The uprisings in Ukraine have once again exposed the penchant of the powerful to amass great sums of wealth at the expense of those for whom they are sworn to care. Following former Ukranian President Viktor Yanukovich’s ousting Saturday morning, Ukranian protesters discovered his secret cache of vintage cars, exotic animals and personal golf course in his Mezhyriya compound in Kiev.
Now open to the public as a “Museum of Corruption,” Yanukovich’s exorbitant horde qualifies him for inclusion to the growing legacy of dictators and political leaders that cash in on the wealth of the public.
Here’s a list of some of the more eccentric, public-fund wielding leaders that the world has had to tolerate.
Uday Hussein
Hussein would have had to drive at least 35 of his cars every single day in order to make use of all 13,000 cars in his collection in one year.
Amid high levels of poverty at the turn of the 21st century, the eldest son of Saddam Hussein had a personal harem, gym and zoo complete with lions, cheetahs and a bear. He also possessed $1.65 million in fine wines, liquors and heroin.
Known for his cruelty, Hussein reportedly trapped Iraqi athletes inside of an iron maiden when they displeased him and would leave unconscious friends to the whims of his inebriated pet monkey named Lousia.
Uday Hussein died in 2003 during an artillery battle between United States Armed Forces when they attacked his compound in Baghdad, Iraq.
Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos
When the insurgents of the “People Power” Revolution stormed Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos’ palace in 1986, they encountered artwork by Cezanne and Monet, cartons of jewelry and gold coins, and most infamously, his wife Imelda’s room full of designer shoes. Alongside his wife, the 20-year dictator of the Philippines stole an estimated $10 billion from the public treasury, an especially exorbitant amount considering that much of the island nation’s population lived in abject poverty, many without shoes.
Following the ouster the Marcos’ fled to Honolulu in exile, where Ferdinand died in 1989. Imelda returned to the Philippines in 1991 and has continued a life in politics, eventually becoming the representative for the Ilocos Norte province in 2010.
Muammar Gaddafi and Family
At the time of his death in 2011, news organizations reported that the Libyan despot had an estimated $200 billion in wealth, making him one of the wealthiest individuals in the history of the world. Although these funds were never owned by Gadhafi himself and were not explicitly proven by financial sites like Forbes, he still siphoned heavily from public funds to feed his need for luxury, as well as his children’s.
Artists like 50 Cent, Beyonce, Mariah Carey and Nelly Furtado all played concerts for events sponsored or hosted by members of the Kadafi Family, customarily receiving millions of dollars for their performances.
Misappropriation of public funds is nothing new, but these dictators took their privilege beyond levels of ordinary reproach. For the vast sums of money they spent on arguably superfluous luxury items, demands for transparency will not quite cut it. Instead, worldwide accountability for political leaders may be necessary, whether or not the leaders accept it.
– Emily Bajet
Sources: Forbes, LA Times, NBC, BBC, Al Jazeera, Sydney Morning Herald, Car and Driver, History.com, TIME, Biography.com
Photo: The Guardian
The Adair Group Donates 60 T-shirts to The Borgen Project
The Borgen Project has recently gifted 60 T-shirts from The Adair Group, an Atlanta-based, family-owned clothing wholesaler. A gift like this will mean 60 walking, talking billboards for The Borgen Project.
An infographic informed me that it only takes a few trendy people to start wearing an article of clothing for it to take to the streets like wildfire (this is good for hipsters but also great for a small nonprofit trying to raise awareness about global poverty.) So not only has The Adair Group made possible a potentially amazing fashion trend, they have donated a most important ally in the fight against global poverty.
It turns out that it takes nearly 2,700 liters of water to make one T-shirt. That doesn’t even begin to measure how many liters of water it then takes to clean it every other week for the rest of its life.
Once you have this Borgen Project T-shirt, you simply don’t need any others and therefore you will be saving liters and liters of water. Not only will you be the trendiest fellow around, you’ll also be raising awareness about poverty-reducing programs and legislation all while saving water. You will have succeeded in life.
