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The Washington Post publishes an op-ed by journalist Pranay Gupte claiming that recently deceased Indonesian dictator Suharto’s rule wasn’t all that bad — because he was ok with birth control, controlled population growth, and didn’t have to torture people to do it. Setting the bar pretty low, aren’t we? Gupte writes: I am not one…

Here at Global Integrity’s home office, we have been busy putting the finishing touches on the Global Integrity Report: 2007, which will be published Jan 30, 2008. On tap is an all new Global Integrity Report website, a redesign of our org site and, of course, the official opening of the Commons. Thank you to…

Italy remains without a formal government (AFP story) since Prime Minister Prodi’s ruling coalition collapsed — triggered by a corruption investigation — earlier this week. Much of this week’s drama can be pinned on a new election law which tends to create radically unstable coalitions. Talks are underway to replace the law prior to new…

Writing for The Nation (Nigeria), Global Integrity contributor Thompson Ayodele calls to focus on shared institutions, not individual failings, when understanding corruption: Rather than personifying the war of corruption, it is imperative to build effective institutions that would expose corrupt individuals and ensure that they do not escape justice. The difference between a country where…

Extortion: it’s not just for oppressive governments. According to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, several power utilities outside the U.S. have received extortion demands, in which online attackers (perhaps with inside help) threaten to shut down power grids via internet-based attacks. Some attacks have been carried out, the CIA says, darkening entire regions. Information Week…

Global Integrity co-founder Charles Lewis is not one to let untold stories slip from sight. At the moment, the popular mood has turned against the Bush administration’s rush to war in Iraq. But history is slippery and subject to revision, where truth becomes a game of that’s-your-opinion, and ‘balance’ means giving the truth equal time…