Early in 1986, the World Health Organization in Geneva still regarded AIDS as an ailment of the promiscuous few.

The first and pivotal negotiations over global access to AIDS drugs began in Geneva in 1991. They lasted two years, but confidential minutes suggest they were doomed the first day.

Throughout the early and mid-1990s, the Clinton administration debated the merits of paying for AIDS testing and counseling of vulnerable populations overseas.

In 1995, Glaxo bought Burroughs Wellcome and became the presumptive leader in AIDS therapy.

China and Russia are regarded as the most formidable cyber threats.

In the wealthy industrialized nations, effective drug therapies against AIDS became available - AZT as early as 1987, then combinations of antiretroviral agents in 1996. The new drugs offered hope that fatal complications might be staved off and AIDS rendered a chronic condition.