrrke rrse of ncw rnedia
technologies to market itself in a
way that \vill pleserve the integiiy
of its cause and line it with the
'lacking ard support it seeks- It is
not entirely possible for them to
champion a lost cause in the long
mn- In hre Darwinian fashion, they
mustbe readyto compete to su ive
in the ultitude ofinsurgencies so
thatoppression may ono day leave
them. As Dwight Eisenhower, the
34th President ofAmerica puts it,
"Freedom from fear and injustice
and oppression will be ours only in
such freedom are readY to sustain
its possession - to defend it against
every thrust from within or
without." ft
by EIAINE LOW
SOTUTilON #N
TOOKTO ]IHE PAST

ffiffinile KSHt[
AITER PIEMBER IIltl 2()OI, AMERIIA INJOYED THE IOMFORT OF A WOR

L,!rR I0B:AMERTCAN UV$ LOST. FAST F0RWARD JUSI:

J0 SEE H0W MU(H AtFttTl0N AMERIIA HAS [0SI. T0Dr
,Bt"E.TO EPOUSE ANTI-AI'IIRICAN SINTIMENIS AND NEI

$STIMAGES 0FANGRY R|OTERs BURI{ING AMER|TAN H_A

rrrrelrs. yEl tr lvAs Nor ALvvAys rttls wl
Pam
gj
ll,iliffil;L1H:'J1:#il:; iffi i
I [**r"r':*:.qil'Tiii: I I I
This vias'particu
World War Two. I mx;:r:';*1,',;ii".,H: i I fl][!*'itiTJi?i-'L
^ru;r,r**lllln,
or rnimo!
l

eir 4os and 5os -

Europeans in thei
particularly the IFrench and the | ;fJ[k*1,"..*r:J"","H*: I
British - will rec
ecall with much Un'on
34 BROADIR PI
PtRSPttIlVtS the e nd oJyeor special
I
 IID NOW ISAN AMERIIAWHO AOUAILY FOTLOWSTHROUGH ONIHOSE
RTHY VALUESIN A (ONIRETE FASHION. SURELY, TIIAT WOULD INSPIRE
ONTE MORE LOOK UPON IHE STARS AND STRIPES WIIH RESPEO RATHER
PULSION.
!,;'
t despite the attention paid
e canism, there are still
ring pockets of the worlll who
rchly pro-American. Their
mostly attributed to an
belief in the ideologies
stitutions that America
,f,un.li.lliom long agomore so ihan
perica s current behaviour,
s most loyal supportersand
,tes havesiaked their faith ih
promise of America's idearls
;r than the hatsh reality of
ca's failures.
ected writer, dramatist and
itical reformer Vaclav Havcl
President of Czechoslova}ia
its Amer-ica's Declaration of
ependence for inspiring the
jng fathers of the new Czech
ublic. Chilean economist and
0[ tician Jose Pirera created the
rch admi red Chilean pension
,T em based on his belief in
rican concepts of economic
)D rty. Even Iraqi intelleclual
{t an Makiya publicly tharked
rica for dethroning Saddanl
ein because Makiya believed
'Ll
ica was the best advocate for
W political lieedom-
ca \ .ill be remembered most
dly in places lvhere her past
tion actuallv did alleviate
fering. Tbe most pro Amedcan
I n state would be Poland for
) recall how President Ronald
t supported the 198os Polish
t.
-co mmunist m ovem ent.
hout the inspiration of Ameicrn
e democracy and Arnerican
itical muscle to back them up,
Lech Walesa's non Colnmunist
Solidarity movemert might never
havehad a chance against the theD
Communist Polish government.
The most pro-Anerican country in
the entile worki is the Philippines
wherc faccording to a BBC poll) 83%
of its population have a "mainly
positive" view ofAmerica. To the l
Filipinos, America has Dot just been l
a useful ally in their bloody fight
with lslamist terrorist groups,
American style economics has also
enabled ihern to become wealthier
and more free th:rn dteywerc before.
America once exerted a powerful
allure oD the world's poorest.
Thousands of Europe's hungry
imnligrants staked their future on
the promise oftheAmerican Drelrnr
- a drerm of a land in which life
rlrotrld be better and richer and ftrller
for erery man, with oppofiunity for
each accordiDg to his ability or
achievenrent, The Statue of Liberty
renrains one of today's strongest
icons of liberty and escape from
oPpression, for engraved into her
base are these words that have
stirred many hearts: "Keep ancient
lands, your storied pomp! Give
me your tir.ed, your poor, your
huddled masses yeaming to breathe
free, the wretched refuse of your
teeming shore. Send these, the
horneless, tempest-tost to me,
lift mylamp beside the golden door!"
The world is not so much sick of
Anerica itself as it is tired of its
present'stolied pomp' and empty
rhetoric. Many wonder if the land
of freedom and plenty hasforgotten
her promise to help thetired, poor
and homeless- Instead,her current
hawkish policies and refusal to
practice fair trade with developing
count es have undermined the
noble vahres she epouses.
America Deeds to change her image-
But a surface changeis not enough,
a more fundamentai change is
necessary if shc is to regain public
trust again. Instead of being known
for pre-emptive strikes and causing
collateral damage, it is time for
Arrterica to associate hername with
positive change once nrorc. Building
pioper san itation syst'€ims,
constrxcling hospitals, pushing for
aid, pror,iding free medicjnes in the
troublcd i\'liddle East would do
rnuch to over-turn antiAmerican
propaganda spread by the likes of
. Hezbollah and al Qaeda.
Newsweek International ran a cover
story in 2oo7 entitled "ADrerica
leads-.-But Is Aryone following?"
Once upon a time, manydid. And it
is still possible to reinvent the '
American Dream for a new worlal
order. One of America's greatest
gifts to thewo cl is her staunch self-
beliefin her ourt ideals. Allwe need
now is an America who actually
follows through on those very
wortfly values in a concrete fashion-
Surely, that would inspire many to
once more look upon the stars anal
stripes wiih respect rather than
repulsion. (l
byXlAOfilNG LING
 \
=Y.'{
j
'4'
Ptr ,;
a./ l^r--r)
t. t

