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The article reports that the Russian and Ukrainian armies are both bruised and battered. Topics include examines Ukraine aspires to launch a large-scale offensive in the coming weeks as that would require it to establish around half a dozen new mechanised and tank brigades stated by Franz-Stefan Gady of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

The article informs that more international institutions have sub-Saharan bosses. It mentions that having Africans in charge of wonkfilled institutions can also provide role models and help overcome racist stereotypes. It also mentions that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a Nigerian, heads the World Trade Organisation, and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has steered the World Health Organisation (W HO) through the pandemic.

The article explores the creation of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria as part of the global effort against the diseases. Governments of poor countries have collaborated with global organizations to solicit donations from rich countries and wealthy organizations to finance the project. According to data, more than 10 million people catch the bacterium which causes tuberculosis.

The article discusses the Myanmar army's ethnic cleansing that forced 700,000 Muslim Rohingyas to flee the state of Rakhine. The Rohingyas have not availed repatriation because of requirements they cannot met and because the government denies them citizenship. The government has allowed only few international aid groups to enter northern Rakhine to help civilians.

The article discusses the World Bank and mentions its new president, Paul Wolfowitz. The Bank which Mr Wolfowitz now heads has as many sides as the Pentagon he has left. Speaking on May 31st he said he would be willing to listen and experiment, but it will take him some time to get to grips with a complex organisation. The Bank's most prominent aspect is the International Development Association (IDA), which gives grants ($1.7 billion last year) and soft loans (another $7.3 billion) to 81 of the world's poorest countries. As important, but less widely understood, is the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), which lent about $11 billion last year. The IBRD has some claim to being a bank rather than a fund. Blessed with a AAA-credit rating, it can borrow cheaply on the capital markets, and lend, slightly less cheaply, to the aristocracy of the third world, such as China and Brazil. The Bank also has third and fourth sides--two smaller agencies that take on some of the risk of private lending to poor countries--and a fifth that settles disputes between foreign lenders and sovereign borrowers. The Bank which Mr Wolfowitz leads pursues primarily technocratic goals--it wants to fight poverty, not a false philosophy. The means it employs have to be canny, opportunistic and, yes, political.

Discusses peacekeeping operations of the United Nations (UN). Need for a Security Council mandate to begin humanitarian intervention in a country; Question of intervention by the UN in a country's sovereign affairs; Discussion on regional peace-making; Role of the UN in Kosovo's civilian affairs; Suggestion of ways for the UN to become a more efficient peacekeeper.

Discusses non-governmental organizations (NGOS) in light of the growing number of NGOS as of January 2000. Areas in which NGOS have been involved, including Somalia, Albania and Kosovo; Questionable links between NGOS, governments and corporations; Various work done by NGOS, including aid work, famine relief and negotiating ceasefires; Criticism that NGOS propagate western values; Questions concerning the long-term effects and successes of NGOS.

The article investigates whether the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) helped the Russian government destroy Igor and Irina Bitkov, whose firm in Russia was forced into bankruptcy by state banks. Topics discussed include the Bitkov's decision to relocate to Guatemala with their daughter Anastasia, their arrest as part of a CICIG investigation into a passport-forgery network, and the Bitkov's claim that they were defrauded of their business in Russia.

The article discusses the political scenario of corruption in Guatemala. It discusses the situation where presidential candidate Jimmy Morales stood in the elections and became the country's president. It highlights the situation where the scandals in the country are increasing and discusses the efforts of the agency International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) in pursuing investigations regarding the matter.

Discusses the European Parliament in light of scheduled June 1999 elections. Evidence of voter attitude toward the election; Role of the European Parliament in the European Union (EU) and its relation to the European Commission; Accomplishments of the organization; Importance of the elections to the future of the European Parliament. INSET: From small beginnings.

The author offers insights on the tendency of some specialised United Nations (UN) agencies to protect producer interests. Topics discussed include the regulatory responsibilities of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), and the Universal Postal Union (UPU), the voting rights at the IMO in countries such as Panama and Liberia, and the observed lack of transparency in the operations of the IMO.

The article reports on the progress made and the challenges being faced by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which is an intergovernmental organization and the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention. Topics covered include the impact of the use of a nerve agent in the attempted assassination of a Russian ex-spy in Great Britain on OPCW, the mission of the organization and the role played by OPCW during the chemical attacks in Syria.

The article discusses the situation of corruption in Guatemala where the country's president Jimmy Morales is trying to oppose the corruption investigations conducted by the agency International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG). It outlines details regarding the investigations of the agency against illegal donations and discusses the need for an effective support for CICIG to pursue its actions.

