In 1975, the victorious Viet Minh entered Saigon, the capital of the South, following a 30 year struggle against a range of international forces. For the first time, since its occupation by France in the late 19th century, Viet Nam was independent and no longer subject to the dictates of foreign powers.
However, while the lengthy [...]

To a large extent, the reality of global inequality is ignored or at best downplayed. However, this has not always been the case. Indeed, in the early 1950s, the first UN resolutions on development focused on inequality rather than poverty. Unfortunately, this decline of interest in inequality is not an indication of any improvement in [...]

…it’s no life at all. We just live by the day… We are grateful for the food, for the accommodation, most for our children going to school… but people are wasting in the name of the asylum process…” (Anonymous Resident Mosney camp, Seaview documentary)
Enveloped in a global recession and the consequences of the disastrous economic [...]

Despite the wondrous technological developments and global wealth generated since the start of the 19th century, billions of people continue to live in the direst conditions of poverty. While this is clear from even the most casual observation of anyone who has travelled, lived or worked in the South (the Southern Hemisphere), the definition of [...]

With due apologies to Søren Kierkegaard, it is with ‘Fear and Trembling’ that I put fingers to keyboard to contribute to the burgeoning media orgy, commonly known as the “George Lee Phenomenon”.
Since the ‘earth-shattering’ news that George Lee has decided to withdraw his support from Fine Gael and quit the Dáil, the media have had [...]

Today Haiti is most commonly known for being the poorest country in the ‘western’ hemisphere and a land wracked by destitution and despair. This picture has only been reinforced by the horrific consequences of the January 13th earthquake, 15 kms south-west of Port-au-Prince. While the media networks are falling over themselves to relay stories of [...]

In the immediate aftermath of World War Two, as awareness of the horrific atrocities inflicted by the Nazi regime on Jews, gypsies, homosexuals and the disabled filtered out, there was widespread international agreement that systems and structures should be put in place to prevent future recurrence of such barbarity. One pillar of these efforts was [...]

My early years are replete with memories of the wisdom contained within the Irish seanfhocal. My mother, a fluent Irish speaker, enjoyed nothing more than a good natter as Gaeilge with a seanfhocal at her fingertips for every eventuality. A particular favourite, whenever a cold or any other ailment made its appearance, was ‘Is fearr [...]

This is the second part of a two part series on the Trade Related Intellectual Property System (TRIPS) and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and the international treaties negotiated through the World Trade Organisation by economies of the Northern Hemisphere (North) and those of the Southern Hemisphere or South.
TRIPS-Plus
Despite the initial euphoria of the business [...]

This article is the first of a two part examination of the Trade Related Intellectual Property System (TRIPS) and how it operates to the advantage of the economies in the Northern hemisphere (or “North”), principally the US and the EU, and to the disadvantage of those in the Southern hemisphere (or “South”). Part one below [...]