We are now several months into the global food crisis. Food prices have almost doubled in three years, threatening to push 100 million people into absolute poverty, undoing much of the development progress of the past few years. The new hunger has triggered riots from Haiti to Egypt to Ethiopia, threatening political stability; it has conjured up a raft of protectionist policies, threatening globalization. Yet, Sebastian Mallaby argues that the response to this crisis from governments the world over has been lackadaisical or worse.

In this Center for Geoeconomic Studies Working Paper, Laurie A. Garrett addresses the mistakes in humanitarian food polices and maps out a better way forward.

Michael Gerson considers the motives of seven senators who are blocking the passage of an A.I.D.S. relief bill, asking “How much do seven members of the U.S. Senate weigh?”

Laurie Garrett discusses the confluence of health crises, including bird flu, climate changes and energy and food costs, in Bangladesh.

Five years ago, one could not drive across Lusaka without being slowed by regular funeral processions. No longer, says Michael Gerson.

Steve Radelet, an expert on African developmental issues, considers the long-term impact of President Bush’s policies toward Africa.

Listen to Council experts discuss President Bush’s February 2008 trip to Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana, and Liberia .

Listen to Laurie Garrett, CFR senior fellow for global health, examine the current dialogue on containing and curtailing pandemics as part of CFR's State and Local Officials Conference Call Series.

Learn more about CFR's State and Local Officials Initiative.

The ACLU discusses the need for a public health -- not a law enforcement/national security -- approach to preparing the country for a pandemic.

President Bush’s AIDS program in Africa is up for renewal. A number of health experts applaud some of its results but want to end the focus on abstinence.

The UN Human Rights Council Resolution 6/29, a mandate for Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, was adopted on December 14, 2007.

On the annual occasion of World AIDS day, CFR health expert Laurie Garrett points to problems in tracking and addressing the disease.

Jordan Kassalow, former CFR fellow for global health policy, says the problem of untreated impaired vision in the developing world is “huge,” and if this simple probem cannot be addressed, it does not bode well for more complex health issues such as HIV/AIDS.

Anderson Cooper reports on a nutritional breakthrough.

Cholera in Iraq continues to spread, and experts can’t seem to get a handle on the unsanitary water responsible for making so many people sick. 

The response to virulent animal diseases is improving, but major outbreaks continue, costing the animal industry millions and increasing fears of a global pandemic.

Treatment and prevention programs show progress against the spread of HIV/AIDS, but cultural and political issues, particularly in Africa, continue to defy science.

CFR fellow Laurie Garrett discusses Botswana’s infant formula policy debacle and its implications for other innovative efforts for fighting HIV/AIDS.