By Filmon Gebremikael, Daniel Tesfa and Shim Masha ANTWERPEN | Belgium | 19 August 2026 (IDN) — Semhal Hadush was a civil servant in a municipal office in the Central Zone of Tigray. She was forcibly conscripted by the Tigray Defense Force (TDF) from her workplace and taken to the Werie military training center in […]
A Prisoner, A Peacemaker, and Israel’s Defining Choice
By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 21 August 2026 (IDN) — What if the man Israel has imprisoned for murder is also the only Palestinian capable of delivering peace? Marwan Barghouti embodies a paradox at the heart of the conflict: legitimacy born of resistance, yet committed to coexistence. Although his release under the current Israelis’ […]
EEPA reports on US deportations to Liberia
BRUSSELS | 21 August (IDN | EEPA) — The following are the situation reports on the Migration situation in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia, Sudan, and on East Africa regional and international situations Migration and refugee situation (per 21 August) Liberia has agreed to take 1,200 third-country deportees from the US, including nationals from Africa, […]
“Moderates” Support Extreme Injustice
By Norman Solomon* SAN FRANCISCO | 20 August 2026 (IDN) — We’ve been hearing a lot of panicky warnings lately after Democratic primary voters chose socialists and other leftists instead of “moderates” in several major elections. The alarm bells got louder this month after Michigan’s progressive Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed defeated Rep. Haley Stevens – […]
The Big American Mistakes with Russia
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 19 August 2026 (IDN) — Two mistakes, committed on President Barack Obama’s watch, were the triggers for the end of the long post-Cold War period of good relations with Russia. They were the attack on Libya by the US, France and the UK and the subsequent killing of its long-time […]
When Machines Decide Who Dies
The Race to Keep War Under Human Control By Ramesh Jaura This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com/ BERLIN | 18 August 2026 (IDN) — As artificial intelligence moves from supporting military operations to becoming a weapon that can choose and launch attacks, governments must now decide, without further delay, whether machines should ever be […]
The Impossible Homecoming: Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey and the Trauma of War
By Sam Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 17 August 2026 (IDN) — Emily Wilson begins her celebrated translation of Homer’s Odyssey with an imperative that has become almost as famous as the poem itself: “Tell me about a complicated man.” Christopher Nolan has acknowledged the importance of that formulation to his own adaptation of Homer. Yet in […]
EEPA reports on AU delegation visits Khartoum
BRUSSELS | 17 August (IDN | EEPA) — The following are the situation reports on Sudan, Ethiopia, Forced recruitment in Oromia, AU delegation visits Khartoum and Heavy fighting erupts in Baidoa, Somalia. Situation in Sudan (per 17 August) Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Sovereignty Council Chair, called for a […]
The Digital Quarantine: Youth Social Media Bans Undermine Fundamental Rights
By Gina Romero The writer is a UN Special Rapporteur for the rights to freedom of assembly and of association. BOGOTA, Colombia | 17 August 2026 (IDN) — The global trend of imposing blanket social media bans on youth under 16 creates a civic-political vacuum where they can neither assemble nor digitally associate, effectively stripping […]
Are Western Hopes Diving Ukraine Towards Collapse?
The Limits of Drone Warfare and the Growing Urgency of Diplomacy By Michael von der Schulenburg* BRUSSELS | 15 August 2026 (IDN) — As recently as 26 July this year, Ursula von der Leyen appeared full of confidence in victory during her visit to Kyiv: she claimed the tide of the war had turned, that […]