The article discusses the International Criminal Court (ICC), focusing on the Court's legitimacy, and charges that it has a racial bias. Topics include a discussion of the ethnic background of the Court's highest officials; a discussion of which countries have not joined and the court's relationship with the United Nations (UN); and the impact of a case brought against current Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The article discusses the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Particular attention is paid to the Fund's Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria (AMFm), an endeavor aimed at combating malaria. After various criticisms of AMFm regarding its cost and effectiveness, the Fund decided to de-emphasize it in November, 2012.

The article focuses on the Open Government Partnership (OGP), an international organization to promote transparency and accountability in government. It is noted that nongovernmental organizations have as much or more of a role in the operations of OGP as its member countries. The participation of the U.S. in OGP is examined.

The article focuses on the international economic relations organization the Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development (OECD). The OECD's rule requiring member countries to enact strict anti-bribery laws is considered, particularly its impact of Russia's application for membership. Russia has altered its bribery laws to meet OECD standards despite being known for political corruption.

The author offers opinions on regulation of international finance, especially regulation of banks and banking. The so-called Basel 3 rules governing bank investments and capital requirements created by an international organization of bank regulators are praised as addressing what is said to be the key issue of reserve requirements.

The article discusses AIDS and HIV prevention efforts in Sudan. Cases of AIDS have reached epidemic proportions in the 2000s. The government of President Omar Bashir has launched a major public education effort on the disease aimed at the country's influential imams, Muslim religious leaders. The program depends on funding from international organizations.

The article examines an announcement by Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin that the country would no longer seek admission to the World Trade Organization (WTO), to which it had applied annually since 1993. The decision is seen as part of a deliberate shift in foreign policy in which Russia will stand apart from international organizations such as the WTO which it views as overly dominated by the U.S. and Western Europe.

The article looks at international relations, discussing a recent ranking of 30 countries by soft power, or cultural and social influence, on which Great Britain ranks first and China ranks last. It notes criteria on which the ranking is based including involvement in multilateral organizations, foreign students in a country's universities, and the international popularity of its music and sports. Topics include Great Britain's membership in the European Union and the British Broadcasting Corp.

The article examines the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), an international organization representing 43 countries which produce equipment and materials for nuclear energy devoted to preventing the spread of materials which could be used to produce nuclear weapons. The NSG is under strain because China, a member since 2004, plans to sell nuclear reactors to Pakistan. This has brought the group into conflict with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The article looks at the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC), South Asia's regional club. Even South Asia's leaders admit that their regional club, the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC), has not achieved very much. There are reasons to hope that SAARC can slough off its inertia. In the past, animosity between India and Pakistan has thwarted genuine regional cooperation. Now, however, the two countries are pursuing confidence-building measures. The biggest step that SAARC has taken in this respect, a regional free-trade area, involving sharp cuts in customs tariffs, is due to come into force. The leaders' commitment to unite in fighting terrorism is likely to remain largely rhetorical, despite the scale of the threat, and the evidence of cross-border links.

The article focuses on the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the organization's fund-raising goals. This week, the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria--an organization established in 2002 to mobilise and disburse international donations for projects to tackle these three afflictions--ended its latest attempt at fund-raising short of its goals. The Global Fund estimates that it needs $7.1 billion from donors to fund projects in 2006 and 2007. At its "replenishment" conference this week in London, though, it received pledges totalling $3.7 billion. The fund reckons this is just enough cash to fill this year's shortfall of roughly $350m, and to pay for the renewal of projects already under way. What it does not allow, however, are any new projects over the next two years--unless more money is forthcoming. Last month, the Global Fund temporarily suspended grants to Uganda, after a whistleblower raised questions about how some local agencies were handling the money. Within the fund there are further challenges. Relations between its secretariat, the 150-odd staff who actually run the organization out of Geneva, and its board, which oversees the organization and has a say in the approval of grants, are not always easy. The two groups are now wrangling over whether to renew a particular grant to South Africa which the secretariat feels has not performed well enough to warrant more money, but which the board, which includes representatives from charities, recipient countries and those with AIDS, is reluctant to cut off.

The article reports that Africa will monitor itself in return for more international economic assistance. In the mood of scaling up aid to the poorest countries, Africa's own institutions, with the African Union (AU) to the fore, are now being expected by rich countries to shoulder more of the burden for curing the continent's ills. The revamped AU, together with its much-vaunted offshoot, the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad), will face big tests of credibility. The AU, which was a relaunch in 2002 of the decrepit old Organization of African Unity (OAU), and Nepad were both created out of a fresh resolve by African leaders to "own" more of Africa's problems themselves rather than rely on international agencies and nongovernmental organizations to feed their starving and stop the continent's civil wars. The implicit deal with rich countries is that if the AU and Nepad can start to enforce western standards of financial transparency and democracy in African countries, then more aid will flow their way to foster the good work.

