Although one would not know it from the Western media, the Ebola virus continues to wreak havoc in West Africa. Some countries are making progress toward control of the disease, while in others it continues to spread. The disease also spreads economic havoc. The World Bank has conducted surveys in Liberia about how the virus has effected employment and its conclusions are wretched: “Overall, only about 36 percent of previously self-employed workers outside of agriculture and about half of those originally engaged in wage labor are still working since the crisis unfolded.” The developed world needs to address this aspect of the crisis as well.
In a show of dramatic diplomatic support, US Vice-President Biden paid a visit to Ukrainian President Poroshenko and called upon Russia to obverse the terms of the cease-fire agreement reached in Minsk in September. That cease-fire has been steadily breaking down and there is substantial evidence that Russia has sent in troops and tanks into eastern Ukraine. Biden did not bring with any promises of weapons assistance or any other type of support that might contribute to a higher level of violence. Nonetheless, Russia will likely respond to the US show of support.
Much of politics is largely symbolic–it is for that reason that outsiders often misunderstand the perceived messages within a political campaign. There is a classic example of this process in England right now, as a Labor Member of Parliament has been forced to resign her position because of a seemingly innocuous photograph. It is impossible to describe all the intricacies of this kerfuffle. Read the article and see if you understand it.
World Politics News 
Leave a comment