Political Risk Must-Reads

Eurasia Group’s weekly selection of essential reading for the political-risk junkie — presented in no particular order. As always, feel free to give us your feedback or selections by tweeting at us via @EurasiaGroup or @ianbremmer.

Must-reads

"A Free Miracle Food!"
Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times
Suboptimal breast-feeding practices claim 804,000 children’s lives a year — more than malaria (based on the World Health Organization’s estimates). This seems like low-hanging fruit for improving the global child-mortality rate.

"France’s triumphant ‘Joan of Arc’ vows to bring back franc and destroy euro"
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, the Telegraph
"The euro ceases to exist the moment that France leaves, and that is our incredible strength. What are they going to do, send in tanks?" These are the words of Marine Le Pen. But French voters are warming up to her National Front party — in the most recent national polls, it’s running even with the two traditional parties.

"Will These Youth Protests Spread to Asia’s Corrupted Democracies?"
Robert E. Kelly, the Diplomat
Many of the underlying problems attributed with sparking unrest in Brazil, Turkey, Egypt, and the European periphery are present in some Asian countries as well. Is it only a matter of time before protests spread to Asia?

"A poor bill of health"
The Economist
In the United States’ longest-living areas, like Fairfax County, Virginia, life expectancies "rival those of Switzerland and Japan." But one in nine U.S. counties has a life expectancy lower than Nicaragua’s. Welcome to the United States’ life expectancy riddle.

"Hot Rods"
Jason Miklian, Foreign Policy
In 1958, U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower sanctioned a nuclear research plant in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Today, the dilapidated plant has 4-foot walls, a single guard, and employees who are paid just $100 a month and have access to stockpiles of valuable enriched-uranium fuel rods. Two of these rods went missing in 1997.