Botswana Picture

While the long-term effect of the pandemic is not known, studies to date paint a grim picture. According the to the World Bank, "Labor productivity is likely to drop, the benefits of education will be lost, and resources that would have been used for investments will be used for health care, orphan care, and funerals. Savings rates will decline, and the loss of human capital will affect production and the quality of life for years to come." By 2005, South Africa, for example, is projected to lose 11% of its workforce to AIDS; Zimbabwe nearly 20%. ... [Read More]

Daily Press Briefing for February 26 -- Transcript

MR. BOUCHER: I didn't impugn any Italian authorities. I merely stated the obvious, once again, that we're in an early stage of looking at this, and we shouldn't speculate. Just because you can connect the dots doesn't mean there's a picture. And I'll say it again. ...

MR. BOUCHER: Let me try to give you a feel for the whole picture here. Indeed, we have an extradition treaty with Pakistan, but there are other ways for the United States to seek the rendition of individuals from other countries. So that always has to be one of the subjects of discussion. But let me bring you up to date on where we stand. ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: AIDS Epidemic Likely to Reverse Sustainable Development

Barcelona -- AIDS could kill 68 million people by the year 2020, according to the most recent global analysis conducted by the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). The numbers are so staggering that the reality of people affected and families shattered can easily be lost in the bewildering statistics. In reports presented this week at the XIV International AIDS conference, however, experts are attempting to outline a picture of nations where populations are devastated by the epidemic. ... [Read More]

USIA, Economic Perspectives, November 1998 -- View fromBrian Atwood

Despite this sobering picture, many countries are attacking theunderlying problems that give rise to corruption. In Africa, forexample, major anti-corruption conferences have been held withinthe last 18 months in Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Ghana. Theseconferences provided a forum for African leaders to developinnovative strategies to fight corruption, to exchangeinformation with other countries from around the world, and toinform the international community about the steps they need totake to reduce corruption. ... [Read More]

Dr. Condoleezza Rice Discusses the President's Trip to Africa

DR. RICE: The President is simply considering what options are going to resolve this situation in Liberia. There's a diplomatic piece of this. There are questions about what methods, what kinds of forces, whose forces, what role the regional actors can play. And we're just putting the whole picture together. And the President is going to take a decision when he takes a decision. ... [Read More]

Bringing Democracy to Africa's Authoritarian Governments

It even looks worse if you start looking in terms of population, not just in terms of the number of countries, but in terms of population, because with the exception of South Africa, I think none of the other African countries is a democratic country. In fact, when you look at the overall picture with large African states, it's a very dismal picture. The Democratic Republic of Congo--we all know what the conditions are there. I think Nigeria made some progress in terms of the formal political process, although how much--how you rate this last election is very open to discussion. At the same time, it's a country teetering on the verge of disaster. It does not mean disaster will occur, or it will occur any time soon, but certainly that possibility is always there. ... [Read More]

The United States Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria: POTUS Visit to Nigeria - President "Moved" by His Africa Trip, Powell Says

So to single out this one statement having to do with an intelligence picture that wasn't entirely clear with respect to what he might have been trying to do with respect to acquiring uranium in Africa, I think there is quite an overstatement and quite an overreaction to this one line. The President wasn't in any way trying to mislead. It was information that got into the speech -- whether it should or should not have been in the speech is something we can certainly discuss and debate. But it wasn't a deliberate attempt on the part of the President to either mislead or exaggerate. That's just ridiculous. ... [Read More]

The Role of Women in Peace Building and Reconstruction: More Than Victims

For every picture of a woman speaking to the Loya Jirga in Afghanistan or girls returning to school in that country, there are dozens of countries around the world where women are systematically excluded from peace processes and post-conflict governance, and where girls’ access to education, health, and other social services is minimal. ... [Read More]

K) Africa and the Middle East

Drug Flow/Transit. The picture of drugs transiting Mozambique is based upon limited seizure data and the opinions of local and UNDCP officials. Mozambique is not a primary transit country for drugs destined to the United States. Mozambique serves as a transit country for hashish, cannabis resin, heroin, and Mandrax originating in Southwest Asia. These drugs arrive in Mozambique by small ship via Dubai and are primarily destined for the South African market. Hashish and heroin are also shipped on to Europe, and there is evidence that some hashish may reach Canada and the United States. Airport, ports, and land borders with Swaziland and South Africa serve as disembarkation points for such shipments. The almost uninhabited Caribas Islands located near Mocimboa da Praia in Cabo Delgado serve as a base for traffickers. ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Transparency International Issues 1999 Corruption Rankings

The first Bribe Payers Perceptions Index (BPI) shows "a disturbing picture of the degree to which leading exporting countries are using corrupt practices," TI Chairman Peter Eigen said in a statement issued from TI's Berlin headquarters October 26. ... [Read More]