Within days of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, President George Bush began assembling the Coalition of the Willing.  The coalition was made up of countries from all over the globe and ran the gamut from very tiny, obscure nations to clear world powers with obvious common interests in fighting global terrorism.   This broad coalition, under the direction the United States, implemented Operation Enduring Freedom designed to wipe out al-Qaeda in Afghanistan as well as the Taliban regime sheltering al-Qaeda fighters. 

Despite being legally regarded as minors, women in Swaziland have begun to challenge the status quo. …Leliswe Nxumalo, a widow, sued her in-laws, who had ordered her out of her husband’s house and confiscated all her marital property after his death . . . Under Swazi custom, a widow is expected to marry her deceased husband’s brother and continue bearing children. The family argued that, by tradition, the deceased man’s property belonged to them and not to the widow. They also castigated the widow for refusing to go into a month-long seclusion following her husband’s funeral, as custom dictates . . . Nxumalo countered that she needed to return to work to support herself, especially since her in-laws had confiscated her husband’s estate. The case is among several that have brought the situation regarding Swazi women’s rights into sharp focus . . .  Women may not own property or enter into contracts without the sponsorship of a male relative . . .  Although a new constitution is expected to improve the rights of Swazi women, critics argue that, like all constitutional clauses, these rights may be suspended by the king, Mswati III.

"With the exception of a handful of nation-states, multinationals are alone in possessing the size, technology, and economic reach necessary to influence human affairs on a global basis."  Half of the world's 100 greatest powers are transnational (or multinational) corporations.  The vast financial power and economic influence of transnational corporations (TNCs) enables them to affect human rights and the environment in a fundamental way.