The article looks at the election of José Miguel Insulza to be the secretary-general for the Organization of American States. Having tried fruitlessly to secure the election of two other candidates, the Americans finally threw their weight behind José Miguel Insulza, Chile's interior minister. The United States backed Mexico's foreign minister, Luis Ernesto Derbez, after its original candidate, a former president of El Salvador, failed to gather support. Some saw the hand of Roger Noriega, America's senior State Department official for Latin America, in the ill-starred attempt to block Insulza.

The article focuses on the United Nations (UN). Alarmed at the bitter dispute over the war in Iraq, and at growing threats, Kofi Annan, the secretary-general, asked a group of eminent folk to study the UN. Their report on how the UN might in future better contribute to international peace and security--mobilising its own and the world's resources to prevent crises where possible and to deal with them more resolutely and effectively where necessary--is due for delivery in two weeks' time. Like other big powers, and plenty of smaller ones, America fosters the UN when it needs it, and sometimes circumvents it when it doesn't. With global interests and global reach, America is most often called on to right the world's wrongs. It should have keen interest in a rules-based system which keeps that burden to a minimum and finds ways for others, including the UN, to share it. What is more, as China, India, Japan and others put on economic and military muscle, having agreed rules for all to play by as much as possible makes strategic sense too. Getting the council to mean what it says would help restore some lost credibility.

The article focuses on the importance of the Strait of Malacca and its potential as a terrorist target. Facing west from Singapore's shores, it is hard to make out the Strait of Malacca, thanks to all the boats and islands scattered across the water. An endless procession of tankers, container ships, tugs, fishing boats, ferries and cruise-liners sails between tiny islets, through a shipping lane that narrows to as little as one and a half nautical miles at one point. Some 50,000 vessels, carrying roughly a quarter of the world's maritime trade, pass through the strait every year. So do about half of all seaborne oil shipments, on which the economies of Japan, China and South Korea depend. If terrorists were determined to devastate the world economy, it would be hard to find a better target. So, at any rate, reasoned many of the participants at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a regional security conference organised by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies in Singapore last week. But the evidence that terrorists are targeting shipping in the Strait of Malacca remains fairly flimsy. Joshua Ho, of Singapore's Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, argues that it would be difficult for terrorists to disrupt shipping in the strait. On the other hand, the pervasiveness of piracy in the area proves that shipping is vulnerable to less apocalyptic assaults. The Strait of Malacca and its countries account for about a third of all pirate attacks in the world. Malaysia and Indonesia have already rejected the idea of American patrols in the strait or rapid-response units at the ready, both out of prickliness about sovereignty and for fear of inflaming anti-American feelings among their citizens. But they say they would accept American help in the form of advice, equipment and training.

This article examines the relationship of the United States with international organizations such as the United Nations and the International Criminal Court. Long before a bomb blew apart its headquarters in Iraq, the United Nations was deeply concerned about its role in the new terror-filled world. The United States claims that it did not invoke a right of pre-emptive self-defence in going to war, but acted both under Resolution 1441 and the "continuing authority" of a UN resolution mandating the use of force in the first Gulf war 12 years earlier. Kofi Annan, the UN's secretary-general, believes that a perilous precedent has been set. Mr Annan, realising that the UN has reached a "fork in the road" between continuing relevance and death, has recently announced the creation of a high-level panel to assess the present dangers and decide how the UN can respond, while keeping America on board. At present, the UN charter, drawn up with the horrors of the second world war still fresh, obliges member states to "refrain from the threat or use of force" and to settle their international disputes by peaceful means. Now President George Bush junior, along with some others, wants to extend Article 51 to cover--as a last resort--strikes against dangerous regimes before they become imminent threats, and even without clear evidence of an intent to attack. Publicly, the United States is giving its full backing to Mr Annan's reform efforts.

The article reports on the evacuation of international agencies from Iraq including the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross resulting from anti-American resistance attacks by the Iraqis. Most of the staff and officials of the United Nations refuse to be sacrificial lambs in helping the United States' government in stabilizing political conditions in Iraq.

Focuses on the management of the transition from the government of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to a post-Iraq War government. Iraq is about to join the growing list of countries and territories that have been placed under foreign supervision until deemed able to manage on their own. In other words, it will become another modern protectorate. Decolonisation was thought to have killed the system of international tutelage. Since the 1990s, temporary international administrations have been revived. Post-colonial sensitivities mean that single states are no longer appointed as carers, and that a permanent transitional system cannot be developed. Instead, the job is done by international bodies such as the United Nations or, as in Bosnia, by ad hoc international coalitions. This can create new problems. International organisations are also often saddled with more bureaucratic and political constraints than individual governments. This can severely hamper operations. The risk, however, is that powerful international carers become deaf to local voices. Bosnia highlights the problems that arise when the local population and their international tutors fail to agree about political and economic reconstruction.

