The politics of indigenous land rights Brazil

Brazilian indigenous rights policy has been exclusionary. As a result indigenous people and their supporters have mobilised and politicised indigenous issues. Politicisation led to inclusion of indigenous rights in the 1988 Constitution. Nevertheless, evidence suggests that this process led to a retrenchment of interests opposed to indigenous rights. This analysis compares the asymmetric access to the policy‐formation process granted to political and economic interests and indigenous people. The argument is that democratisation has yet to open the policy‐making process to disenfranchised groups such as indigenous people. To illustrate the argument evidence of setbacks to indigenous land rights is examined.     

Accidental death with tear gas pen gun: a case report.

A case of accidental death resulting from a dropped tear gas pen gun is described. Tear gas pen guns can be easily altered to fire regular ammunition and can accommodate a variety of ammunition. Other similar pocket-sized weapons are mentioned.     

NEPAD: Talking from the South,governing from the West

The formation of the New Partnership for African Development (NePAD) in 2001 at the African Union (AU) Summit in Lusaka, Zambia, marked the advent of what is regarded as a novel development strategy crafted by Africans for Africa. Rooted in former South African President thabo Mbeki’s call for an African renaissance, the initiative seeks to trigger the continent’s economic development by encouraging African states to explore the prevailing international economic order or globalisation. this article explores NePAD’s capacity to foster economic development in Africa, assesses the reasons for its establishment, reviews its mandate and examines institutional mechanisms for achieving its goals. the article takes issue with the ‘westernisation’ of the ‘discourse’ of Africa and calls for the revitalisation of NePAD’s strategy for sustainable African development.     

A Proposal for a Framework Convention on Global Health

This article searches for solutions to the most perplexing problemsin global health—problems so important that they affectthe fate of millions of people, with economic, political, andsecurity ramifications for the world's population. No State,acting alone, can insulate itself from major health hazards.It is for this reason that safeguarding the world's populationrequires cooperation and global governance. What is truly needed,and what richer countries instinctively do for their own citizens,is to meet what I call ‘basic survival needs.’ Byfocusing on the major determinants of health, the internationalcommunity could dramatically improve prospects for good health.A vehicle such as a Framework Convention on Global Health (FCGH)could powerfully improve global health governance. Such a FrameworkConvention would commit States to a set of targets, both economicand logistic, and dismantle barriers to constructive engagementby the private and charitable sectors. It would stimulate creativepublic/private partnerships and actively engage civil societystakeholders. A FCGH could set achievable goals for global healthspending; define areas of cost effective investment to meetbasic survival needs; build sustainable health systems; andcreate incentives for scientific innovation for affordable vaccinesand essential medicines.     

The Great Unraveling: Federal Budgeting, 1998–2006

Since 1998, budgeting reforms at the federal level have unraveled extensively. The budget process has become ad hoc, fragmented, and opaque, balance has been elusive, and the failure to prioritize has become endemic. One cause was the mismatch between the budget process in 1998, which was designed to eliminate deficits, and the emerging budgetary surpluses of that time. A second contributing factor was the desire to reduce taxes while expenditures were increasing as a result of wars and natural disasters. The consequences of this great unraveling include the failure to fund Medicare and Social Security adequately when the opportunity was presented, as well as threats to constitutional and democratic governance. Renewed reform may require greater transparency and a willingness to embarrass elected officials with iconic stories.