World

Children Still Soldiers in Global Battlefields

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Up to 200,000 children have been forced into armed service by government troops and rebel groups in 20 countries throughout Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, according to news reports. This ranges from conscription of teenage boys into the Peruvian army, as reported in LivinginPeru.com, to grim stories of children used in terrorist operations. In one such incident, Inter Press Service reports that Iraqi insurgents placed explosives on a young girl and detonated her by remote control. The worst abuses are found in Myanmar, Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo; insurgent fighters in Afghanistan, Burundi, Nepal, the Philippines, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Uganda and Colombia also habitually conscript child soldiers. The Daily Star of Lebanon also reported various Palestinian groups are still using children as soldiers.

Economy

China Comes Calling in Latin America

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China’s search for natural resources is taking it to Latin America, and bringing considerable economic clout at a time when U.S. trade with the region is steadily declining. In Peru, China has locked in control of copper production with its multibillion-dollar purchase of a mountain that holds most of Peru’s copper reserves, according to the Christian Science Monitor. Venezuela, meanwhile, has sealed a new agreement that will increase crude oil exports to China to one million barrels daily by 2012, reports Portworld.com. Other Chinese investments in Latin America include $1 billion for a hydroelectric plant in Ecuador and a $10 billion loan to Brazil’s national oil company, The New York Times reports. China is now Latin America’s second largest trading partner, with trade increasing by almost 40 percent in 2008, up to $140 billion, according to China Daily, while a Foreign Policy magazine essay states that China is signing currency swap agreements worth more than $100 billion.

Featured

Bloc Party

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Moldova’s April 5 poll saw the Communist Party re-elected with appeals to family and security (right), but young protesters say the vote was rigged, and stormed the national parliament building. It’s just more freezing wind for democracy in the former East Bloc. Photo: Dittaeva

Democracy & Civics

After a Thaw, East Bloc Democracies Face New Freeze

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The fledgling democracies of Moldova and Ukraine are struggling with new political and economic challenges. In Moldova, young protesters stormed the national parliament building in a show of anger over April 5 elections they believe were rigged in favor of the ruling Communist Party, the BBC reports. President Vladimir Voronin dismissed the protestors as “fascists,” and election observers said the vote was fair. Yet doubts remain among students and opposition parties. Communists have ruled the nation since Mr. Voronin was elected in 2001 by older Moldovans disillusioned by post-Soviet reforms, creating a schism between young voters seeking quicker change and reform, reports the Associated Press.

Democracy & Civics

UPDATE: Fiji Called a South Pacific 'Burma'

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The deepening military control of the island of Fiji has prompted fears of dictatorship. The New Zealand Herald reports that Commodore Frank Bainimarama, head of Fiji’s armed forces, was named Prime Minister just days after an April 9 court ruling declared that his government was illegal under the nation’s constitution. Bainimarama seized power in a 2006 coup, and has been in charge ever since. After the court ruling, Fiji’s president, who is considered a “puppet” by critics, suspended the constitution, had the judges fired, and gave Bainimarama a promotion to head of state. Democratic elections are on hold, press freedom and dissent have been “crushed,” the country’s 800,000 inhabitants are facing international isolation and economic destitution.