I want to say thank you to The Adair Group for initiating this Borgen revolution of sorts. Without great companies like it that buy truckloads of clothing that can be offered at the lowest prices imaginable, organizations like The Borgen Project would have to resort solely to word of mouth and face to face communicating to get our message out there and that is so not hip. So please, check out The Adair Group and buy your entire family matching hoodies or your hypothetical future offspring cute tie-dye onesies. It’s the right thing to do.
– Whitney Garrett
Sources: The Adair Group, National Geographic, Flavorwire
Photo: Flickr
Wealth Gap is Largest in Rich U.S. Cities
According to a study by the the Brookings Institution, the gap between the rich and the poor is the largest in some of the richest American cities. The Associated Press quoted the Brookings study saying, “The economic divides in Atlanta, San Francisco, Washington, New York and Los Angeles are significantly greater than the national average.”
Senior fellow at Brookings Alan Berube said that a relationship exists between inequality and economic success since the aforementioned cities “are home to some of the highest paying industries and jobs in the country.”
Berube argues that many of these cities have a widening gap between rich and poor people due to their public housing and the services that attract low-wage workers. But according to the AP, “the findings come at a delicate moment for the country, still slogging through a weak recovery from the Great Recession.”
The United States is undoubtedly going through some tough times. But how is the country’s income inequality compared to other nations?
The Washington Post claims the way in which income inequality is measured is going through some changes. For many years, economists often relied on the Gini coefficient to measure the income distribution throughout nations. However, others argue the Palma ratio should be adopted instead. Unlike the Gini coefficient, this formula makes it easier to measure the gap between rich and poor people in societies.
The U.S. ranks “well below every other developed society measured,” the Post suggests after analyzing 86 nations with the Palma ratio. “It’s one spot below Nigeria, which has some of the worst political corruption in the world and in 2012 saw nationwide protests over perceived income inequality.
In other words, despite America’s having more economic equality than most of the world, it is still placed “at the bottom end of the developed world.” Nevertheless, of the 50 biggest cities in the U.S., the AP said only 18 of them experienced inequality that was statistically significant since the recession occurred. However, this was largely due to the declining incomes of the poorest residents of these cities.
Allowing this pattern to continue will be detrimental to American societies in the long run. Therefore, to prevent the wealth gap from expanding in prosperous U.S. cities and to avoid the potential dissent that such inequality caused in other global cities, Washington needs to come up with a plan to make America less unequal.
– Juan Campos
Sources: AP, The Washington Post
Dr. King’s Poor Peoples’ Campaign
There are few people in history that are recognized to the degree of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His monumental work in activism defined the civil rights movement and was integral to establishing social equality.
King’s activism came in a time of extensive social unrest within the prime of the civil rights movement addressing racial segregation. Although he widely famous for his work in establishing racial justice and equality, King was also known as a strong advocate for the poor and an avid critic of capitalist society.
King was integral in planning a campaign for the impoverished to take place in the spring of 1968 in Washington, D.C. The campaign aimed to be a peaceful gathering of low-income individuals from across the United States, congregating with the goal of having anti-poverty legislation passed.
The Poor Peoples’ Campaign (PPC) advocated for prioritizing the impoverished by introducing “a $30 billion anti-poverty package that included a commitment to full employment, a guaranteed annual income measure and more low-income housing.”
To the shock and dismay of the world, King was assassinated weeks before the PPC was expected to take place. Although he was unable to be there for the campaign, the movement continued to pick up where King had left off.
On March 12, 1968, thousands of people came together in Washington, D.C. to protest American poverty and income inequality. The protesters camped out on the National Mall for six weeks and failed to make any substantial political or legislative accomplishments.
However, the Poor Peoples’ Campaign was ultimately considered far from failure and was even able to be very successful in some regards. On the day of action, 50,000 people showed up to march against the perpetuation of low-income society. The movement opened America’s eyes to its rapidly increasing impoverished population. After the campaign, the awareness also led to then-President Lyndon Johnson’s proclamation of waging war on poverty in 1964.
Although not much progress has been made to address poverty in the U.S. since the PPC, a movement towards income equality has sparked not only in America, but across the globe. Calls for minimum wage increases and lowering the gap between lower and upper socio-economic classes are now ringing as loudly as they were during King’s time.
In remembrance of King’s PPC and Johnson’s war on poverty, 2014 is shaping up to be a landmark year in addressing the expanding income inequality and the impoverished population of the world.
