[adrianmonk]

To an American audience, yeah, it's definitely better in all caps.

However, The Economist is British, and sometimes in British English they capitalize acronyms that way. Only "true" (pronounceable) acronyms, though, so they'll write Nato ("nay toh") and BBC ("bee bee see").

[pathartl]

Clarifying what you mean, all acronyms are pronounceable, otherwise they're just a sparkling initialism.

[edflsafoiewq]

The article uses "AIDS". It's just the HN title mangler at work.

[adrianmonk]

Hah, my explanation fits the facts perfectly... except for one tiny little detail. I often forget that the title mangler exists.