"The situation in Iraq, even by friendly accounts, seems to be deteriorating," writes William Pfaff, "and unfriendly accounts in both the British and the French press are scathing." According to the international relief organization CARE, millions of people in Iraq are at risk as water and sewage systems crumble. "Many people do not have access to safe drinking water, and human waste is backing up and out of the drains in many parts of Baghdad," said CARE's Nick Southern.

"Conspicuously missing from the ubiquitous Iraq war critique was the subtle agenda of water rights in the parched Middle East region," writes Leah C. Wells. "The dialogue about access to clean water is commonplace in peace talks throughout the Middle East, but Western diplomats rarely broach the topic. An anonymous U.S. State Department official quoted in National Geographic said, 'people outside the region tend not to hear about the issue (of water).

Our First Quarter 2003 issue of PR Watch detailed the British American Tobacco company's effort to reposition itself as "socially responsible." Now the Center for Public Integrity has produced a detailed report, citing internal industry documents, showing how the tobacco industry is using "social responsibility" to "prevent the enactment of a tough worldwide treaty" regulating tobacco marketing.