– Jugal Patel
Sources: American Friends Service Committee, NPR, The Huffington Post
Photo: Black Youth Project
Singapore’s Repatriation Companies Removing Workers
Migrant workers are a common sight among the busy streets of Singapore; they have been essential to the growth of the impressive buildings that paint the skyline. But like many countries that rely on migrant workers, abuse does rear its ugly head.
Many workers who make their way to Singapore seek money that simply is not available in their home country. Typically, they sign a contract, allowing them to reside in the country for a specific period of time.
Workers who do not wish to leave are put in the hands of companies that specialize in corralling migrant workers and forcibly removing them from the country. Many of these companies have been known to use intimidating and sometimes violent tactics.
Bapari Jarkir, a Bangladeshi migrant worker, encountered the employees of a repatriation company at the point of a knife. His employer wanted to expel him off his job as a welder, but he refused due to the high amount of debt he incurred while moving to Singapore.
He was escorted to the office of a repatriation company, where he was forcibly detained for several hours until he agreed to sign a document saying he was responsible for paying his $3,900 bond that each construction firm must give up to the government for each migrant worker. The bond money is usually returned to the company once the migrant worker leaves the country.
Should a migrant worker fail to leave the country once their contract is up, the construction firm is levied with a sizeable fine. The bonds the companies hand over to the government combined with the risk of facing fines has resulted in a profitable market for repatriation companies. Horror stories have also been reported detailing the expulsion of workers from Singapore should any health issues occur.
Construction companies are typically responsible for insuring their workers and paying medical expenses should they arise. A Bangladeshi worker named Shagar faced deportation following a work related injury.
After he hurt his leg while carrying heavy tile, he pursued compensation through his employer. After being summoned to the foreman’s office, he encountered two large men who escorted him to the headquarters of a repatriation company. The company informed him he was being placed on a flight back to Bangladesh. Luckily, he was able to remember a lawyer’s assistant’s number and was provided assistance.
The issue of Singapore’s repatriation companies has even garnered the attention of the United States government. In its 2013 Report on Human Trafficking, it confirms the experience of Bapari and Shagar at the hands of repatriation companies. It notes instances of workers being “seized and confined” against their will and threatened into leaving the country.
While Singapore is a very modern and stable nation, it needs desperate reform of its labor laws concerning migrant workers; specifically the bonds the government requires from every firm employing migrant workers, which has created a market for these repatriation companies to flourish. Singapore experienced its first riot in 40 years involving disgruntled migrant workers; a clear sign that change is needed.
– Zachary Lindberg
Sources: CNN, Bloomberg
Photo: UNHCR
African Farmland Has Potential to Feed the World
Africa is a continent rich with natural resources and the world’s largest share of uncultivated land; however, it remains home to more than one-third of the world’s extreme poor. With proper and efficient agricultural techniques, African farmland has the potential to not only feed itself, but the world.
Many rich nations are now looking to invest in African farmland for their future food security, but not everyone is happy with such land deals. Skeptics are referring to this trend as “farmland grabbing;” others are trying to make sense of it through research on the key trends and drivers of the acquisitions and its impact.
A study conducted by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the International Institute for Environment and Development found that factors underpinning land acquisitions are food security concerns, government consumption targets of biofuels, rising agricultural commodity prices and policy reforms in many African countries.
In spite of the controversial investment phenomenon, poverty and inequality still remain “unacceptably high and the pace of reduction unacceptably slow.” Africa’s farmers in particular, face many barriers to accessing the inputs they need, including limited accessibility to seeds and fertilizers and extension services, high transport costs, especially for small farmers, obscure and unpredictable trade policies that raise trade costs as well as costly and often dangerous border crossings and inefficient distribution services that hamper regional trade in food.
In 2013, almost one-third of African countries grew at more than 6 percent, with government investment in production of mineral resources and agriculture constituting the bulk of economic growth. The World Bank has noted that use of updated seeds and technologies in Africa’s agricultural sector could easily double to triple crop yields. Calestous Juma, author of “The New Harvest: Agricultural Innovation in Africa,” also listed innovations in mobile communication, crop insurance, and post-harvest loss reduction as key to raising agricultural productivity.
