What’s New July 2003

This page lists recent changes made to this site such as new pages, or updates to existing sections. The "Find Out More" links will take you to the changes. If this jumps to the middle of a page, you can easily scroll up to understand the context of the new information a bit further.

Date of Update

Description


July 20, 2003


  1. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are facing more criticism about accountability. While much of this criticism is important and valid, there are also ideological and political agendas behind some of the criticisms. Some have pointed out that under the ideology of neoliberalism which forms a backbone to the current form of globalization, state involvement in things like health, education and other essential services are cut back because it is believed that it can be done more efficiently by private organizations and companies. This is where many types of NGOs can come in, and thus are seen as part of the overall neoliberal agenda. Neoliberal globalization has come under increasing criticism around the world for deepening poverty and inequality. But there are also many NGOs forming that are themselves very critical of various aspects of neoliberalism and its impacts on societies around the world. Criticisms concerning accountability appear initially to be targeted primarily towards these types of NGOs, raising concerns about political agendas.
    Find Out More »
    - Related Section(s): Sustainable Development / Poverty / Free Trade and Globalization


  2. Recent announcements for major funding to tackle AIDS sound promising. But beneath the headlines, the issue is murkier. For example, a recent announcement by George Bush for $15 billion to tackle AIDS has been criticized for by-passing a global fund set up for this purpose, which is suffering from under-funding. In addition, the $15 billion is not all new money, but includes money that was promised before too. Recent large philanthropic contributions have also made headlines but how such contributions are to be used, the deeper systemic problems and corporate interests appear to receive less attention.
    Find Out More »
    - Related Section(s): Sustainable Development / Poverty / Pharmaceutical Corporations and Medical Research / Free Trade and Globalization


  3. Updates to the Iraq section have been made. Updates include more about some of the propaganda during the war, and about the on-going controversy over intelligence claims about various aspects of the war.
    Find Out More »
    - Related Section(s): Iraq / Middle East / War On Terror / Propaganda


  4. A few additional articles on various aspects of the "war on terror" have been posted. Articles include those on anti-terrorism in South Africa and dissent in the U.S.
    Full Article List »
    - Related Section(s): Middle East / Geopolitics


  5. July 20th marks five years of the global issues web site! The past year has seen over 3 million page views and the average per month is generally rising. As some older and more regular readers may have noticed, the frequency and quantity of updates has reduced somewhat (mainly due to having less spare time, as this site continues to be developed in my spare time only). However, it is still growing without any funding and sponsorship, other than what comes out of my pocket. Thank you so much for your continued support and please do tell your friends and colleagues about the global issues web site if you find it useful. To do so, you can also use this link.