By Anthony Zurcher

The World Health Organization has issued a report suggesting a possible rapid spread of the Zika virus across North and South America. The infection, generally carried by mosquitoes, has caused thousands of babies to be born with underdeveloped brains and also causes symptoms in adults such as fever. No current treatment is available to help combat the disease, and the Pan American Health Organization has urgently advised people to protect themselves with insect repellant. The governments of some South American countries, notably Brazil and Colombia, are even asking women to avoid pregnancy until daily inspections are conducted.

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February 01, 2016

By Ena Cefo

The Ebola health crisis has struck some of West Africa’s poorest countries - Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, which are still recovering from decades of political instability and violence. The over 2,400 deaths in the region and a near-collapse of the health care systems in the countries, is a block to the governments’ attempts to improve their domestic human rights conditions. Human Rights Watch has criticized the West African governments for inadequate efforts to provide protections to health workers, arbitrary quarantine orders, excessive use of force by the security forces responding to the health crisis, and inadequate education of women, who are most vulnerable to the disease as a result of their societal roles. While the final responsibility for theses issues lies with the West African governments, the political and economic conditions within the countries call for further international assistance to assure the right to health in the struggling nations.

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October 21, 2014

By Derek Hunter

An overlooked factor in the worsening Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia is the devastating economic effect of the disease. These countries are some of the poorest in the world, and now their fragile economies are being presented with a toxic mix of insufficient government funding for health services, human capital flight in vital economic sectors such as agriculture, and a de facto (and sometimes official) quarantine from abroad. 

In response to these problems, the International Monetary Fund is seeking to expand its preexisting bailout programs to these countries. The Wall Street Journal discusses the (noble, but insufficient) financial support being provided by the IMF and other financial institutions to help these countries combat the Ebola epidemic.

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September 26, 2014

By Matt Klinger

The U.S. National Intelligence Council's (NIC) Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds provides an interesting perspective on technology and the future.  According to the NIC, four technology "arenas" will shape global developments to 2030: (1) information technologies (like data solutions, smart cities, etc.); (2) automation and manufacturing technologies (like 3D printing and autonomous vehicles); (3) resource technologies (think genetically modified crops); and (4) health technologies (like human augmentation).  

The impact of technology is among five potential "game-changers" the NIC identifies that could lead to four widely varying scenarios for 2030.  These "potential worlds" largely vary based on the level of international cooperation to address global challenges and the power of non-state actors to confront (or contribute to) these issues.

Although the report doesn't make this point explicitly, the implication is clear: to avoid dangerous potential outcomes countries and individually need to develop appropriate legal regimes in concert to govern projected technological developments.

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October 09, 2013