Washington DC

Information and disinformation around the New Green Revolution in Africa

Raj — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 10:48:45 -0600

This notice just came my way, and I thought I'd share. If you're in Washington DC next week, do consider dropping in... ... read more »

At least he's not a war criminal

Raj — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 16:29:33 -0600

I've written a few posts to date on the World Bank, here and here for instance. Well, Paul Wolfowitz inevitably resigned (soon, I'm sure, to begin a stellar career at FEMA), and we've a new Wolf in his stead: Robert Zoellick. Another Robert, Weissman, wrote this fine oped on the World Bank's new boss observing that, unlike predecessors Macnamara (see Vietnam) or Wolfowitz (see Iraq), the new incumbent isn't a war criminal. But that's about as good as it gets.

WELL, AT LEAST HE'S NOT A WAR CRIMINAL* ... read more »

Notes on a Scandal

Raj — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 12:14:25 -0600

The World Bank is in the news of late. Its president, Paul Wolfowitz (pictured), has been pilloried for making confetti out of the Bank's ethical rulebook, and showering his sweetheart with it. While this is generally unremarkable behaviour in Washington, he has attracted more attention than his peers because of his institution's crusade against corruption, and his saying things like “to make poverty history, we need to make corruption history”.

The real muck, however, doesn’t come from annals of hypocrisy. The bigger story is one that the media are ill-suited to find. It’s about what happens when the limelight is off the Bank, when the Bank goes about its normal business, and enforces policies that impoverish millions, while saying things like “Our Dream is a World Free of Poverty”, (the World Bank’s slogan). And although it’s tempting to blame the fourth estate and their habits of sensationalism, part of the reason there's no scandal is because the World Bank is in the business of hiding the evidence.

Over the past two weeks, for example, at the very same time that Wolfowitz has been pilloried, the Bank has been quietly airing a draft of its World Development Report which, for 2008, covers agriculture. Few outside a small circle of policy junkies got a chance to look at it (and even they were rushed – pointing out what’s good and bad with a dense 500 page report takes more than two weeks). Yet the report will do far deeper, and more lasting, damage than any Beltway bedroom farce.

To see how it all happens, here's a review of some recent salary-related scandals, which rehearse some of the techniques of scandal and subterfuge that are to be found, on a deeper and more covert scale, in the Bank's latest thoughts on agriculture. ... read more »

"We Cannot Eat IT networks"

Raj — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 12:16:42 -0700

The folk from the Association for India's Development recently held a vigil outside the US Embassy in Washington DC, in support of farmers in India. Here's a press release from their event.

Candlelight vigil in Washington DC on Farmers Suicides in India.

Washington DC, Dec 10:

Volunteers from the Maryland Chapter of the Association for India's Development and other NRIs [non-resident Indians] gathered, along with farmers' rights activist Arupathy Kalyanam, in front of the Indian Embassy in Washington, D.C. to bring attention to the plight of Indian farmers on World Human Rights day. ... read more »

Center for Food Safety

Raj — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 15:41:49 -0700

The Center for Food Safety (CFS) is a non-profit public interest and environmental advocacy membership organization established in 1997 by its sister organization, International Center for Technology Assessment, for the purpose of challenging harmful food production technologies and promoting sustainable alternatives. CFS combines multiple tools and strategies in pursuing its goals, including litigation and legal petitions for rulemaking, legal support for various sustainable agriculture and food safety constituencies, as well as public education, grassroots organizing and media outreach.