Viewpoint by Shastri Ramachandaran* NEW DELHI (IDN) — China’s announcement of May 31 to allow couples to have three children, instead of two as is the rule now, has not captured the attention it deserves for its ramifications because the country is so much in the news for the wrong reasons such as its military […]
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Review Conference Could Hit a U.S. Roadblock
By Shanta Roy NEW YORK (IDN) – The Trump Administration, which has been recklessly wielding a wrecking ball against multilateral treaties, will be put to a test next year when the 1970 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) will be up for review at the 2020 conference scheduled to take […]
Are the Japanese Really Different? Maybe
Viewpoint by Dr Palitha Kohona The writer was on an extended visit to Japan recently. He returned from a four week trip in April 2019. Some his observations might provide some clues for their phenomenal success despite being devastated by War. There might be useful lessons for other countries following the path to development. TOKYO […]
Human Survival Lies in the Balance as the Charade of NPT Diplomacy is Wearing Thin
Viewpoint by Dr Joseph Gerson* NEW YORK (IDN) – Expectations for the outcome of this year’s NPT Preparatory Committee were low at best. Not surprisingly, given the nuclear powers’ reliance on their genocidal and omnicidal arsenals and pressures building for nuclear weapons proliferation, these expectations were not exceeded. As the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists […]
7 Candidates Mark Kazakh Passage Through Historical Transition
By Radwan Jakeem NEW YORK (IDN) – The Central Asian republic of Kazakhstan is living through an historical transition. For the first time since the country adopted the Constitutional Law on the independence of the Republic and held the first presidential election in 1991, Nursultan Nazarbayev is not contesting the forthcoming polls on June 9, […]
In Quest of a More Equal World
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – Maybe, after all, there is an argument for saying that the world needs more violence not less if we are to make its societies more equal. This is one conclusion one can derive from Walter Scheidel’s new book, The Great Leveler. He starts from what we all […]
Ex-President of Sudan Faces Formal Charges of Murder
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – From the presidency to prisoner behind bars, former President Omar al-Bashir now faces formal charges of murder in the latest development to spring from a massive turnout of Sudanese people demanding civilian rule. “Omar al-Bashir and others have been charged for inciting and participating in […]
South African National Congress Wins 57.5 Percent of Vote
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – Frustrated with the failures of the ruling African National Congress, South Africans gave the ANC its lowest turnout since 2004 when it took a record 69 percent of the vote. The ANC won a sixth straight term but with the worst ever electoral showing for […]
Deep Sea Marine Science Is Key to Unlocking the Potential of Our Oceans
Viewpoint by Michael W. Lodge and Vladimir Ryabinin The following is a joint op-ed by Michael W. Lodge, Secretary-General of International Seabed Authority, and Vladimir Ryabinin, Executive Secretary of IOC-UNESCO. KINGSTON, Jamaica (IDN) – There has never been a time of greater promise or greater challenge for the future of our oceans. This is the […]
Malaysian Diplomat Shows Courage on Way to Landmark NPT Review Conference
Viewpoint by Ray Acheson This article first appeared as Editorial in NPT News in Review, Vol. 16, No. 7 on May 10, 2019. The writer is the Director of Reaching Critical Will – the disarmament programme of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). She represents WILPF on several coalition steering groups, including […]