The Duck of Minerva

When I was 16, I went to Switzerland. It was my first time outside of the US, and I worried about the normal things that a worry-wart teenager might fret about—Where is my passport? (In my handy-dandy passport holder.) Did I remember to get gifts for all of my family members? (Yes, and you’re welcome.) How much fondue can I possibly eat? (Lots, and yet somehow not enough.) Here’s one thing I didn’t worry about: Am I going to get malaria? According to a recent short blurb in The Economist, though, that question may become more common. While the global malaria incidence rate has fallen more...

When you think great diplomats—the sorts of folks who can inspire large numbers of people, bring together disparate groups, and raise public awareness of key international issues—Robert Mugabe probably isn’t the first person who springs to mind. And yet…guess who the World Health Organization just announced as its new goodwill ambassador for noncommunicable diseases in Africa? Mugabe is the 93-year-old president of Zimbabwe and has served as president or prime minister since 1980 (when an independent, majority-rule Zimbabwe came into existence)—meaning that he has been in charge for the...

Does the international community need a Charlie’s Angels of global health? You remember Charlie’s Angels. Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Jaclyn Smith were three detectives in Los Angeles who worked for a never-seen Charlie. Charlie would call the Angels whenever there was some sort of emergency, and they would go wherever in the world in order to take care of the problem. They were highly competent and glamorous, though we can rightfully criticize the show for emphasizing the Angels’ sex appeal over their crime-fighting skills. I mostly remember the show for being on WGN in the afternoon...

What happens when three major philanthropies come together to form some sort of global health Voltron? Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Michael Bloomberg are among the world’s most accomplished people. Zuckerberg is one of the founders of Facebook, the social media site we all love to hate. Gates not only has one of the nerdiest mugshots in history, but he’s also the man who unleashed Clippy on the world as the cofounder of Microsoft. Bloomberg  created a financial services and technology company, served three terms of mayor of New York City, and even had a cameo on “30 Rock.” They’re also...