Alihough Ameriro goined on eorly reputotion os o lqnd which would occepl the "hudd
m0sses" of lhe world, Ameriro's history ilself is rhequered wilh onti-immigronl senlimel
ln 1882, Americon Congres octuully signed lhe dubiously nomed (hinese Exdusion I
Todoy, Ameriro is
Iodoy, Am.erito I lorn oboul whol lo do wilh ils immigronts who
who hove mode themielve
them:elve
vilol porl of the Americqn e(onomy. As of 2006, Ameriro's loil eslimoled number of illet
immigronls is uboul l2 million individuols out of its 301 million strong populofion - 5
Mexiron, 24%Gnlrol orSoulh Amerirun, 9% Asion, 6% furopeon ond 4% from elsewhe
feel lhd Ameriro's
Some conservolives n immigronls will erose Ameriro's idenfily. 0ll
commenlolors octuolly believe A merico's immig runls will sove Amerito's fulu

36 BR0ADIR PIRSPEOIVIS the end ofuear special

 THE.AMERIO OF THE FUTURE WItL BE DTFINED BY THT M-ULTIITHNIC,
MULTI-IDEOTOGICAL OUTLOOK OF HER IMMIGRANTS AND
immigrants will inevitably
Ameri c a by sheer
phics alone. By 2o5o, one
of America's population will
inic- Census statistics show
ofchildren being born into
States are fiom an ethnic
ity. Beca use America s
are conceiving while her
Amer;cans zlre slowilg dowr
rth rxtes, 35 oDt of 50 of
icat largest cities will soon see
.isparic whites become the
ority. In California, non-
ic whites made up Bo% of
ion in rgTobut only45%
006. In Miami which is
:ndy 6o% Hispanic, whites now
a newMiami whele business is
cted in Sprnish, menus are
eD in Spanish and the most
radio and television stations
in Spanish. The whites
ingMiami by the droves. To
va rd pro fes so rSamuel
rtingtol, Miami is a key example
hat will happen to all other
orAmerican cities.
parallel America' is forming
ise of immigration, an America
Huniingtori claims will have
e economic and political
rcessufficient to sustain its
Hispanic identity apart from
national identity of other
icam and also able to influence
fe s ificantly Amer ican politics,
nt, and society." The new
le
particularly
of America -
5 Hispanics - have rnore pride in
cr.rlhrre rnd mav not be keen
lel subsume
their identity to
Irh imilate with America's. The
e for Miami's identity and
tur
the increasing confidence of
America's jmmigrants in their
identity is best summed up in two
popular bumper stickers among
Miami's Hispanic population. One
shouts "Will the last Ame.ican to
leave Miami please bdng the flag."
while another states a little more
graciously, "Don't rvorry, the flag
and yourjobwill still be here when
you get back." .
This incrdasing dominance of _l-f Mainstream Amcrican values today
immigrants in the economic and
political landscape of America
means there will be a significant
crrltrrral slift. The Americr of tle
future will be defined by the
multiethnic" multi ideological
outlook of her immigrants and their
values.
Anti immigralion advocates will cry
out about howimmigrants rvill shift
Amedca from her predominantly
conservative, \.r'hite Protestant
values bringing with them higher
crine r-ates, alcoholism, lower
literacy rates and their poverty-
creating work ethic.
Unfortunateb, studies llave shown
that the sobering tmth is refusing
to assimilate into America's culture
may be the best thing immigrants
can do for themselves as well as their
adopted home. Ironically, it is
precisely when Latinos and other
immigrants adopt cultural habits
and lifestyles more like those of tie
dominant U.S. culture tlat they
become more lik+ tb use drugs arrd
abuse alcohol. In other words, it
isn't immigEnt culture that is the
problen1, but rather America's
T}iiIR VAIUTS.
present culture. A study at tle
University of North Carolina in the
late '9os found tlat it was only alter
immigrant families became more
"Americanized" that they
expeienced dramatic increases in
drug use, weapons use, violence and
sexual promiscuity- Mexican
immigrants also bad drug abuse
rates half that of their U.S.-born.
Mexican American counterparls-
- a heady cocktail of materialism,
libertarianism and hedonism - ar_e
unfortunately a far cry from its lean,
hard-worting, God -fea ri n g
Protestant or-igins. In fact, it ts her
immigrants who may represent a
Jetum toAmefica of old. H:ispanics
in America are mostly staunchly
Prctestant or Catholic with an old-
fashioned sense of family values.
Hispanics tend to have stabler
marriages, Iower divorce rates,
stronger ertended family networks
- incidentally ali the factors that
deter crime in a community.
Anybody who has witDessed the
number of hours El Salvadolean
and Mexican line-chefs spend
slaving away in New York's most
reputable restaumnt kitchens will
be hard-pressed to say immigrants
are lazy.
Immigration may shape a more
industrious, more family-oriented,
less white-focused America for the
future. Perhaps it is not as bleak a
picture as the white supremacists
would have us believe.l!
by X|AOtHlNG tlNG
 SOTUTION #N
ffiANGE THE INDIVIDUAL

REfl}

()il is the lifeblood of our economies. ln the United Slules, for exomple, lhe Deporlmr
of Energy repoils lhol oil provides more lhon 40% of oll energy tonsumed ond 9,
of the enetgy used for lronsportolion. Therefore il is no surpr'l5e lhol oil leods ev
roolin uccounlingfor of our plonel's.energy-reloled torbon.dioxide emissior
42%
Reduring oil tonsumplion will be o significunl slep in reduting globol torbon emisior
However, lhis is nol reoli$ir unless we reduce our dependenry on oil.

nfortunateh it seems that the . .conscious consumer has no ready. - technolory that dra$as on altemal
environmentally minded substitute for oil. By reducing our energy sources. Seeing how o
individual's desire to reduce dependency on oil, we allow dominance is entrenchr
his dependency on oil is of individuals to make tlre everyday govemment interention to help
littld relevance insofar as there is choices required in combating transition into a less oil dependr
no viable alternative to oil. While climate change- society will also be essenti
the health conscious consumer can
easily switch from butter to
margarine, the environmentallY

