Congress of South African Trade Unions or COSATU
[Zwelinzima VAVI, general secretary]; South African Communist Party
or SACP [Blade NZIMANDE, general secretary]; South African National
Civics Organization or SANCO [Mlungisi HLONGWANE, national president]
note: note - COSATU and SACP are in a formal alliance with the ANC
Spain
Association for Victims of Terrorism or AVT (grassroots
organization devoted primarily to opposing ETA terrorist attacks and
supporting its victims); Basta Ya (Spanish for "Enough is Enough");
grassroots organization devoted primarily to opposing ETA terrorist
attacks and supporting its victims); Nunca Mais (Galician for "Never
Again"; formed in response to the oil Tanker Prestige oil spill);
Socialist General Union of Workers or UGT and the smaller
independent Workers Syndical Union or USO; Trade Union Confederation
of Workers' Commissions or CC.OO.
other: business and landowning interests; Catholic Church; free
labor unions (authorized in April 1977); university students
Sri Lanka
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE [P. SIVAPARAN,
Chief of International Secretariat; V. RUDRAKUMARAN, legal advisor];
note - this insurgent group suffered military defeat in May 2009;
some cadres remain scattered throughout country;
other: Buddhist clergy; labor unions; radical chauvinist Sinhalese
groups such as the National Movement Against Terrorism; Sinhalese
Buddhist lay groups
Sudan
Umma Party [SADIQ Siddiq al-Mahdi]; Popular Congress Party or
PCP [Hassan al-TURABI]; Darfur rebel groups including the Justice
and Equality Movement or JEM [Khalil IBRAHIM] and the Sudan
Liberation Movement or SLM [various factional leaders]
Suriname
Association of Indigenous Village Chiefs [Ricardo PANE];
Association of Saramaccan Authorities or Maroon [Head Captain WASE];
Women's Parliament Forum or PVF [Iris GILLIAD]
Svalbard
NA
Swaziland
Swaziland Democracy Campaign; Swaziland Federation of
Trade Unions; Swaziland and Solidarity Network or SSN
Sweden
Children's Rights in Society; Swedish Confederation of
Professional Employees or TCO; Swedish Federation of Trade Unions or
LO
other: media
Switzerland
NA
Syria
Arab Human Rights Organization in Syria or AHRO; Damascus
Declaration Group (a broad alliance of secular, religious, and
Kurdish opposition groups); National Salvation Front (alliance
between former Vice President Abd al-Halim KHADDAM and other small
opposition groups in exile; formerly included the Syrian Muslim
Brotherhood); Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression
[Mazin DARWISH]; Syrian Human Rights Organization [Muhanad
al-HASANI]; Syrian Human Rights Society or HRAS [Fayez FAWAZ];
Syrian Muslim Brotherhood or SMB [Muhammad Riyad al-SHAQFAH]
(operates in exile in London)
Taiwan
environmental groups; independence movement; various business
groups
note: debate on Taiwan independence has become acceptable within the
mainstream of domestic politics on Taiwan; public opinion polls
consistently show a substantial majority of Taiwan people supports
maintaining Taiwan's status quo for the foreseeable future;
advocates of Taiwan independence oppose the stand that the island
will eventually unify with mainland China; advocates of eventual
unification predicate their goal on the democratic transformation of
the mainland
Tajikistan
splinter parties recognized by the government but not by
the base of the party: Democratic Party or DPT [Masud SOBIROV]
(splintered from ISKANDAROV's DPT); Socialist Party or SPT
[Abduhalim GHAFFOROV] (splintered from NARZIEV's SPT)
unregistered political parties: Agrarian Party [Hikmatullo
NASREDDINOV]; Progressive Party [Sulton QUVVATOV]; Unity Party
[Hikmatullo SAIDOV]
Tanzania
Economic and Social Research Foundation or ESRF; Free
Zanzibar; Tanzania Media Women's Association or TAMWA
Thailand
People's Alliance for Democracy or PAD; United Front for
Democracy Against Dictatorship or UDD
Timor-Leste
NA
Togo
NA
Tokelau
none
Tonga
Human Rights and Democracy Movement Tonga or HRDMT [Rev.
