Confronting Ebola under a failed global system

TWN \| THIRD WORLD RESURGENCE \| ARCHIVE
THIRD WORLD RESURGENCE
Issue No. 290/291 (Oct/Nov 2014) Click on cover to download the magazine (PDF) COVER: Confronting Ebola under a failed global system* Ebola epidemic exposes the pathology of the global economic and political system The following article draws attention to the social and economic roots of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. By People’s Health Movement The long incubation of Ebola The shrouds holding the remains of Ebola victims, borne by volunteers, are a human sacrifice to the savage god of an ideology that is ready to deplete the earth of its inhabitants with the same insolence with which it scoops out its treasures. By Jeremy Seabrook Inequalities and the Ebola crisis Inequalities are at the heart of the Ebola crisis. By Nissim Mannathukkaren Ebola in Africa: A product of history The vulnerability of Africans to the Ebola and other epidemics is largely the outcome of colonial government policies which have been dutifully reproduced by post-colonial regimes. By August H Nimtz Ebola and the failure of Big Pharma The head of the World Health Organisation has denounced the reluctance of the global pharmaceutical corporations to invest in research on Ebola simply because the disease has been confined to poor African nations. By Shila Kaur No cure: Behind the lack of options to treat Ebola It is time to turn to alternative models and approaches towards tackling infectious diseases that primarily impact the poor and occur where the drug industry's market incentives do not function. By Edward Hammond Lessons the US can learn from Cuba and the Ebola crisis While Cuba has responded to the Ebola crisis in West Africa by sending the largest foreign medical team comprised of doctors and nurses, the US has dispatched some 3,000 troops. By Dan Kovalik ECOLOGY Guar beans and fracking giants The shale oil/natural gas industry is dependent upon a little green bean which is grown mainly by peasant farms in India. The demand for this bean by this giant industry in the US triggered a price bubble in India. By Joyce Nelson ECONOMICS BITs a challenge to regional integration in Africa International investment agreements pose a major challenge to Africa's integration agenda. By Yao Graham HEALTH & SAFETY Bhopal victims present demands on 30th anniversary of disaster The final death toll from the 1984 Bhopal gas leak tragedy has been estimated at between 15,000 and 20,000, making it one of the worst industrial disasters in history.	WORLD AFFAIRS The bases of war in the Middle East Over the past 35 years, the US has covered the Middle East with military bases and troops. What are the effects of such garrisoning on the region? By David Vine The Islamic State: A monster empire created Given the United States' historical support for extremist groups, most notably in Afghanistan, it should come as no surprise that the US has also been directly involved in enabling the rise of the Islamic State. By Jerome Roos There are no 'moderate' Syrian rebels The whole policy of the US to train so-called 'moderate' Syrian rebels to fight the Islamic State is based on an illusion. By Ben Reynolds Pro-Israel hawks take wing over extension of Iran nuclear talks Israel supporters in the US Congress are jubilant that the recent talks between the US (and five other powers) and Iran on the latter's nuclear programme failed to reach a comprehensive agreement. By Jim Lobe Phantoms of the past Britain's vote on Palestine is a non-starter The recent non-binding vote by the British House of Commons to recognise the state of Palestine would be nothing more than a symbolic gesture but for the fact that Britain was a party to the Middle East's most protracted conflict. By Ramzy Baroud Climate change, land grabs and revolution in Burkina Faso In October, a popular movement in Burkina Faso ended the 27-year presidential rule of Blaise Compaore, a favourite of the Western powers. The significance of this move is explained. By Alexander Reid Ross Ayotzinapa protests awaken Mexico from a nightmare The disappearance of 43 students whirls Mexico into a political crisis, but the social movement that has risen up in response could change it forever. By Maggie Blanca and Jeremy Crowlesmith The forgotten coup How America and Britain crushed the government of their 'ally', Australia Gough Whitlam, who became Australia's Prime Minister in 1972, died in October. The US and Britain worked together to topple him from power in 1975. By John Pilger HUMAN RIGHTS Coca-Cola and human rights in Colombia Coca-Cola's activities in Colombia have been a permanent attack on labour and trade union rights. WOMEN Against all the odds: Maternity and mortality in Afghanistan Afghanistan has one of the worst maternal mortality ratios in the world, a fact which highlights the plight of women in this war-torn country. By Karlos Zurutuza VIEWPOINT Building an egalitarian economy in Myanmar As Myanmar comes under predatory international pressure to open up all sectors of its economy to private and foreign investors, strong regulatory mechanisms are needed to meet the development aspirations of its people. By Ramesh Shrestha POETRY A poem on poetry The poet laureate of the Philippines, Amado V Hernandez (1903-1970) was also a journalist and labour activist who suffered long years of incarceration on account of his fight for social justice. By Amado V Hernandez For subscription and enquiries: THIRD WORLD NETWORK 131 Jalan Macalister, 10400 Penang, Malaysia. Tel: 60-4-2266728/2266159; Fax: 60-4-2264505; Email: twnet@po.jaring.my Third World Resurgence Page Third World Resurgence Page
TWN \| THIRD WORLD RESURGENCE \| ARCHIVE