By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – In view of the increasingly critical situation for ordinary Venezuelans, the United Nations remains committed to providing humanitarian support, based on “need, and need alone”, according to a senior aid official. But the oil-rich country is not only suffering from food and medical shortages. The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) […]
‘Montevideo Mechanism’ Seeks to Resolve Venezuela Crisis
By Rodrigo Pérez MONTEVIDEO (IDN) – The United Nations is willing to bring Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido together for “serious negotiations” at their request, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said during a press conference at the 32nd African Union summit on February 10 at Addis Ababa. Ethiopia. Earlier, the spokesman for […]
CARICOM Alerts UN As Situation Escalates In Venezuela
By J C Suresh TORONTO (IDN) – With the Venezuelan crisis worsening on its doorsteps, the 15-nation Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has been at pains to prevent the situation in the Bolivarian Republic taking a sharp turn for the worst. It has censured the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) Luis Leonardo Almagro […]
Why Venezuela’s Oil Money Could Keep Undermining Its Economy And Democracy
By Scott Morgenstern and John Polga-Hecimovich* LONDON (IDN-INPS) – As political and economic crises threaten to topple Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, political scientists like us are not surprised that he has run into trouble. Instead, we see Venezuela as another example of what scholars call the “resource curse.” That’s the unfortunate correlation first described by […]
Nalanda Grapples With Making Pali Relevant 2500 Years Later
By Kalinga Seneviratne This article is the 27th in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews, flagship of the International Press Syndicate. Click here for previous series. NALANDA, India (IDN) – It is believed that more than 2500 years ago Gauthama Buddha chose to preach in Pali rather than Sanskrit because […]
Morocco’s Indigenous People Cry For Sustainable Development
By Peter J. Jacques The writer is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, USA. He recounts what Indigenous Amazigh people told him during field work in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. ORLANDO (IDN) – Life and death for whole communities hang in the balance of achieving the […]
Venezuela Crisis Drives A Wedge Between Europeans
Viewpoint by Shastri Ramachandaran* NEW DELHI (IDN) – It’s a topsy-turvy world. President Emmanuel Macron’s France can recognise Juan Guaido, who is leading the protests in distant Venezuela, as “Interim President” of that country. But Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio cannot meet “Yellow Vest” protestors demonstrating on the streets of Paris. Why is […]
Democracy Under Threat From Corruption
By Sean Buchanan LONDON (IDN) – Amid a deterioration of trust in democracy, people around the world clearly disillusioned with formal political institutions are turning their anger into protest. Besides being self-seeking, the political class is seen as riddled with corruption, leading to a situation where democratic progress has slowed to a near halt. Indeed, […]
It’s Not Just About Overthrowing Maduro In Venezuela
Viewpoint by Kalinga Seneviratne SINGAPORE (IDN) – The ‘Washington Consensus’ on democracy today is not about respecting peoples’ right to elect their leaders by popular vote, but how to buy these votes to promote U.S. business interests. Thus, the ongoing campaign to bring “regime change” in Venezuela is not about overthrowing Venezuelan President Nicolas Madura, […]
Writing From A Sinking Vessel
Viewpoint by Federico Mayor Zaragoza* BARCELONA (IDN) – “Suddenly,” said Leonardo Da Vinci, “there are no poor and rich, no young and old, no white and black on board … only a bunch of passengers toiling, working together to survive, to avoid a shipwreck.” This is the advice we should convey today through all media […]