40 "BROADTRPIRSPEOIVES
 OO7 STUDY PRIPARID FOR THI AMERICAN PUB-LIC TRANSPORT
O(IATION FOUND THAT DOUBLING RIDERSHIP ON NIASS TRANSIT IN
ICA COULD SAVE I.4 BILLION GALLONS OF GASOLINE PER YEAR.
t}e inliastructurc supporting
se end distribution of oil (such
conventional vehicle
ufacturing facilities and gas
) is already in place; much
inlrastructure for alternatiie
hasyet to bebu tandfinaaced.
technologies already exist
ives to oil. One is t]le plug-
hyb.id electric vehicle (PHEV),
ich is designed to run both on
line and elect.icitv from the
:ttic grid- The thermal efficiency
6f even an old fashioned oulverizerl
Jorl pla nt is a pproximuteiy ::-q+"a,
hereas that of the internal
irnbustion energris approximately
Powering a car using electricity
a coal plant produces lessheat-
ppiDg gases than running it on
Liloilpowered internal combrstion
IHE QUISTION 15
] WHTTHTR WT ARI READY
IOR THE A((Oi/IPANYING
BTHAVIOURAT AND
IITTSTYIT (}lANGES.
ond, biofuels such as EBs
of85% ethanol and r5%
line) have the potential to
duce oil consulrrptibn
ificantly. As a firel cdditive,
nol increases combustion
ciency and lowers carbon
issions. Also, while burning oil
releases carbon previously stoied Unfortunately, both the PHEV and
underground into the atmosphere, biofuel solutions have their flaws-
burning ethanol does not increase First, although less heat-trapping
the carbon content in. the gases are emitted when coal is brunt
atmosphere. This is because ethanol to pr oduce the electricity for PHEVs,
is made from crops such as com and significant amounts of carbon
sugarcane, which merely recycle tie emissions arc still produced since
carbon already existing in the coal has a much higher
atmosphere. conceltration ofcarbon per unit of
energy than oil. As for biofuels, the
However, switching to new i- Eaith Policy Institute asserts that
technology is expensive. This is -- the emerging competition between
where government interrention is cats and peoplefor grain willlikely
crucial in subsidising and driverworld grain p ces to new
encouraging the transition, heights. This means less food for the
Currently, hyb d engines cost an poor.
average of Us$2,soo more than
conventional internal combustion 'tye must explore solutions that
engines. This cost is expected to conserve energy in geneml, These
drop once PIIEVS are mass alte rn atives provide more
produced. Governments can jurnp meaningftrl independence frorn oil.
start this mass production by One such solution is "Transit
purchasing PHEVS when tlrey renew odenteddevelopment" developing
their vehicle fleets. As these initial mixed use communities around
purchases help to finance the traDsit stations, A 2oo7 stqdy
conversion of existing production prepared for the Ame can Public
lines and create economies ofscale Transport Association found that
for the production of PHEVS, they doubling ridership on mass transit
will lower the individual's cost of il America coul<1 save 1.4,billiotr
cbnversion from a conventional, j gallons ofgasoline per year. Efforts
vehicleto a PHEV. i to conserve energy must be
our top priority. The question is
Another way that govemments can lvhether we are.ready for the
subsidise the i n divi du al's accompanying behavioural and
environmentally friendly choices is lifestyle changes. !!
to impose the costs oftransition on
the wealthy oil companies- By
legislatively requiring the oil majors
to retrcfit 50% oftheir gas stations
at their own cost to distibute EBs,
drivers considering making the
switch to biofuels will be assured of
EB5 availability.
by KELVIN KOW
 s4
a

i1
a, .,
..;ii

NoMilh$unding lhe hype obod rhe needs to develop "greenrerh", prinrelon universi
scienlists slephen Pocolo ond Robert socolow poinl lo o lotk of.politicol will, und n
terhnology, to exploin why lhe world is nor ocring more oggresivelyro reduce greenhou
gos emissions. lt is not diffirult lo imugine why politirol will is lorking. Environment
inleresls ore dissipoted ond distonl; whereos corporole inleresls of the energy indust
are roncenlroled ond immediole. Howevei some'corporolions ore beginning to ron
round. 0rgonisotions like the Uniled Stotes ilimoie Action portneis (UStlf), r
exlroordinory.new coolilion of leoding componies ond Non-Governmentol {irgonisolior
(NG0s), go o long woy in resolving lhe lension beMeen environmenlol onj,orporo
interesls. However, this might nol be enough.

BROADIR PTRSPIOIVI5 thc end o.f yeot speciat

 PANIES THAT NEED
IJTE IISS. BE REDUTTD AT TtlE LOWEST'POSSIBLE C()$ TO
POI-LUTION
FTY SINIE ONLY IHE MOST PR()DUITIVE ATTIVIIIES WILI JUSIIFY THE TOSI
RBON EMI55ION.
at tle September 20,2oo7
rd high price ofUS$83.9o Per
ii"l, oil i" dramatically
i;-'ice-d. This is because cun-ent
pi do noi take into acco ntthe
ofdimate change resrlting from
on emitied by burning oil- A
i6 study by the Unite4 Kingdom's
r'v Economic Foundation (NEF)
cluded that costs of climate
ilnge far outweighed oil
iirpanies' profiis. Using a
t estimate that each ton
oiiarbon dioxide causes US$35
of environmental damage, the
NEF calculaterl that British
Petroleum's (BP's) oil business rang
.up a damage bill of US$sl billion.
seeing that BP's profit was only
:US$19 billion, BP would havebeen
:$i1 billion in rhe red ifit had been
'fdiceil to internalise the costs of
enyironmentai damage. However,
it;as not. The US$sl billion bill is
split between ihe current and fllture
inhabitants ofthe plaDet. They are
forced to subsidise corporations like
BP because their interests and voices
scattercd and distant, unlike the
a,re
: highly organised corporations which
r p!-ii immediately summon a clear
, dii.d strong lobby.
lVhile it maybe unrealistic to er'?ect
corporations to fully intemalise the
gllvironmental costs of their
;lg-sinesses overnight, we can ask
to limit fte ha[nfu] effects of
ir businesses by observing a limit
carbon emission5. The "cap and
tsade" approac} is an efficient way
.!f imposing such a limit. In a "cap
-ald traile" system, the govemment
t}le amount ofpollutants that
' $Ps
:r:
TO EMIT MORI MUST BUY TREDITS FROM THOSE WHO
WIII
can be emitted and then distributes
uedits which cumulatively represeDt
the rights to emit that limited
amount of pollutants. Companies
that need to emit more must buy
credits frorn those who pollute less-
Pollution will be reduced at the
lowest possible cost to society since
only the most productive activities
will justify the cost of carbon
emission. The European Union
Elrlission Trading Scheme
commenced operation in JanuarY
2oo5and is soon to nrove into Phase
II with encouraging results.
IT IS NOT ATWAYS
THt TAUII t)F THE
CORPORAIIONS. IN S()Mt
COUNTRIIS, IHE \/IRY
P0UTTCAtWLti0 PR0TEO
IHE TARIH 15 LAIKING.
While wdwould er:pect corporations
to oppose the'introduclion of "cap
and trade", bodies like USCAP
(which includes companies like
Shell, DuPont and General Motors)
are progressively urging the
implementation of "cap and trade"
programmes. This should go a long
way in helping to muster the
political will for decisions protechng
against climate change.
It appears that tie s)stem is slowly
changing. The corporate giants a$
starting to speak of corporate social
rcsponsibility as well as the "tiple
boftom line ' of (1) people, (z) profit,
and most notably for our pulposes:
(3) pl:rnet. No doubt, this also rnakes
good business sense. The Stern
Review on the Economics of Climate
Change concluded that the cost of
inaction is likeb to be emphatically
greater than those resulting from
timely and effective action- On the
other hand, properly internalising
the costs of'greenhorrse-gas
emissions will bring malket
opportrnities wo$h hundreds of
billions of dollars alnually. DuPont,
for example, bas identified its most
prourising growth markets in new
bio based materi-als that employ
rencwable resources instead of
iraditional petrochemical
feedstocks.
While it is encouraging that
the corporations in UScAP
have recognised the neetl to combat
climate change, it lras aPParently
not been enough. At President
Bush's international summit
on climate change in washington
on September 27-28, 2ooz the Bush
administration reiterated its
position against mandatory limits
on carbon emissions lt is not always
the fault of the corporations.
In some countries, the verY
political will to protect tie earth is
lacking. [!.
by KELVIN KOW
(0)
 e

