Full context here. Devithe, a legislator in the Indian state of Bihar, probably had her heart in the right place, since massive, endemic corruption can be tough to tolerate. But it’s rarely advisable to take a page from the Taiwanese parliamentary playbook.
Entries Tagged as 'corruption'
Making a Mint Off Evil
July 28th, 2010 · 8 Comments
The case against former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré appears to be as damning as they come. Like many of the twentieth century’s great monsters, Habré was fairly assiduous about documenting his regime’s brutality; according to this essential dossier, he received over 1,200 personal memos regarding the torture of dissidents, many of whom were eventually murdered [...]
Tags:Cambodia·Chad·corruption·genocide·Hissene Habre·law·Senegal·war crimes
Jamaica’s Crossroads
May 26th, 2010 · 1 Comment
As the violence continues in Kingston, let’s pause to consider the scope of Jamaica’s problems. By any measure, the nation should have long ago started working its way toward the middle of the development tables. Think about how much the place has going for it: lots of bauxite, fertile soil, an English-speaking populace, a thriving [...]
Tags:Christopher Coke·corruption·crime·economics·Jamaica·politics
The Provider
May 24th, 2010 · 5 Comments
America’s long-running (and endlessly futile) War on Drugs is on the verge of claiming another casualty: the government of Jamaica. The Caribbean nation’s capital is partly in flames today, as residents of Tivoli Gardens battle police with fire bombs and heavy weaponry. The reason for the bloodshed is the government’s call for the surrender of [...]
Tags:Christopher Coke·corruption·crime·economics·IMF·Jamaica·poverty·War on Drugs
Nothing Exceeds Like Excess
March 18th, 2010 · 12 Comments
Yesterday’s New York Times featured a piece on the lavish lifestyles of South African president Jacob Zuma and his fellow African National Congress bigwigs. The article was accompanied by a photograph of Zuma sitting on a gilded banquet chair, which bears a striking resemblance to a throne. (Note to Zuma’s handlers: If your boss is [...]
Tags:Bokassa·Central African Republic·corruption·dictatorship·Turkmenbashi
Security and the Soil
November 20th, 2009 · 3 Comments
In Pakistan’s chaotic North-West Frontier Province, there’s a movement afoot to temporarily ban the sale of fertilizers containing ammonium nitrate, which are frequently used in bombmaking. (The article mistakenly fingers urea fertilizers as the target of the ban.) This got us thinking about the reasons for ammonium nitrate’s continued popularity among the world’s farmers, despite [...]
Tags:Afghanistan·agriculture·ammonium nitrate·corruption·explosives·military·Pakistan·terrorism
Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
October 28th, 2009 · No Comments
We recently argued that symbols do, indeed, matter. Is it possible that someone in the administration of Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki read our screed? Because the Nairobi regime has suddenly decided to make a rather brilliant token gesture, obviously designed to indicate a willingness to tackle government excess: it’s forcing officials to give up their [...]
Tags:cars·corruption·Kenya·politics
The Nom de Politique Rule
October 19th, 2009 · No Comments
Following up on last week’s post regarding the general dreadfulness of rulers who get their mugs put on coins, we had to add another rogue to the gallery: the late Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire. One of his personalized coins can be glimpsed here, and some of his paper money above. Mobutu certainly proves our [...]
Tags:Brandon Grove·corruption·currency·diplomacy·economics·Mobutu Sese Seko·Zaire
Mzungu Back on the Scene
October 5th, 2009 · 2 Comments
After an interminable 27-plus hours in transit from Nairobi, punctuated by some dire experiences aboard Swiss Air, we finally made it back to Microkhan HQs late yesterday. Great to be back in sunny Atlah, though an enjoyable and productive time was had by all in Kenya. We’ll be posting plenty of East Africa-related material in [...]
Tags:Africa·baboons·corruption·drought·Kenya·Mwai Kibaki·primates·traffic
The Filipino Route Around
August 4th, 2009 · No Comments
Yesterday we looked at the economic benefits of the Philippines’ divorce ban. In doing so, we noted that while legal splits are certainly uncommon over there, they’re certainly not unheard of. Filipinos who want out of bummer marriages must opt for an annulment, which is ostensibly tough to obtain. But as is usually the case [...]