Simote VEA, chairman]; Public Servant's Association [Finau TUTONE]
Trinidad and Tobago
Jamaat-al Muslimeen [Yasin ABU BAKR]
Tunisia
18 October Group [collective leadership]; Tunisian League
for Human Rights or LTDH [Mokhtar TRIFI]
Turkey
Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists of Turkey or
TUSKON [Rizanur MERAL}; Confederation of Public Sector Unions or
KESK [Sami EVREN]; Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Unions or
DISK [Suleyman CELEBI]; Independent Industrialists' and
Businessmen's Association or MUSIAD [Omer Cihad VARDAN]; Moral
Rights Workers Union or Hak-Is [Salim USLU]; Turkish Confederation
of Employers' Unions or TISK [Tugrul KUDATGOBILIK]; Turkish
Confederation of Labor or Turk-Is [Mustafa KUMLU]; Turkish
Confederation of Tradesmen and Craftsmen or TESK [Bendevi
PALANDOKEN]; Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association
or TUSIAD [Umit BOYNER]; Turkish Union of Chambers of Commerce and
Commodity Exchanges or TOBB [M. Rifat HISARCIKLIOGLU]
Turkmenistan
none
Turks and Caicos Islands
NA
Tuvalu
none
Uganda
Lord's Resistance Army or LRA [Joseph KONY]; Young
Parliamentary Association [Henry BANYENZAKI]; Parliamentary Advocacy
Forum or PAFO; National Association of Women Organizations in Uganda
or NAWOU [Florence NEKYON]; The Ugandan Coalition for Political
Accountability to Women or COPAW
Ukraine
Committee of Voters of Ukraine [Aleksandr CHERNENKO]; OPORA
[Olha AIVAZOVSKA]
United Arab Emirates
NA
United Kingdom
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; Confederation of
British Industry; National Farmers' Union; Trades Union Congress
United States
environmentalists; business groups; labor unions;
churches; ethnic groups; political action committees or PAC; health
groups; education groups; civic groups; youth groups; transportation
groups; agricultural groups; veterans groups; women's groups; reform
lobbies
Uruguay
Architect's Society of Uruguay (professional organization);
Chamber of Uruguayan Industries (manufacturer's association);
Chemist and Pharmaceutical Association (professional organization);
PIT/CNT (powerful federation of Uruguayan Unions - umbrella labor
organization); Rural Association of Uruguay (rancher's association);
Uruguayan Construction League; Uruguayan Network of Political Women
other: Catholic Church; students
Uzbekistan
there are no significant opposition political parties or
pressure groups operating in Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
NA
Venezuela
FEDECAMARAS, a conservative business group; VECINOS
groups; Venezuelan Confederation of Workers or CTV (labor
organization dominated by the Democratic Action)
Vietnam
8406 Bloc; Democratic Party of Vietnam or DPV; People's
Democratic Party Vietnam or PDP-VN; Alliance for Democracy
note: these groups advocate democracy but are not recognized by the
government
Virgin Islands
NA
Wallis and Futuna
NA
Western Sahara
none
Yemen
Muslim Brotherhood; Women National Committee
other: conservative tribal groups; Huthis, southern secessionist
groups; al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
Zambia
NA
Zimbabwe
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition; National Constitutional
Assembly or NCA [Lovemore MADHUKU]; Women of Zimbabwe Arise or WOZA
[Jenny WILLIAMS]; Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions or ZCTU
[Wellington CHIBEBE]
======================================================================
@2116
Field Listing :: Economy - overview
This entry briefly describes the type of economy, including the
degree of market orientation, the level of economic development, the
most important natural resources, and the unique areas of
specialization. It also characterizes major economic events and
policy changes in the most recent 12 months and may include a
statement about one or two key future macroeconomic trends.