"6
6€Es

a@g

&
!&
ffi
ffiHFffi H::
ftl I

(ontroversiol former U.S. Ambussodor lo lhe U.N., John Bolton received lhunderous
opplouse in Morrh 2007 during on Americon conference of conservolives when he

oughl nol lo.give to poying for lhe oclivities of the beleoguered inlernolion
a cent
orgonisolion. After the peore keepihg debodes. of lhe 1990s os well oi ollegolions
obuse ond mismonogemenl porliculorly in the 0il-for-Food Progromme, Bolton is n
olone in feeling iustifiobly disgruntled over lhe orgonisotion's multiple foiling

he {act that the United for a complete overhaul. Despite t})e

Nations remains our only
inte.national body solely
created to provide a
necharrism for international justice
as well as a forum to promote peace,
global interdependence and global
needs means that it is still worth
salvaging - even if it means calling
IJnited Nations' discouraging
progress repot, it is still impotant
THE UN 15 NOI SO MUCtl
forthe world to maintain tlre ideal
A WORTD GOVIRNMENI
of having an objective international
coalition against rogue states and A5 MUCII A5 A W()RTD
the hurnan riglts abuses caried out F()RIJM Ft)R DISIUSSI()N.
intleir iames.

46 Bl0ADtR PERSPICIT$ the endoJyear speciol

 hrHtmol't tN THE ttN HAs ALWAYS BEEN 0N A sTilo'0NE sIAII,
bir IIrNr THAT AttOWS THE WORD OF ABSOLUTE.DTdATORSHIPS TO
E SAME WEIGHT AS THE W()RD OF RIPRESENIATIVE DEMOGACIES.
t are the key areas for UN
that will allow it to
Itrate on containing abusive
states rather than fighting
gst themselves?
anging MenbershiP
irposition: One of former
General Kofi i\nnant most
ly anticifrted Promises was to
rm the Un ite d Naiions
mission on Hurnan Rights
R). Previously, the UNCHR'S
ililcussions and agcntl r hrd been
itij'u"kua by .og"" mcrnber states
ike Libya anJ Sudan, drstracting
itIIrI fi onr focusing on Lhe serious
rights violations that were
'ii'appe ning within the
iforementioned countries.
ion i r the LIN lus al rvrYs
r serve as vice chair of the
on a strict "one state, onevote"
idiial that allorvs the rsord of
lute dictatorshjps to hrve the
.jirme weight as the word of
iepresentative democracies.
ihus, es long as ke} corrncils end
:;lbmmissions continue to include
s that sponsol arld harbqur
;i-iiiror at their table,the United
.\itions will always be }amstrung
,tiii its inability to define telrorism or
,sncoct a feasible plan to eliminate
it. In 2006, the UN General
bly created the IIN Human
ts Council to replace the
R- While the new coulcil has
Pulated stricter rules to qualify
' membenhip, controversial
stales
Cuba, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi
ia and Azerbaijan still manageil
get elected in - a move tlat The
tWoshinqton Post has dubbed a
"travesty". In 2oo7, despite the
attempts of Westem human rights
groups to focus the council's
anentioD on Darfur and Uzbekistan,
the council was fixated on Israel's
"crimes" in Lebanon. This was
because r7 ofthe 47 melnber council
{ell under the direction of the
Organisation of the Islamic
Conference that was bent on
pushing their antizionist agenda.
The UN's membershiP
appoinhnents have become a tragic
comedy ill the ]ight of the goals it
wisbes io achieve. Even as world
leadeN dcbate the best way to stoP
Iran from developing nuclear
wcapons, Iran's ambassador Mehdi
Danesh-Yazdi has been elected to
disarmarnent commission
reponsible for prolnoting nuclear
rveapon disarmanent ald reviewing
trcaties that limit nuclear resources-
Less Bark, More Bite: lhe IJN is
widely regarded as a toothless dog
with all bark but very limitedbite.
The problem is that the UN is not'
so much a world government as
much as a world forurn for
discussion. No real action can be
tal(en because of there is no real
,dherenceto one domiDant ideologr
or ethic. In the farcica] democrScy
ofthe UN, everybody can be ght
and it all depends on how Your
representative argues it on the floor
and how powerful Your fr:iends are'
It explains how the genocide in
Dafur can still go on right under the
lfN's nose while its members debate
about the definition of "terrorism"
and whether the slaughter of
lBo,ooo people by the Janja\T eed
constitutes a "genocide" (for
clefining it so means UN memberq
arc obliged to intervene). Stationed
in Rwanda in 1994, Canadian
Lieutenant-General Romeo Dallaire
did not need politicians to tell him
genocide was happening before his
eyes and ]€t this very same debate
over definitions was what tied down
the hands of the lIN "peacekeepcrs"
under Dallaire's charge. Forbidden
from engaging the Hutuswho ended
up slaughtering close to a million
Tutsis within a 1oo daYs, the UN's
membcrs neutered t]le organisation
from doing anlthing.
.
To Bajn credibility, the IJN nust be
given some power of governance
over its membersjust as a national
governnent has over its own
citizens- A UN that can drop the
. membership of nations with
ongoing sketchY records ofhuman
ghts violaiions or a UN that can
immediatelY impose sanctions on
rnembers t}at do not oblige bY UN's
(letemrined courses of action mighi
aciually be I uN worth following
For all its faults, the U N.'s value is
that it stands fdr something we
would like to see in the world - global
consensus to pool resources to end
suffedng. For that rcason, we should
help sustain it - but not ifit means
tolerating its faults and thevlorrgs
that it has Permitted along the
way. (t
by NADJA MAH
 sotuTfloN #2
ffiANIGE THIE