With the use of agricultural innovations integrating political, social and environmental initiatives that can achieve sustainable growth, the potential for Africa’s agricultural production is enormous. According to Mark Beaumont, Director of the Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture, “Africa has the ability to produce all the food it requires for itself and, if carried out correctly, most of the food the rest of the world needs too.”
– Rifk Ebeid
Sources: All Africa, The National, IFAD, Financial Times, World Bank, Forbes, World Bank
Photo: Defence Web
Foreign Investors Rush to Iran After Sanctions Eased
As Western countries temporarily ease economic sanctions on Iran, foreign investors are eager to invest in the troublesome country. Under the six-month placeholder deal, the United States and the European Union have agreed to suspend sanctions on Iran’s petrochemical exports as well as sanctions on gold and precious metals. Additionally, the U.S. has suspended sanctions on Iran’s auto industry and associated services.
While the softening of sanctions on Iran are intended to build trust and provide an opportunity to reach final agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, some Western businesses are racing to take advantage of any potential profits. For instance, a French Trade delegation of over 100 potential investors took a three-day trip to Iran. The delegation, sponsored by the employers’ association, Mouvement des Enterprises de France, was the largest European business delegation to Iran in over 30 years. France is merely following suite. Delegations from the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and South Korea have also ventured to Iran. Austria sent 10 delegates in December 2013.
This rush of activity has gone against American advice on the Iran deal to its allies. U.S. President Barack Obama has warned U.S. allies that premature trade deals can only weaken their collective economic leverage in future negotiations. Secretary of State John Kerry has made it clear that while countries may have sent business people they can in no way “contravene the sanctions,” while describing the behavior as “not helpful” for negotiations.
Backing up Kerry’s claim, the U.S. has already penalized nearly three-dozen companies spanning eight different countries that have violated the terms of the sanctions with Iran. These penalties include restrictions on doing business in the U.S. and seizure of any property under American jurisdiction.
While Washington has taken a tough verbal stance on foreign businesses, American companies have seem nearly as eager to engage in Iranian business. An American-Iranian business council hosted American companies as early as April 2013 in order to prep them on doing business in Iran once sanctions end. European diplomats have accused the Obama Administration of mixed signaling by condoning the business prep meeting.
Nonetheless, the drive by foreign corporations to visit Iran has prompted administration critics in the U.S. to speak out against the deal. The naysayers feel the agreement offers too much relief and lessens Iranian incentive to negotiate a permanent nuclear agreement.
As business continue to show interest in Iran after sanctions, the Obama Administration will hear continued criticism at home for the placeholder deal it negotiated with its allies and Iran in November 2013. Only time will tell if the U.S. can successfully maintain an advantageous bargaining position as it faces criticism at home and pressure to loosen restrictions abroad. The outcome of the Iranian nuclear negotiations have enormous consequences and will determine the course of regional security in the Middle East for years to come.
– Martin Levy
Sources: The New York Times, Reuters, The Washington Post
Photo: Globalization 101
Legacy of Decadent Dictators
The uprisings in Ukraine have once again exposed the penchant of the powerful to amass great sums of wealth at the expense of those for whom they are sworn to care. Following former Ukranian President Viktor Yanukovich’s ousting Saturday morning, Ukranian protesters discovered his secret cache of vintage cars, exotic animals and personal golf course in his Mezhyriya compound in Kiev.
Now open to the public as a “Museum of Corruption,” Yanukovich’s exorbitant horde qualifies him for inclusion to the growing legacy of dictators and political leaders that cash in on the wealth of the public.
Here’s a list of some of the more eccentric, public-fund wielding leaders that the world has had to tolerate.
Uday Hussein
Hussein would have had to drive at least 35 of his cars every single day in order to make use of all 13,000 cars in his collection in one year.
Amid high levels of poverty at the turn of the 21st century, the eldest son of Saddam Hussein had a personal harem, gym and zoo complete with lions, cheetahs and a bear. He also possessed $1.65 million in fine wines, liquors and heroin.
Known for his cruelty, Hussein reportedly trapped Iraqi athletes inside of an iron maiden when they displeased him and would leave unconscious friends to the whims of his inebriated pet monkey named Lousia.
