“You do not curse away the darkness of the night; you illuminate your area by holding up a light.” -Terry Sanford
All in International Development
By Mike Burrows, staff editor Events in authoritarian regimes across the Middle East have brought additional attention on China’s role in Africa, in terms of both small-scale unrest in the world’s largest centrally-run country and China’s service as financier and presumed backstop of other dictatorial regimes. China is unlikely to introduce full democracy anytime soon, but the chain of events provides a new reason to look more closely at China’s evolving position on the African continent.
By Jacob Widlitz, staff editor Black carbon reduction is an issue that could finally break through the global warming stalemate. Most solutions to global warming are met with apathy from policymakers and the general public. The problem just seems too big and expensive to solve. Black carbon emissions, however, can be reduced relatively quickly and would go a long way towards slowing down the globe’s rapidly rising temperatures.
By Maureena Thompson, staff editor Combating increasing terrorism is of utmost concern in Pakistan. Yet the country’s neglected and suffering educational system is of equal threat to its long-term stability. As reported this month by the New York Times, many public schools purposefully bombed by the Taliban have yet to be rebuilt by the Pakistani government. Replaced by large tents with no air conditioning or running water, classrooms in these poorest of affected regions are lacking in supplies and rife with student frustration.
By Tia Brueggeman, staff editor While visiting Belize, I was struck by the dichotomy between the tourists and local people. Thousands of tourists disembark cruise ships on the shores of Belize every year. This influx of tourists is beneficial to the Belizean economy, but there are consequences for the local people and the natural environment. This trend in Belize began in 2002 with an agreement between a major cruise line and a local Belizean businessman to construct a mega-terminal. An agreement needs to be reached to share the profits with the community, including local contracting. The future is potentially hopeful for the Belizean people as long as the government can work with private industry to find ways to distribute the growing wealth to the local people.
By Amanda Valerio, staff editor Underwater fiber optic cables transmit about 95 percent of the world’s Internet and telephone traffic. However, the broadband network is a relatively new development to some parts of the developing world and far too fragile in other parts. The nonprofit and private sectors have stepped in to develop innovative programs that take advantage of broadband access. Nevertheless, promoting these broadband innovations in rural, hard-to-reach areas can be a significant challenge