FORGE A
fultjtIILAT
Il\lTERt$ATIOI\IAI
COMIUUNITY
tn"*,' lr,-,,n; ;;;;;''r; ;';;;'; ;;;; ;;; i,' *; i,'*.,i,; ; ;; ;;;;;
It is o lerm lhol some wrilers corelessly use when lhey wonl lo expres lhe presumed rolledive
condemnolion of the world ol lhe worse excesses of rogue slules. Bul to hord-nosed reolists - like
the edilors ol the Finonciol lrmeswho bonned lhe use of the phrose - "inlernolionol community"
moy be nolhing more thon'o feel-good phrose. h offers o roseJinled dreom of o benevolenl oll-
knowing, oll-indusive entity thol is copoble of perreiving ond solving glohol problems. Does on
inlernolionol rommunily acluolly exist ond if not, how do we go oboul creotirig one?

ow can we have an
international community
when we do not have even
have some internationally
agreed upon set ofvalues?After all,
different countdes hav,e different
agendas built on their differing
fears, goals and ideologies. As the
academic Samuel Huntington put
it so memorably, we are in tlte midst
of a Clash of Civilisations. Yet, to
contain t}le threat ofrogue states,
the world needs to somehowreach
a consensus that there is a common
enemy'to be fought and a common has
dream that the world can share.
Presently, the lack of cooperation
among the states in terms of their
policies towards rogue states is
deeply counter-productive. Take the
handling of Iran's nuclear threat as
an erample- Iran's disconcertingly
also forged ties with Iraq's
Shi'ite govemment and the Afghan
govemment. AInerica's decision to
use economic sanctions or military
action to topple Alrmadinejad's
government will be blocked blthese
states thanks to tleir vested
economic and politieal interests it
Iian's peace. With such protective
[ie1{s in nlace, Irar can continue
establishing its budding nuclear
facilities $'ithout fearing
from the United States or

48 BR0ADIR PERSPIflIVIS the end o/ year special

 UI-Y EFFECTIVE INITRNATIONAL TOMMUNIIY €AN ONLY GROW
OUGH CTTAR IEADIRSHIP FROM
v effective international
unity can only grovr through
i leademhip from a few key
ies. The world's superpowers
best candidates considering
ii sheer military, economic,
itical and cultural clout.
it was in this decade more so
before, tlat we saw the wor-ld's
rrrogant
owers become more
guarded over their o$Tr'rights.
'::
Nirwhere do we see trjs most acutely
:. than in the case of the world's only
- America - who has
-h]?erpower
,tii:en acc sed ofbehaving as ifonly
ie is beyond the reach of
ternationSl law, causing critics to
::'do as far as to dub Ame.ica the
"biggest rogue state". ln 1993, then
, , Prcsident Clinton actually declared
:'tle US will act multilaterallv when
possible, but unilaterally when
: Decessary." America has a long
' - history ofvotingin virtual isolation
: :dgainst UN resolutions. America
even vetoed a tIN Secuity Council
resolution that callgd on all states
. .to observe international law.
sabotaging IIN efforts and
I ,,"In
..:nndermining UN resolutions,
lAnerica has done much to make
the UN the "utterly ineffective"
organisation tiat it is today. Indeed,
America's forty year trade embargo
on Cuba, use of force in Nicaragua
'rand its most recent unilateral
'r.jnvasion of Iraq have been
:'condemned by the UN, the
'iEuropean Union as well as the
,Inter-American Commission on
:iluman Rights.
A FEW KEY COUNTRIES.
Brt lest we forget, the Western
superpowers were the very
countries who created the
multilateral rules and institutions
that evolved into the United Nations
oftoday. Arnedc.l and Europe ofold
once made the.combined effofi to
help the world topple rcgue leaders
like Adolf Hitler and Mussolini,
leading the world through the
embers of World War Two to deate
five decades of relativeintemational
peace and prosperity- Theii-
leadership was responsible for
establishing tle post World war
global trade rounds that kicktalted
the world's economic growth and
lifted millions out of poverty. Their
decisive and almost altruistic efforts
ensured that Germany and Italy
were able to reject their fascist pasts
andbe reintegrated into the Slobal
family. They also showed other
countries a glimpse of what was
achievable when individual agendas
were set aside for a global purpose.
Presently, lve have many
organisations created for the
purpose of multilateml discussion
and decisio'n-making ayailable - the
United Nations,'the Interndtional
Monetary Fund, the World Bank
and the International Ciminal
Court. They are all based on the
presumption that under$ng dl the
world's political, religious and
culturai dlfferences beats the same
human heart that desires the same
goals of secirrity, peace, prosperity
and happiness.
Some political observers feel that
in the present political situation,
the best way to ileal with rogue
states is to be a hawk ratler than a
dove, taking pre-emptive str-ikes
rather than' planning out long-
drawn diplomatic missio n s.
Hawkish political leaders like Bush
have taken the stand that "you are
either for us or against us" _
justifuing their unilateral action by
stating that multilateralism slows
decisions dom significantly when
a clisis situation requires a quick
response,
haqhas sholvn us that dismantling
a rogue state is less about a swift
miltary victory in the slort term
and more about a well-plalned and
sustainable effort at nation building
ilt the long-term- The decision to
attack Iraq rvas unilaterally rrade
by the United States and Britain.
without the benefit of consultation
with the UN or other nations like
France a rid Germany, the
dismantling of the Iraqi rogue state
was serio sly botched. Instead of
stabitising Iraq and providing it witn
the structures to. grolv into a
sovereign demociatic sfate, the
poorly planned operation has more
or less confirrned that warlord-r'uled
Imq will stay 'rogue' for a while
longer.
Multilateralism may look idealistic
and slower-moving than
unilaterism. But ultimateb, given
wise leadership, multilatemlism is
better at creating states that will
suryive long into the future. at
by NADJA MAH
 6
s s
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SOtUTflON #N r, ::n i.::r.

