World Politics News   Articles for World Politics Course

The problems of climate change have been strongly suggested by the severity of Typhoon Haiyan and the damage suffered by the people of the Philippines.  We have no clear relationship between climate change and specific storms, but there are reasons to believe that a relationship does in fact exist.  For many people in the poorer nations of the world, the issue of climate change is also an issue of inequality.  Poor countries have contributed little to the historical build-up of greenhouse gases (although they are catching up quickly), but they are the least capable of making the necessary adaptations to the changes that those greenhouse gases may cause.  Many of the poor countries are demanding that the rich countries pay for the damages their historical actions are creating in poor countries.  Naderev Sano, a Filipino diplomat representing his country at the UN climate talks in Warsaw which were going on as the tragedy unfolded in the Philippines, gave a speech that made that demand quite forcefully.

Another Persian Gulf country, Qatar, has been accused of the extensive abuse of migrant laborers.  The charges are similar to those leveled against Saudi Arabia and workers from Ethiopia.  Amnesty International has issued a report which catalogs abuses such as forced overtime, harsh working conditions, and delayed wages for migrant workers.  The charges are especially troubling since much of the construction work is directed toward Qatar’s role as the host to the 2022 World Cup.  It is ironic that one of the richest countries in the world as measured by GDP per capita feels obliged to resort to what is essentially slave labor.

Chile voted for a new president today, and the polls indicate that Center-Left candidate, Michele Bachelet, may well take over 50% of the vote, obviating the need for a run-off election.  Bachelet was President from 2006-2010, and in the intervening years there have been many protests against the policies of the more centrist current President Sebastian Pinera.  If Bachelet does not get 50% of the vote she will face Evelyn Matthei in a run-off election.  Bachelet and her father were torture victims of the dictator Pinochet who brutally led Chile from 1973-90;  ironically, Matthei supported the Pinochet regime in a 1998 plebiscite.