Dr Alon Ben-Meir*- NEW YORK | 1 October 2024 (IDN) — As Iran is currently weighing whether or not to retaliate against Israel for the assassination of Hezbollah’s chief Hassan Nasrallah, the US and Israel should make it possible for Tehran not to retaliate without losing face and potentially avert further escalation of the conflict […]
Brazil and China Could Lead the Way on South-South Climate Cooperation
By Leo Horn-Phathanothai and Rogerio Studart* BANGKOK | NEW YORK | 30 September 2024 (IDN) — This August marked the fiftieth anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Brazil—two of the most consequential countries for global efforts to avert climate chaos. Their celebrations came against the backdrop of improved relations and strengthening climate cooperation. As […]
Egypt Is Refusing to Release an Icon of the 2011 Revolution
By Sharif Abdel Kouddous The writer is an independent journalist based in New York and Cairo. @sharifabdelkouddous. NEW YORK | CAIRO | 30 September 2024 (IDN) — “I don’t know how my spirit will accept that we are entering a new form of illegal incarceration,” the imprisoned activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah wrote in a letter […]
UN Pleads for Elimination of Nuclear Weapons as the Goal Goes on Distance
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | 29 September 2024 (IDN) — Global nuclear disarmament has been the highest arms control priority of the United Nations since 1946 when the General Assembly resolved to establish the Atomic Energy Commission (dissilved in 1952), with a mandate to make specific proposals for the control of nuclear energy and the […]
UN Summit Declaration Receives Critical Response
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 29 September 2024 (IDN) — When the much-publicized two-day Summit of the Future concluded on September 23, world leaders adopted a Pact for the Future which covered a broad range of themes including peace and security, sustainable development, climate change, digital cooperation, human rights, gender, youth and future generations, […]
Sudan Conflict Triggers Humanitarian Crisis
By J Nastranis NEW YORK | GENEVA | NAIROBI | 28 September 2024 (IDN) — The Sudan conflict has generated the largest internal displacement crisis in the world since the Syrian civil war in 2011. It has also had catastrophic impacts on women and girls. “Women and girls in Sudan are facing unimaginable challenges, yet […]
From the Bullet to the Ballot — Can AKD become the Sri Lankan Lee Kuan Yew?
By Seevali Abeysekera* LONDON | 27 September 2024 (IDN) — All my previous posts pertaining to Sri Lankan politics written over the last decade or so have had one primary theme, namely that Sri Lankan politics was merely an extension of a culture based on false values which had created and promoted inept, incompetent and […]
African Leaders Demand Equitable Representation on UN Security Council
By Vibhu Mishra* NEW YORK | 27 September 2024 (IDN | UN News) — The call for a more inclusive and representative Security Council resonated loud and clear at the UN General Assembly on 26 September, as African leaders demanded global powers address the longstanding inequity in the Council’s composition. They articulated a compelling case, […]
Realities That Neither Israel nor The Palestinians Can Wish Away
Dr Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 27 September 2024 (IDN) — In last week’s article entitled “The Four Psychological Dimensions Behind Hamas’ Attack and Israel’s Retaliation,” I explored how the historical, religious, ideological, and humanitarian dimensions have impacted the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which culminated with the most violent conflagration since Israel’s creation in 1948. During this […]
Child Survival Award to Honour the Legendary Jim Grant
By Kul Chandra Gautam The writer is a former UN assistant secretary general and deputy executive director of UNICEF. KATHMANDU | 26 September 2024 (IDN) — Ever since UNICEF’s legendary Executive Director Jim Grant passed away in January 1995, I have had a dream that UNICEF, ideally, or some other organization, would establish a prestigious […]