CHANGE THE ilND ilVilDUAt

REWg wffi

REIIffigffiru
ln u lime of increosing cyni(ism oboul the power of institulions to effect :

sociol ond politicolrhonge, lhe lemplolion (on be to simply do os lhe

" clossic song from Queen soys: lurn' o blind
eye, s il on lhe fence, do ,

onythi ng hut gel involved. Yet for m ony people, t h is is loo much of o :

(0p-0u l. Our conscience d em0nds 0 hefier onswe -s0 mel hing in us i

(0nnol help but wonl one more chonce. 1
l

,
BROADTR PtRSPTflIVIS the end ofgear special .i
i
 erestinglY, i n creasing oftlelatest renaissance. Churches, I

imbers of People are finding according to this theoiy, are being I

ir answer in religion. IfYou forced to wort harder to attracl I .-IN H()NDURAS,

't change the system, the worshippers. leading to impro'ved ] IT 15 SAID THAT
Ding goes, You can at least services (forgive the pun) for their I
ftURIHES ARTTHE
yourself, and in doing so, congregations. I
ONtY PTAIES WHIRT
have some effect on Your
I W()MTN CAN SPIAK
ate enYironment. Despite I

anti-religion rhetoric so
whaterer the cause of t]le apparent I
TRIEtY.
eDtly preached bY a theists
religious revival, wlat is clear istJrat I
Richard Dawkins, there has frirh otten can mole mountains. I

a slow but PercePtible sein Religion gives people hoPe - and

of religiositl even in Places
Europe, where secularisation
I
replacing them with state run
this is often a powerful motivation i
welfarc agencies. Again, the idea is
for believers who then translate that
that religion should be allowed to
]

! taken its toll on church hope into effective action. provide the impetus tosocial action
dance ever since the start of Christianity, for instance, has j

twentieth ceniury: ln Sweden traditionally been deeply invohed I

iyear, for instance, the Scandic
.iain was forced to r:everse a
ision to remove the Bibles from
i hotel rooms after surPrise
h om the public. It appcirs
tbe rumours of God's demise
indeed very much exaggented.
IF YOU ftl,lT CHANGT
THI SYSTTM,
iHE RTASONING GOES,
YOU TAN AT LEAST
THANGI YOURSEtI.
in the provision of education. I
healthcilre, otler Granted, ile potential dilemmas
$,elfare services.
antl incrersingly environmental i posed by an alliance between
causes. At the World Social Forum i geligion and social activism
are
in Nairobi this year, many of the ]egion. Where, for instance, does
activist grouPs were run bY I faith-basecl activism cross the line
Chri sti a n organisations, i into a coercive proselytisation?
canpaigning for a host of causes . \\4rat about ihe potential ethical
rangirig from women's rights, AIDS i ,conflirts c.rrrsed bY religious
awa.eDess, to justice for strcet convirtions iLbout iss es su(h as gily
children- l'lre egalitaianism taught rights? And, of course, what
by Christianily tuels much of this happens rvhen fervent be]ieveN of
passionate activism - in Honduras, different religions come into
conflict, especially when these
forinstaoce, itis said that churches
are the only places where lvomen religions all claim an absolute
can speak freely, and are thus seen monopoly on truth?
as allies by women's rights grouPs.

Still, it is tndeniable that religion

Several theories have bden advarced
explain this returr to religioits
ielief. Some point to the fact that
e's faith in the here-and-now
has been disturbed by :rnxiety o\ er
globalisation, the threat of global
emics, and other threats to
their sense of sdcurity. This is
pting them to seek much-
certainty and solace in the
European cconomists even
e that increased comPetition
'.t for'consumers' among religious
'i:-lfims' due to the liberalisation of
.the'market' for religion is the cause
Religion can also be harnessed to
glet people to internalise a moral
code, guiding them towards Pro-
social behaviour more effectively
than the iron r1lle of law- In the
Middle East, for examPle, it has
been suggested tltat a moderate
Islam may be the answer to
problems of social order following
the overtl.ow of tlrannical political
regimes. Social scientist Amitai
Etzioni has also argued that newly-
liberated states should build on
social serwices provided by existing
religious communities instead of
can be ar effective ally ofcivil society
and huma'n-rights organisations
cimpaigning for a betterworld Like
it or not, there is an increasing
scepticism about the Power of
politics to effect positive charge. If
the choice is between giving in to a
tired resignation, or finding some
other vision to insPire
the continuing qlest forjustice in
the \rorld todaY, then the hoPe
provided by religion mayjust be t}le
solution we are all searching for. I!
by ZHANG RUIHE
 SOTUTilON #2
GHANGE THE SVSTEM

P Rffiffi{3
A Fmffiffi
As news of humon rights obuses, rorrupl governmenls, lenorism, ond ofier problems
flood the news-s(reens, it is eosy to feel helpless ond overwhelmed. Finding viuhle
solulions seems like o Herculeon lusk, especiolly when governments seem ol best
unoble to effed ony posilive chonge, und ot worsl, ore lhemselves pod of the
problem. When sel olongside the doy{o-doy tosks of moking o living, ond coring
for our fomilies ond friends, engoging with these lorger issues con seem like o
'futile venture. For eosier nol lo core ol oll.

pathy is the refuge of the
powerless- A refuge, hor,vever,
that soon becomes a p son,
as refuging to engage in tlrese
larger issues means ceding control
to the powers-that-be - resulting
in avicious cicle that can only lead
to even greater disillusionment. The
problem of global apathy needs to
be tackled at iis rcot - at the level
of the systems thai structure
people's lives in society. People need
to feel that they can make a
difference. This sense of
empowerment requires tlte
availability of channels through
which people can tnow the truth
about the world around them, speak
up, make themselves heard, and
take clearly-directed action to
improve the situation.
That is wly a free press and an
active ciyil society are essential to
the development of an engaged
citizenry. The former ensures the
fiee flow ofinformation, while t]le
latter supports the development of
smaller-scale institutions such as
NGOS, charities, advocacy groups
and self-help groups.