Country
Economy - overview
Afghanistan
Afghanistan's economy is recovering from decades of
conflict. The economy has improved significantly since the fall of
the Taliban regime in 2001 largely because of the infusion of
international assistance, the recovery of the agricultural sector,
and service sector growth. Despite the progress of the past few
years, Afghanistan is extremely poor, landlocked, and highly
dependent on foreign aid, agriculture, and trade with neighboring
countries. Much of the population continues to suffer from shortages
of housing, clean water, electricity, medical care, and jobs.
Criminality, insecurity, weak governance, and the Afghan
Government's inability to extend rule of law to all parts of the
country pose challenges to future economic growth. Afghanistan's
living standards are among the lowest in the world. While the
international community remains committed to Afghanistan's
development, pledging over $67 billion at four donors' conferences
since 2002, the Government of Afghanistan will need to overcome a
number of challenges, including low revenue collection, anemic job
creation, high levels of corruption, weak government capacity, and
poor public infrastructure.
Akrotiri
Economic activity is limited to providing services to the
military and their families located in Akrotiri. All food and
manufactured goods must be imported.
Albania
Albania, a formerly closed, centrally-planned state, is
making the difficult transition to a more modern open-market
economy. Macroeconomic growth averaged around 6% between 2004-08,
but declined to about 3% in 2009-10. Inflation is low and stable.
The government has taken measures to curb violent crime, and
recently adopted a fiscal reform package aimed at reducing the large
gray economy and attracting foreign investment. The economy is
bolstered by annual remittances from abroad representing about 15%
of GDP, mostly from Albanians residing in Greece and Italy; this
helps offset the towering trade deficit. The agricultural sector,
which accounts for over half of employment but only about one-fifth
of GDP, is limited primarily to small family operations and
subsistence farming because of lack of modern equipment, unclear
property rights, and the prevalence of small, inefficient plots of
land. Energy shortages because of a reliance on hydropower, and
antiquated and inadequate infrastructure contribute to Albania's
poor business environment and lack of success in attracting new
foreign investment needed to expand the country's export base. The
completion of a new thermal power plant near Vlore has helped
diversify generation capacity, and plans to upgrade transmission
lines between Albania and Montenegro and Kosovo would help relieve
the energy shortages. Also, with help from EU funds, the government
is taking steps to improve the poor national road and rail network,
a long-standing barrier to sustained economic growth.
Algeria
Algeria's economy remains dominated by the state, a legacy
of the country's socialist post-independence development model.
Gradual liberalization since the mid-1990s has opened up more of the
economy, but in recent years Algeria has imposed new restrictions on
foreign involvement in its economy and largely halted the
privatization of state-owned industries. Hydrocarbons have long been
the backbone of the economy, accounting for roughly 60% of budget
revenues, 30% of GDP, and over 95% of export earnings. Algeria has
the eighth-largest reserves of natural gas in the world and is the
fourth-largest gas exporter. It ranks 16th in oil reserves. Thanks
to strong hydrocarbon revenues, Algeria has a cushion of $150
billion in foreign currency reserves and a large hydrocarbon
stabilization fund. In addition, Algeria's external debt is
extremely low at about 1% of GDP. Algeria has struggled to develop
industires outside of hydrocarbons in part because of high costs and
an inert state bureaucracy.The government's efforts to diversify the
economy by attracting foregin and domestic investment outside the
energy sector have done little to reduce high poverty and youth
unemployment rates. In 2010, Algeria began a five-year, $286 billion
development program to update the country's infrastructure and
provide jobs. The costly program will boost Algeria's economy in
2011 but worsen the country's budget deficit. Long-term economic
challenges include diversification from hydrocarbons, relaxing state
control of the economy, and providing adequate jobs for youger
Algerians.
