Altiero Spinelli's European Federal Odyssey

Spinelli became committed to the federal idea in 1940–41 when, towards the end of his sixteen years as a political prisoner, he read books by British federalist authors which convinced him that federalism could resolve the crises of nation-states in a democratic, liberal way. He initiated draft treaties for largely federal European constitutions in the 1950s and the 1980s. The first, for a European Political Community (EPC), was inspired by his insistence that the proposed European army must be responsible to a federal government. But when France abandoned the European Defence Community, the EPC went down too. In the 1980s, as a member of the European Parliament, he led it in producing, and approving by a big majority, a Draft Treaty establishing the European Union. It attracted impressive support, led by French President Mitterrand. The outcome was the more modest Single European Act which, however, led on to major reforms in subsequent treaties. Both occasions demonstrated the synergy between Spinelli's federal vision and Monnet's method of federal steps.     

Insect larvae used to detect cocaine poisoning in a decomposed body.

Insect larvae are often found on human remains long after disappearance of the usual toxicologic specimens. It is important for forensic pathologists and toxicologists to recognize the potential of this unique specimen when routine specimens are not available. Cocaine and benzoylecgonine was extracted from Calliphorid larvae found on a badly decomposed body of a man who had been missing 5 months and was also identified in the decomposing skeletal muscle. This toxicologic information combined with the autopsy findings and the circumstances of the death and disappearance was essential in the determination of cocaine poisoning as the cause of death.     

Review essay: Spaces of political possibility

Justice, Nature and the Geography of Difference. David Harvey, 1996. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. 468 pp. £12.99 paperback. ISBN: 1 55786 681 3     

The Dominican Republic and Central America Free Trade Agreement with the USA: some concerns

This article examines the role of free-trade agreements that integrate profoundly asymmetrical economies in simultaneously benefiting the more powerful nation and exacerbating inequalities within and between the countries involved. The latest in a series of such agreements in the Americas, the Dominican Republic and Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR–CAFTA), opens up the economies of these small nations to US investment and exports, as multinational companies are able to take advantage of lower production costs and weak labour legislation. In the global economy, South–South trade agreements offer a far better alternative for countries with weak institutions and little economic or political leverage.