54 BR0ADIR PIRSPIOIVIS the end ofsear special

 O SURE, THE EFFI(ATY OFTHE FREE PRESS DEPENDS ON PROFESSIONAT
BI
ONIUCT Ofu NS.PINT, AND TIVIL SOCIETY GN BI LE5S TITAN TONSTRUCTIVE.
IS IS A RISK IHAf COMES WIItl DEMOCRAfl- FREEDOM REQUIRES
SP0NS|B|UTY, AND RESP0NSIBILITY HAS T0 Bt LEARNI S0METIMES PAINFULLY.
n Singapore, for
examPle,
irrganisations like women's rights
group AWARE, Action For AIDS,
and political thinktant The
''
democratic societies can be built
and snstained.
Press freedom serves four key
I functions that help to empower
, ordinary citizens and combat
. apathy. First, it acts as a ltatchdog
- that holds those in power
accountable to the public. Second,
it publicises issries that need
attention. Third, it educates people
so that they can make irformed
decisions. And finally, it connects
people, tfiereby helping to build
networks in civil socjety that enable
the further sharing.of information
and tesources, and eventually make
pEctical action possible. People can
tb the degree
oDly care about issues
that they know about them in the
first place and the first
responsibility of a fiee press it to
Provide that information as
truthfully as possible,
- Experience proves the critical role
- played by a iree press in sustaining
l an active, effective civil society. The
most obvious cases involve the
uncovering of institutional .
corruption. For instance, in lndia,
Bhartiya Janata Party President
Bangaru Laxman was caught on
videotepe by an undercover
tehelka-com Internet journalist,
accepting rnoney for what he
thonght was a weapons deal. The
subsequent public outcrY led to
further investigatiois that ended
witl the ouster of.several senior
politicians,
Just as often, ho\nrevef, the role of
the fiee press is less co fiontational,
more subtle. A resPonsible'
independent media allows the
pe aceful expression and
competition of idea;, often "giving
voice to the voiceless", as U.N
Mission to Sudan radio Presenter
Maysoon Mohamed Osman Puts it.
This is no mere act of charity - it is
a safety valve for marginalised
people to feel resPetted and
validated. Tenorism e)'?ert Jessica
slern has noted that tenorism is
often fuelled by humiliation and
feelings of exclusion from the
mainstream of society. Giving these
people a voice ielps enables them
to participate in civil society,
introduces the possibility of change
and gives them hoPe.
To be su.e, the efficacY of the free
press depends on Professional
conduct on its part, and civil society,
if not responsibly self-regulated, can
be less than constructive in its
dialogues and activities. This is a
risk that comes with dernocrary -
lieedom requires responsibility, arrd
responsibility has to be learnt,
sometimes painfully. Also, there are
sensitive issues, such as those
related lo national security, that
require discernment and careful
negotiation. The Precise waY in
which the general princiPles of
freeilom of thought and erpression
are worted out will also vary fiom
couitry to country.
However, these are Problems that
are inherent in anY democratic
society. There is no better solulion
to the problem of global apatlly than
to give people the freealorn and
rpower to think, exPress their
! thoughts, and take collective action
as valued members of societY. It
is only with greatel- citizen
pafticipation thai people can rnove
beyond being merelY Passive
spectators ilfluenced bY forces
beyond their control, to being
actively involved in building
the kind of society they wish to
live'in. (l
TXPIRIENCT PR()VES
iHt ftllltAl- RoLt
BY A IRIE
PTAYTD
PRESS IN SUSTAINING
AN AOIVI, TFffOIVE
0\,ll- s0otiY.
by ZHANG RUIHI
 SOtUTilON
CHAN

Rehobilitotion is rurrently o secondory roncern of lhe

iudiriol sysrem, which chooses
insteod, lo ploce o premium on exocling relribution upon rhose who rros rhe low. Ihe
end resuh is on environment in whirh the generol populotion feors lhe ronsequen(es
of lheir o.dions, os opposed ro refroining from violoiing rhe low hecouse of lhe'morols
ond ideols which ore meont l0 be inlrinsir in every upstonding cilizen. Even wilh such
consequenres presenl however, lhere will olwoys be o numbei of people deronged or
desperote. enrjugh b commir ocrs rhor cross poths wirh lhe low, iesulting witlithem
,entering lhe prison syslem.

hanges must be implemented f.om society, 70% ofwhom will be

to proactively irnd
preeniptively address tle root
cause and motivaior of crime,
instead df keeping obsolete policies
still in place which have been
prover ineffective and myopic in
their metho ds of handling
criminals. Statistics have proven
irrefutably that the long standing
system prevalent today, serves only
to temporarily segregate criminals
re offenders. In light of the
currently liberal abbr-eviation of TRIMINAT EEHAVI()URS
pf;son sentences, this approach is HAVT TOMPIEX
ineffective and expensive. The PSYCH()T()GICAI, AND
seemingly migratory flow of
SOCIAT CAUSTS IHAI
cdminals in and out ofprisons, in
SIRETCH WEtt BEYOND
addition to new offenders, places
THT B()UNDARY t)F
adclitional strain on the manpowerJ
IHT INDIVIDUAI,
capital :ind resources needed to
contain them-

58 BR0ADIR PERSPEOIVES ttrc endofyear spec[al

 T ALSO TIAVES INMATES WITH FEW ENDEAVOURS
ions of dollars in tax-PaYers
are being pumped into a
on system which not only
ibits individual progression, but
leaves inmates with few
and enriching activities,
pting the rnajority oftlem to
to gang culture and criminal
Celturies of reliance on tlle
retributive imprisonment systejn
]nve failed to steir trhe increasiPg
cdme rate which, rrith a few
tions, only seerns to 3ggrrvirte
the disillusionmer,t :rnd isolation
tiat ciminals feel torvards society.
The way to reduce crine is to alter
people's beliefs and habits of
behaviour. This is most effectively
ilone by counselling and especially,
byinte$ation into the community.
The overwhelming naioritY of
iDmates come fronr either broken
homes or the fringe of socieiy' A
lot of thetn are ill equipped to
function in general societY. When
introduced into an oPPressive
environment, in which they are to
endure banal routines, the
ubiquitous threat ofviolence and a
lifestyle devoid of all productive
personal development, should it
come as any sulprise that theY are
totally incapable of naking a valued
pntribution to society upon release?
Rather than devote the entire
duration of imprisonment to
irunishment, new initiatives must
betaken to educate inmates ofthe
merits i heeding right, as opPosed
to w:rong, as well as equiPPing them
with the right skills and schools of
AND ENRICHING AflIVIIIES.
thoughtnot only to survive in the
outside world, but to PlaY a
meaningfirl role in tieir community.
(TRIAIN OF[tNDTRS
ARI ARGUABIY FAR
BIYOND IHT RIAft AND
NTLUENII OI IVEN IHt
MOST (OMPRTtlTNSIVI
AND WII-L.IXIIUTTD
RICONDITIOl.|ING
PR()GRAl}tS.
ln tth, criminal behaviors have
complex psychological and social
causes th:rt stretch well beyond the
bounclary of the individual. The
justice systen at large must be
respoNible for teaching by example
in its understanding and healing of
dysfunctional indivicluals. Social
regenerarion through emplo)'ment,
reintegration of offenders into
communitieq, the renewal of the
family, counselling alcl psychiatry,
rathe. than blank retribution
through in-rprisonment, are all viable
meilloals to culb recurrent crime. In
addition to such personal support
facilities howeve., adequate
protection mrrst be Provided for
newly released criminals. More
importantly however, is that
opportunities need to be made
available to these individuals, to
dissDade them from criminal
bebaviors, as well as providing them
witi viable options that will facilitate
their reintegration into society.
Rehabilitation however, is still a'soft
option'when it comes dealing with
criminals. Rehabilitation maY
sometimes take away individual
responsibility anal seek to resolve
issues often attributed to factors
deemed beyond the control of a
criminal offencler. Certain offenderc
like murdercrs are arguably far
beyond the reach and influence of
even the most comPrehensive and
well executcd reconditioning
programmes. People such as these
are often inedeemable, and it is in
cases such as Lhese, Lhat Lhe
inlperative of keeping society safe
frour these deviarts will be wholly
justifiable. Tbe justice system will
rleed to be able to perform ils
increasingly inpo ant charge of
r-ehabilitating felons, }'hile at thc
same tirne retaining its
' ability to
keep dangerous criminals safelY
quaranLined. Tire. oous falls_upon
the iudiri3l elrd lrw entbrcement
agencies, which will need to Erake
the shift towards stewarding
r,valnvard lives, while at the same
time, isolating those deelred far too
dangerous for re-entry into the law
abiding uorld. (!
by LE0N NEEDHAM
s0tuT[i0N
ffiANGE THE SVSTEM