American Samoa
American Samoa has a traditional Polynesian economy
in which more than 90% of the land is communally owned. Economic
activity is strongly linked to the US with which American Samoa
conducts most of its commerce. Tuna fishing and tuna processing
plants are the backbone of the private sector, with canned tuna the
primary export. The two tuna canneries account for 80% of
employment. In late September 2009, an earthquake and the resulting
tsunami devastated American Samoa and nearby Samoa, disrupting
transportation and power generation, and resulting in about 200
deaths. The US Federal Emergency Management Agency is overseeing a
relief program of nearly $25 million. Transfers from the US
Government add substantially to American Samoa's economic well
being. Attempts by the government to develop a larger and broader
economy are restrained by Samoa's remote location, its limited
transportation, and its devastating hurricanes. Tourism is a
promising developing sector.
Andorra
Tourism, the mainstay of Andorra's tiny, well-to-do economy,
accounts for more than 80% of GDP. An estimated 11 million tourists
visit annually, attracted by Andorra's duty-free status for some
products and by its summer and winter resorts. Andorra's comparative
advantage eroded when the borders of neighboring France and Spain
opened, providing broader availability of goods and lower tariffs.
The banking sector, with its partial "tax haven" status, also
contributes substantially to the economy. Agricultural production is
limited - only 2% of the land is arable - and most food has to be
imported. The principal livestock activity is sheep raising.
Manufacturing output consists mainly of cigarettes, cigars, and
furniture. Andorra is a member of the EU Customs Union and is
treated as an EU member for trade in manufactured goods (no tariffs)
and as a non-EU member for agricultural products.
Angola
Angola's high growth rate in recent years was driven by high
international prices for its oil. Angola became a member of OPEC in
late 2006 and in late 2007 was assigned a production quota of 1.9
million barrels a day (bbl/day), somewhat less than the 2-2.5
million bbl/day Angola's government had wanted. Oil production and
its supporting activities contribute about 85% of GDP. Diamond
exports contribute an additional 5%. Subsistence agriculture
provides the main livelihood for most of the people, but half of the
country's food is still imported. Increased oil production supported
growth averaging more than 15% per year from 2004 to 2008. A postwar
reconstruction boom and resettlement of displaced persons has led to
high rates of growth in construction and agriculture as well. Much
of the country's infrastructure is still damaged or undeveloped from
the 27-year-long civil war. Land mines left from the war still mar
the countryside, even though peace was established after the death
of rebel leader Jonas SAVIMBI in February 2002. Since 2005, the
government has used billions of dollars in credit lines from China,
Brazil, Portugal, Germany, Spain, and the EU to rebuild Angola's
public infrastructure. The global recession temporarily stalled
economic growth. Lower prices for oil and diamonds during the global
recession led to a contraction in GDP in 2009, and many construction
projects stopped because Luanda accrued $9 billion in arrears to
foreign construction companies when government revenue fell in 2008
and 2009. Angola abandoned its currency peg in 2009, and in November
2009 signed onto an IMF Stand-By Arrangement loan of $1.4 billion to
rebuild international reserves. Although consumer inflation declined
from 325% in 2000 to under 14% in 2010, Luanda has been unable to
reduce inflation below 10%. The Angolan kwanza depreciated again in
mid 2010, which, along with higher oil prices, should boost economic
growth in all sectors. Corruption, especially in the extractive
sectors, also is a major challenge.
Anguilla
Anguilla has few natural resources, and the economy depends
heavily on luxury tourism, offshore banking, lobster fishing, and
remittances from emigrants. Increased activity in the tourism
industry has spurred the growth of the construction sector
contributing to economic growth. Anguillan officials have put
substantial effort into developing the offshore financial sector,
which is small but growing. In the medium term, prospects for the
economy will depend largely on the tourism sector and, therefore, on
revived income growth in the industrialized nations as well as on
favorable weather conditions.
