AS LONG AS THERE IS HUNGER THERE WILL BE NO SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

When we place an undernourished child on the scale, we are weighing not only a weakened organism, but also the synthesis of a system of reasoning as cruel as the one that cuts down trees, blows destruction and excludes the possibility of a decent life to over one billion people worldwide. The conscience of the XXI Century can no longer neglect that, as long as there is hunger, there will be no sustainable future

GLOBAL WARMING IGNITES BORDERS AS WELL

Little by little, it is being confirmed that the melting of the polar ice caps, whether in Antarctica or the Arctic, is happening significantly faster than initially predicted. The consequences of this for peace, one of the main victims of climate change, are enormous.

LATIN AMERICA STEERS A NEW COURSE

Latin America is undergoing a process of accelerated transformation. Considered the "backyard of the United States" for much of the last century, it suffered a string of coups d'etat and dictatorships, many piloted by neoliberal economists from the so-called "Chicago School". It is natural that the region would want to forget this past and move in another direction.

HAS THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE BECOME A WAR PRIZE?

In George Orwell's 1984, Big Brother issues the infamous slogan, "War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength." Is that where we have now arrived?

ASIA: OLD-AGE INCOME SECURITY IN JEOPARDY

As if the pressures of living in an ever more competitive world were not enough, the challenges of coping with inadequate income support are bearing down on Asia's growing army of retirees, whose long years of hard work helped the region's economies grow.

AFGHANISTAN: More Questions Than Answers

Last week President Obama made what is probably the most crucial announcement in the past five years of war.

THE RISE OF RETRO POPULISM

The twentieth anniversary of the Berlin Wall's fall reminded Americans of just how heady it felt when a triumphant America stood astride a collapsing Soviet empire. Two decades later, Americans find themselves bewildered and resentful. Many are now asking, Where did it all go?

A BAD START TO THE NEW CENTURY

Sadly one would have to agree that the first decade of the new century is not a cause for optimism. Not only have we not solved the problems that we had, other even more difficult ones have been added to the list.

THE NEW THREATS TO HUMAN RIGHTS

On December 10 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights will be 61 years old. It has brought undeniable progress to the world in this period, in particular the introduction of legal instruments to safeguard human rights, which continue to be spread globally.

INVESTING IN CLIMATE PROSPERITY

The world's giant pension and institutional funds (university and foundation endowments) are seeing the light on climate issues. As governments wrangle over how to cap carbon and other pollutants, how much it will cost, and who should pay, private investors in North America, Europe, China, India, Japan, and Brazil have been quietly investing in the solution: shifting to low-carbon, cleaner, renewable energy and smarter, more efficient infrastructure and transportation.

AFRICA REQUIRES DIVERSITY, NOT A GREEN REVOLUTION

It is essential that the renewed interest in and funding for African agriculture and food security exhibited at the recent World Food Summit be acted upon quickly to avoid past failures. A heavy reliance on technology and western farming systems is not appropriate for addressing food security for poor, small-scale, resource-limited farmers.

SPECIAL OP-ED: People First, Turning Words Into Action

The promotion of women's rights at the global level should not be limited to treating the female population as a gender that is discriminated against and must be protected.

AFRICA– EUROPEAN UNION: TRADING UP

Faced with the first truly global economic crisis in the era of globalisation, developed countries have been focused on mitigating the effects on our own economies. One could be excused for thinking that in all of this, development goals have been forgotten. They have not, and the European Union for one is as committed as ever to giving the developing world a fair deal – including on trade. This means the best possible market access, the means to make use of it, and the time to adjust to new global realities.

CUBA: OBAMA EXTINGUISHES THE HOPES HE RAISED

A little over a year ago the world was swept by surprise when it learned that Barack Obama was elected president of the United States. We had been witness to a change that many felt was unthinkable: a young black man renowned for his intelligence became president of the most powerful country on earth, one that had been a bastion of racism and that in recent years has become a hotbed of conservatism, an exporter of war, and neo-liberal economic Eden.

NEOLIBERALISM: A SURVIVOR BY DEFAULT

The recent collapse of the global economy, caused by among other things the lack of regulation of financial markets, has further eroded the credibility of neoliberalism. And yet it continues to exercise a strong influence on the majority of economists and economic managers, for whom, despite its obvious shortcomings, it remains the default discourse.

THE CROSS AGAINST THE SWORD

Peace of the heart and mind and peace of society are intrinsically linked. Peace and justice are inseparable as are truth and reconciliation. Peace is for the hungry to be fed, the poor to be sustained, the sick to experience care, the oppressed to be released and the marginalised to have a voice. Peace is protection against violence, and it is experienced when warfare and armed conflicts are translated into development and nation building.

HUMAN EXISTENCE IS AT REAL AND IMMINENT RISK

The current economic and climate change crises are both rooted in the unsustainable nature of the existing economic system. The rapid and unexpected economic meltdown, which began in the United States and quickly spread throughout the world demonstrated dramatically that the phenomenon of globalization and interdependence has a dramatic downside of shared risks and vulnerability.

BRAZIL: SHOWING THE WORLD HOW TO END HUNGER

It is scandalous that in a world of ample food supplies, over one billion people face constant hunger -and the number is still rising. What makes matters worse is that we know how to end hunger, and yet few governments are doing so.

A LAY EUROPE FOR ALL FAITHS

Exponents of the Catholic Church and the Italian government have reacted angrily to the ruling by the European Court of Human Rights requiring the removal of crucifixes from all schools in the country. Since the November 3 decision, both entities are on war footing and are mobilising to have the decision reversed or its enforcement blocked. The court is based in Strasbourg and has representatives from 47 nations, not all from Europe.

AMERICAN WORKERS FACE UNCERTAIN RETIREMENT

For the first postwar generation of American workers, putting in a faithful forty years 'working for The Man' may have sometimes felt like a jail sentence, but it offered a handsome reward. Corporate and state employee pensions bolstered the federal government's Social Security system to provide a secure if not always lavish retirement for a substantial majority of Americans. But recent and long-term trends have eroded that assurance. Their children and grandchildren will likely inherit a far less ample retirement, if indeed they receive any at all.

NO FINANCIAL REFORM IN SIGHT AS BANKS RESUME BUSINESS AS USUAL

The financial landscape has now been blessed with a new American company that lists divorce settlements of millionaires on the stock market. Investors pay the high legal costs of one of the parties and shares in the proceeds if the judgment goes their way. All of this, as the financial crisis has added 100 million more poor to the world.