EREATI A
PI ST ETNTIJ$
p0iler F0Re
The ideo of o morolly governed citizen octing solely upon high ideols is
o mylh. vost moiority of citizens need to hove theiilempiolions ond
The
vices kepl in check by o poliring forre thot is perpetuolly.on stondby.
Generolly, throughout history, lhe clussic police force hove been our
ruslodions of order, fhe suppressors ofsocielql wrongdoing ond defenders
of the cilizenry.

hile the law enforcement
lAF service is the hammerof the
judicial system, thejr job is
ww not to decide the law, but
mther to act and impress upon the
people the laws built upon a nationt
constitution. However, as time
iranspires and cultures change, so
too must our societies and our
systems - even ong as long
entrenched in badition as policing.
The police have historically been
kept separate from the arnled
forces, as their duty rests in both
the service and protection of the
peopie veisus the military which
serves to safeguard from foreign
hostile action and qtistential threats
abroad.'Ihe scope. of law
enforcement is divergent from that
of the armed forces in that it not
only charges officers with the onus
of preserving and if need be
enforcing order, but also the
assurance of the public's welfare.
The evolution of criDre and the
changing needs of society however,
have set in motion a chain of
circumstances that have
necessitated a major leap forward
in the form and function of the
modern police force.

BR0ADfi PIRSPEOIVIS the end of year special

 -j
1..
I

t-------------
. I nr poLitt
I roLitt orrtcrns 0F THE 2lsT cENTURy MTGHTMTGHT NEED T0 BE TRATNED lN

I ontn LmeuAGES t-tttE ARABtt, (HINESE, FARS|,

l-ll(E ARABlt, FARSI, KoREAN,
KOl PAHSTo AND uRDt,

Irr rHrv HopE

H0PE T0 DEAL tlttTH CRIMINAt ELEMENTS 0F vARYlNe
WITH F0REIGN cRlMlNAt
tlmoNnunts EFFEfltvELY.
IItlmoNnulES EFFEfltvELY

$
$rl"poli...un
i The police can no longer just think II
nolonger

ill#:****."::',d{#i I
and bureaucratic
rules ancl bureaucralic

****ffi*[]#i
structures M
-l
q

Iil #:#j*#ifi'"':l''# n*,tn"ml"?';t*tl:

i:**:m';:';it'x l:fi::is I $H:$t=f,"p;i,il::',"ff
;r,o<rile
foreisn influcnces. Cdme cullure and language, the police
I

il s*tfi rsy;*
ill x":::n';,zulix"l:;I.,;j | ::::::":i:ml;#,""fi:?il
I (whether you are looking i itt':*:+i*i,$:''''+
I l:ilr{*;"#T"'".,.."*+*# like Arabic. Chinese, Farsi' Kor'an' H ;i,{ffi'iH#,lt N
J
elcments
I transnational

I
at lerrorist &etworks Irtriiiff":i"'*[*:'*Tfff#il
like the allqaeda or Iransnrtional
Ilnuru:ra::::i:::iryil:i
and Urdu ifthey
Pahsto
wilh [orei8!criminal elemenls troln
I criminal syniicates like the Russian I varying nationalities
M"fiu) po." g.uu"threats to sdciety i
hope lo deal

effectively.
Being able to understand a rapid
fu
Iathrge. i fire conversation i4 a foreign , sensitivities A measure o
-lp ffi f3"'-"""T1^:iilliTlllii:y:? ::i:;liIliT':;':,:J:":J:'J
THrpor.r(E H :iT:l"lTJff:i..Ji'':'f;. ili';:;T,T:3:"'"JTxllJ::
'.llI
': I iAN N0 L0NGtR
I I n,",.u"ii"ni"n suici,rc hombers ."":X;;*iil"il:U:fflJ:: ll,

f I l{'i$,[fiiiJ H',i:ll;*'*.Ti"T'#rilf;: iit$"'""il,t*,#i'#j

llffu*$J
lllL
I

|I
AswErt

I -Taking advantag. of the porosity dl

I national borders afforded - l-ry
r****
r ;i*t":iiltirl";ll*i
deman.led of law Pnlorcemenl
]I d"*un.l"d enlorcemenl
agencies Tliey require ncw training
training
andequipmenl including weapons)
(
rnswerabl"to
rFrii'fiil:*;,:,,";tl*
willalwaysh
enlorcempnt branch
lt

I globalisction and capitalisation. in order to ensure the safery of the

I criminals find holes in the system I public wilhout belraying lhc lru(t
uo I lo p.o"u." lhe assels required lo I inherenlly placed in them by lhe
carry out their nefrrious activities j g"neral popularion to Pcrlorm their
".' I Their abiliby to capilalise on sur"h
I duties methodically \vith utmost
A: I
i opponuni,i"" rests.chiefly.in the characler and professionalism
"r' I uieitun"" of lhe police's ability lo
|^i | det".r ana neutralisesuch Lhreats- In a world where anonymity is
I becominga pass6 notion,.and the
; I I advances in communications are
he
But with tFrrorists and criminal I bringing increased Power to the
svndicates now operating like lhe J individual. the police will need to
best of multinationel corporationsI expand tleir presence reciprocally.
I
in their ability to network globally. while at thesame time maintaining
ooli.e aie hamslrunS by old I| :Jfi:::iliili':ffi:t[1Tff
ii:';:l,x'"':?"TfiTff:ffii"1
the socio-cultural and refligious i
'

i !ylF9!tl'!!P|tl
KEEN