Africa/global: Corruption's Threat to Democracy

Last year the General Assembly produced a new treaty that many would say was long overdue - the U.N. Convention Against Corruption. A few dozen countries have already signed on. But now what? With the new convention as a weapon, and even before it is ratified by the 30 countries needed to bring it into force, a range of international and private organisations are demanding real action, not just promises from governments. People who have spent long years looking for reasons why some countries never make it to the level of development their resources would indicate they should are now zeroing in on corruption more than ever - along with the failure to advance the rights of women - as central impediments to progress.