Uday Hussein died in 2003 during an artillery battle between United States Armed Forces when they attacked his compound in Baghdad, Iraq.
Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos
When the insurgents of the “People Power” Revolution stormed Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos’ palace in 1986, they encountered artwork by Cezanne and Monet, cartons of jewelry and gold coins, and most infamously, his wife Imelda’s room full of designer shoes. Alongside his wife, the 20-year dictator of the Philippines stole an estimated $10 billion from the public treasury, an especially exorbitant amount considering that much of the island nation’s population lived in abject poverty, many without shoes.
Following the ouster the Marcos’ fled to Honolulu in exile, where Ferdinand died in 1989. Imelda returned to the Philippines in 1991 and has continued a life in politics, eventually becoming the representative for the Ilocos Norte province in 2010.
Muammar Gaddafi and Family
At the time of his death in 2011, news organizations reported that the Libyan despot had an estimated $200 billion in wealth, making him one of the wealthiest individuals in the history of the world. Although these funds were never owned by Gadhafi himself and were not explicitly proven by financial sites like Forbes, he still siphoned heavily from public funds to feed his need for luxury, as well as his children’s.
Artists like 50 Cent, Beyonce, Mariah Carey and Nelly Furtado all played concerts for events sponsored or hosted by members of the Kadafi Family, customarily receiving millions of dollars for their performances.
Misappropriation of public funds is nothing new, but these dictators took their privilege beyond levels of ordinary reproach. For the vast sums of money they spent on arguably superfluous luxury items, demands for transparency will not quite cut it. Instead, worldwide accountability for political leaders may be necessary, whether or not the leaders accept it.
– Emily Bajet
Sources: Forbes, LA Times, NBC, BBC, Al Jazeera, Sydney Morning Herald, Car and Driver, History.com, TIME, Biography.com
Photo: The Guardian
Extensive Human Rights Violations in Eritrea
Resting at the horn of Africa, the nation of Eritrea lies between the developing nations of Ethiopia and Sudan. It is home to some of the world’s worst longstanding and ongoing cases of human rights atrocities. The violations have ranged from arbitrary detainment and torture, forced labor and popular oppression on multiple fronts.
Eritrea’s current system of governance is labeled as a transitional government with the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) as the only political party. The PFDJ party gained incumbency during the elections of June 1993; there have been no elections since then.
President Isaias Afewerki is in control of the PFDJ party and is presently the head of state and government. Moreover, PFDJ under the Afewerki regime holds authoritative control over all national, regional and local political offices.
Although there has been extensive documentation of human rights violations in Eritrea, there has been no participation in the Universal Periodic Review, a process in which each member state of the United Nations undergoes a human rights review every four and a half years. Unfortunately, Eritrea has not allowed access for the United Nations Special Rapporteur to conduct the review.
According to a 2013 annual report carried out by Amnesty International, just a few of the many human rights violations in Eritrea include compulsory military training and forced labor for children. The Afewerki regime has also arbitrarily detained and tortured thousands of civilians. There are no opposition parties, independent media or civil society organizations, as the government does not permit them.
The degree of oppression is quite appalling and has resulted with up to 3,000 refugees on a monthly basis, most of which are children. Last year, over 300,000 refugees fled from Eritrea to neighboring countries and have placed economic burdens upon them as a result.
After intensive analysis on the human rights paradigm, Sheila Keetharuth, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Eritrea, spoke before the United Nations General Assembly in October 2013. She urged the international community to focus their efforts on Eritrea by stating, “The current human rights picture is desperately bleak. People feel trapped in a long hopeless situation as they see no end to it to the point that they take the irreversible decision to flee, forcing them on the road to exile.”
It has been over two decades since the “transitional” Afewerki regime under the PFDJ party has come into power. With the authoritative oppression that the people of Eritrea are subject to, it has become clear they have no power to control their own circumstances. Thus, the human rights tragedy can only be addressed with international intervention.
– Jugal Patel
Sources: HRC, Amnesty USA
Photo: Ethiopian News Forum
Muslim Exodus in CAR: Economic Consequences
One of the poorest nations in the world, the Central African Republic (CAR,) sees 90 percent of its citizens survive on just one meal per day. Sectarian and religious violence, primarily targeting the minority Muslim population, only makes matters worse.