Antarctica
Scientific undertakings rather than commercial pursuits
are the predominate human activity in Antarctica. Fishing off the
coast and tourism, both based abroad, account for Antarctica's
limited economic activity. Antarctic fisheries, targeting three main
species - Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus
eleginoides and D. mawsoni), mackerel icefish (Champsocephalus
gunnari), and krill (Euphausia superba) - reported landing 141,147
metric tons in 2008-09 (1 July - 30 June). (Estimated fishing is
from the area covered by the Convention on the Conservation of
Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which extends slightly
beyond the Antarctic Treaty area.) Unregulated fishing, particularly
of Patagonian toothfish (also known as Chilean sea bass), is a
serious problem. The CCAMLR determines the recommended catch limits
for marine species. A total of 37,858 tourists visited the Antarctic
Treaty area in the 2008-09 Antarctic summer, down from the 46,265
visitors in 2007-2008 (estimates provided to the Antarctic Treaty by
the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO);
this does not include passengers on overflights). Nearly all of them
were passengers on commercial (nongovernmental) ships and several
yachts that make trips during the summer.
Antigua and Barbuda
Tourism continues to dominate Antigua and
Barbuda's economy, accounting for nearly 60% of GDP and 40% of
investment. The dual-island nation's agricultural production is
focused on the domestic market and constrained by a limited water
supply and a labor shortage stemming from the lure of higher wages
in tourism and construction. Manufacturing comprises enclave-type
assembly for export with major products being bedding, handicrafts,
and electronic components. Prospects for economic growth in the
medium term will continue to depend on tourist arrivals from the US,
Canada, and Europe and potential damages from natural disasters.
After taking office in 2004, the SPENCER government adopted an
ambitious fiscal reform program, and was successful in reducing its
public debt-to-GDP ratio from 120% to about 90% in 2008. However,
the global financial crisis that began in 2008, has led to a
significant increase in the national debt, which topped 130% at the
end of 2010. The Antiguan economy experienced solid growth from 2003
to 2007, reaching over 12% in 2006 driven by a construction boom in
hotels and housing associated with the Cricket World Cup, but growth
dropped off in 2008 with the end of the boom. In 2009, Antigua's
economy was severely hit by the global economic crisis, suffering
from the collapse of its largest financial institution and a steep
decline in tourism. This decline continued in 2010 as the country
struggled with a yawning budget deficit.
Arctic Ocean
Economic activity is limited to the exploitation of
natural resources, including petroleum, natural gas, fish, and seals.
Argentina
Argentina benefits from rich natural resources, a highly
literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a
diversified industrial base. Although one of the world's wealthiest
countries 100 years ago, Argentina suffered during most of the 20th
century from recurring economic crises, persistent fiscal and
current account deficits, high inflation, mounting external debt,
and capital flight. A severe depression, growing public and external
indebtedness, and a bank run culminated in 2001 in the most serious
economic, social, and political crisis in the country's turbulent
history. Interim President Adolfo RODRIGUEZ SAA declared a default -
the largest in history - on the government's foreign debt in
December of that year, and abruptly resigned only a few days after
taking office. His successor, Eduardo DUHALDE, announced an end to
the peso's decade-long 1-to-1 peg to the US dollar in early 2002.
The economy bottomed out that year, with real GDP 18% smaller than
in 1998 and almost 60% of Argentines under the poverty line. Real
GDP rebounded to grow by an average 8.5% annually over the
subsequent six years, taking advantage of previously idled
industrial capacity and labor, an audacious debt restructuring and
reduced debt burden, excellent international financial conditions,
and expansionary monetary and fiscal policies. Inflation also
increased, however, during the administration of President Nestor
KIRCHNER, which responded with price restraints on businesses, as
well as export taxes and restraints, and beginning in early 2007,
with understating inflation data. Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER
succeeded her husband as President in late 2007, and the rapid
economic growth of previous years began to slow sharply the
following year as government policies held back exports and the
world economy fell into recession. The economy has rebounded from
the 2009 recession, but the government's continued reliance on
expansionary fiscal and monetary policies risks exacerbating already
high inflation, which remains under-reported by official statistics.