Reports that lobbying groups are bullying companies in a misguided bid to help poor countries. Efforts of non-governmental organizations to persuade the International Monetary Fund and World bank to release poor countries from misused official loans; Issues relating to corporate compensation claims for assets expropriated years ago; Threat by the Jubilee Debt Campaign of a public-relations campaign against Big Food, a British supermarket chain.

Offers observations on the efforts of France to scuttle United States war plans in Iraq, and analyzes the consequences. The diplomatic endgame in the United Nations Security Council is not going smoothly. In fact, there seem to be only three ways for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to stay in power much beyond March, 2003: he can surrender his weapons of mass destruction in compliance with Resolution 1441, U.S. President George W. Bush may drop his threat to not use force in the case of non-compliance, or Bush waits to see whether the extra inspections France wants really can disarm Iraq peacefully. France sees no reason why they should support the new resolution from the U.S., Great Britain and Spain, which by stating the obvious--Iraq is in breach of 1441--is plainly intended to pave the way for war. But what if, now that he has picked this particular fight, French President Jacques Chirac proceeds to lose it? If it goes even half-way towards achieving Bush's vision of a democratic future for the Middle East, France will have absented itself from a history-changing intervention in a part of the world where it has long claimed a special influence.

Discusses Switzerland's desire to remain outside the international bodies such as the United Nations. Details of a survey, which indicates that young people are skeptical of international agencies such as the European Union; Thought that such a membership would erode the Swiss right to vote several times a year in referendums; Details of the country's relations with global institutions, including the World Trade Organization.

Focuses on the European Union (EU) summit in Nice, France in anticipation of the entry of several new members. Issues of restructuring the EU and voting rules; Discussion of two broad competing visions for the EU, including a system of loose association among member countries.

Discusses controversy surrounding the March 2000 selection of a managing director for the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Candidates considered in a March 2 straw poll; German candidate Caio Koch-Weser's background, and United States opposition to his candidacy; Stanley Fischer's qualifications; Objections to his status as a naturalized American; Other potential candidates; Political implications; Role of the IMF.

Comments on the selection of leaders for international organizations, in light of the February 2000 resignation of Michel Camdessus, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Camdessus' likely successor; Succession planning; Causes of the trouble at the IMF; How the system could be changed, including establishment of selection committees.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Heal thyself" which appeared in the December 13, 2014, issue.

The article focuses on why some governments are forcing foreign-funded nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to register as foreign agents in 2014. Topics include how the practice hurts the effectiveness of NGOs, the threats that NGOs pose to autocratic governments, and why some government leaders view NGOs as promoters of democracy.

Discusses the lessons offered by western experience in Bosnia and Hercegovina in light of the prospect of resettling and rebuilding Kosovo. Differences between theory and practice in western strategies for Bosnia, including the role of democratic elections; Structure of western administration and the role of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization peacekeeping force; Deterrents to private enterprise; Costs of western assistance.

The article highlights the issuance of a report by an efficiency review board under the United Nations in 1996 to improve management and operations. Suggestions were made to reduce publication of documents by using electronic systems, reduction of travel bill, and prevention of red tape. Three groups from the General Assembly were appointed to study reforms including reform of the Security Council and the way everything is paid for.

Reflects on whether it would be necessary to reinvent the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) if they ceased to exist. The roles the two organizations should have in the 1990s; Discussion of the IMF and World Bank along with the misconceptions about the two organization; Reasons for a reappraisal of the two international agencies.

Reports that opinion is still divided among the members of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) over its role in offering protection to Western Europe. Requests for integration by Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary; NATO and the notion of `collective security' for all of Europe.

The article offers world news briefs for December 10, 2011. Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists Islamist groups get significant percentages in the first set of votes in the parliamentary elections. Former Côte d'Ivoire president Laurent Gbagbo who is charged with crimes against humanity appeared at the International Criminal Court. Leaders from 33 countries formed the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) which opposes the U.S. economic embargo on Cuba.

The article discusses the issuing of separate reports on AIDS issued by agencies of the United Nations, one by UNAIDS, an agency created to deal with the disease and a joint report by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Parachuting in the prosecutors," in the October 15, 2011 issue concerning the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala is presented.

The article discusses the African Union (AU). Jean Ping leads an organization that includes all African countries except Morocco. Committed to openness and democracy, the AU has suspended both Niger and Madagascar for behavior deemed undemocratic. It labors under an annual budget of just $260 million, though, an an unwillingness among several African nations to contribute more generously.

The article examines the rapid decline of the world's stock of bluefin tuna. The species is in danger of nearly disappearing due to decades of poor fisheries management. The international organization responsible, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) has consistently set fishing quotas high enough to endanger the species.

The article reports that there was a significant degree of disarray in international aid to developing countries in Africa as of September 2008. At issue is the proliferation of international aid agencies and non-governmental organizations attempting to distribute inadequate amounts of aid. The article examines the administration of private aid in contrast to the money given by governments.