Dibs on Miss Peru
June 22nd, 2009 · 2 Comments
Just as we’d hoped, The Economist decided to memorialize the late Gabonese president Omar Bongo in its current issue. And as befits an old-school strongman who appeared to care not a whit for his people’s welfare, the obituary is fairly damning—though, granted, not as gloves-off as the magazine’s posthumous takedown of Prabhakaran. The choicest bit, [...]
Tags:corruption·Gabon·Omar Bongo·Peru
Rough Trade in the Delta
June 9th, 2009 · No Comments
Royal Dutch Shell’s decision to settle with the family of executed activist Ken Saro-Wiwa reminded us of this disturbringly prescient piece from a decade ago. It’s an account of all the dirty dealings that surround Nigeria’s oil wealth, and how oil companies and Big Men manage to keep enriching themselves despite frequent grassroots protests (or [...]
Old-School Strongman Sheds Mortal Coil
June 8th, 2009 · 3 Comments
Microkhan is big enough to admit when we were wrong. And so we must eat a bit of humble pie regarding Gabonese president Omar Bongo, who apparently wasn’t faking his illness. Last month, we opined that the timing of Bongo’s medical leave seemed curiously perfect, given that he was under French investigation. Given Bongo’s horrendously [...]
Tags:cars·corruption·France·Gabon·Omar Bongo·Stutz
Department of Odd Timing
May 18th, 2009 · 4 Comments
After 42 years at the helm of Gabon, President Omar Bongo appears to be easing his way out the door. The official reason is declining health, but Microkhan finds it odds that Bongo seems to have taken ill after a French court lowered the investigative boom, in response to a complaint by Transparency International. The [...]
Tags:corruption·France·Gabon·Libreville·Omar Bongo·Stutz·Transparency International
The Pride of Sagaing Division
May 11th, 2009 · 1 Comment
The handsome logo at right belongs to Zeya Shwe Myay FC, one of eight teams that will soon compete in Burma’s National League Cup, the nation’s first-ever professional soccer league. Matches kick off this coming Saturday, with the early money on Mandalay’s Yadanarpon FC as the prohibitive favorite; the team is owned by a drinking-water [...]
Tags:Burma·corruption·National League Cup·politics·Sagaing Division·soccer·sports·Zeya Shwe Myay
Combating Corruption with Sandwiches
May 5th, 2009 · No Comments
Indonesia regularly languishes near the bottom of Transparency International‘s corruption index; in the 2008 rankings, the world’s fourth-most populous nation came in tied for 126th, alongside Honduras, Uganda, and Mozambique. With everyone’s hand out when foreign investors come knocking, it’s no wonder that major development deals fall through all the time. So what’s to be [...]
Rough Times in Guinea-Bissau
March 2nd, 2009 · No Comments
In light of today’s stunning assassination news out of Guinea-Bissau, it’s worth revisiting this fine Washington Post investigation from last August. The West African nation has apparently become a key transshipment point for Colombian cocaine traffickers, en route to major European markets: [Guinea-Bissau] is best known for its cashews and mangoes, but its main attractions [...]
The Lipstick of Dictatorship
February 25th, 2009 · No Comments
The happy gentleman to the right is José Eduardo dos Santos, Angola’s president for the past 30 years. During that time, he has allegedly managed to skim $4 billion from the nation’s oil revenues—quite a despicable feat, given that Angola remains one of the world’s poorest countries, with 70 percent of the population living on [...]
Tags:Angola·corruption·journalism
The Consequences of Patronage
February 24th, 2009 · No Comments
Given my curious fascination with Sri Lanka and its long-running ethnic conflict, I thought it wise to provide some context. The island nation’s 34-year civil war is pretty baffling, and the partisan journalism on both sides doesn’t make it easy to parse the details. That’s why I heartily recommend Sri Lanka: History and the Roots [...]
Madagascar and Daewoo
February 9th, 2009 · 2 Comments
The political turmoil in Madagascar is getting ugly. An ultra-shady land deal may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Tags:corruption·Madagascar