Most food trade in the capital city of Bangui is reliant on the imports of wholesale vendors, which are resold by small traders in the marketplace. Muslims, however, own and control these wholesalers, in addition to a large proportion of the agricultural sector as well. And the Muslims are fleeing.
About 40 large wholesalers participated in the market before Muslim leader Michel Djotodia seized power in a coup in March 2013. Less than a year later, only 10 remain. It should not be terribly shocking that Muslims, who live in constant fear for their lives amid ever-increasing violence, are embarking on a massive exodus out of the CAR and into neighboring countries such as Chad and Cameroon.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM,) over 60,000 people have already fled since December 5, 2013, when Christian militias and soldiers exploded into violence.
The Muslim exodus has left farmers without access to seeds, prevented food trucks from crossing the border due to fear of attack and risks an incredible rise in prices as food supplies dry up. If security does not improve soon, the 10 remaining wholesalers claim they will leave as well. Even if they were to stay, profits would be minimal. Over the past two months, sales dropped 90 percent among wholesalers because people can no longer afford to buy the food they need.
Philippe Conraud, Oxfam country director, argues that the combination of people being forced out of the country and the inability for food to come in risks turning the situation into something analogous to a siege. French and African troops, sent to the CAR by the United Nations Security Council, have proven unable to halt the atrocious violence thus far.
In addition to the tumultuous effects fleeing traders have on the country of their origin, neighboring countries must prepare for the economic outcomes of the present circumstances. With at least 30,000 refugees in Chad and 10,000 so far in Cameroon, these neighboring countries have their hands full with the conflict’s humanitarian crisis.
Giovanni Cassani, emergency coordinator for the IOM, touches on the enormity of the problem. 50,000 people can make up a small town. Unless the situation in the CAR improves soon, neighboring countries will have to deal with the long-term economic transformations of a Muslim exodus.
– Jaclyn Stutz
Sources: BBC, Global Post, Washington Post
Photo: Oxfam International
Poverty in Italy: An Overview
The number of people who are living in poverty in Italy has doubled since 2012. Over a million Italians are unable to afford to eat meat or pay for basic necessities such as heating for their houses. It is estimated that poverty in Italy is higher than it has ever been within the last 16 years.
Relative poverty is considered a family of two members living on a monthly salary of 991 euros or less. Approximately, 12.7 percent of families are living at relative poverty standards.
About eight percent of the Italian population is living in total poverty and unable to meet the minimum acceptable standard of living, according to the National Institute for Statistics (ISTAT).
“It is a reminder, if one were needed, of the severity and scale of Italy’s recession, the longest since the Second World War. Italy maybe the comeback kid of the global sovereign debt markets, but its economy does not look as though it will ever come back – and it was not even strong to start,” said Nicholas Spiro, head of Spiro Sovereign Strategy about ISTAT’s report.
The recession is taking a massive toll, currently plunging approximately 40 percent of Italian youth into unemployment.
Currently, Italy’s rate of unemployment and the amount of young people without education is the highest in Europe since the 1970s, totaling 23.9 percent. This means that one third of people ages 15-29 are either without education or without a job.
Only 58 percent of those who have graduated from college are able to find jobs out of school, which is below the average number of 77.2 percent in European countries.
The number of families living without adequate necessities, such as heating, has reached a staggering 8.6 million, or one family out of five. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for those same families to not be able to afford a healthy meal consisting of meat once every 2 days, meaning 16.6 percent of families living in poverty in Italy are not receiving an appropriate amount of nutrients.
Poverty in Southern Italy has increased by a whopping 90% over the past five years, a clear indicator of the economic gap between Northern Italy and Southern.
The recession is also affecting the ability of Italian employees to take a holiday break. 50 percent of Italians are not able to enjoy a holiday week off and, in Southern Italy, approximately 69 percent of Italians are unable to enjoy a holiday off. Employee wages are being cut and full-time employment is at record lows.
– Rebecca Felcon
Sources: Reuters, UK Reuters, The Local, CNBC, Global Post
Photo: