Diplomatic recognition has widened, but settlement expansion and territorial fragmentation threaten the foundations of Palestinian statehood. By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | NEW YORK | 26 September 2026 (IDN) – Mahmoud Abbas delivered one of the most important speeches of this year’s United Nations General Assembly without being allowed into the hall. The Palestinian president appeared […]
Guterres Bids Farewell to a United Nations Under Strain
The outgoing Secretary-General leaves behind unresolved questions of war, representation, finance and climate justice. By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | NEW YORK | 25 September 2026 (IDN) — The Security Council offers the clearest example. It becomes paralysed whenever a conflict touches the interests of a permanent member or a close ally. Russia can block action […]
Iran and the United States Find a Narrow Opening in New York
Indirect exchanges through Qatar have revived diplomacy, although the two governments remain far apart By Jamshed Baruah NEW YORK | 25 September 2026 (IDN) – The annual United Nations gathering is often dismissed as a succession of speeches. Much of its diplomacy, however, takes place outside the General Assembly Hall, in private rooms, hotel meetings […]
Ukraine and the Security Council’s Unresolved Contradiction
The body charged with maintaining international peace remains constrained when a permanent member is involved in the war. By J. Nastranis NEW YORK | 24 September 2026 (IDN) – The warning that the war in Ukraine has entered a dangerous new phase may sound familiar after more than five years of fighting. Repetition, however, should […]
When Artificial Intelligence Reaches the Security Council
The technology has moved from laboratories and boardrooms into the chamber responsible for international peace and security By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | NEW YORK | 24 September 2026 (IDN) – The United Nations Security Council has spent most of its history discussing wars, peacekeeping missions, sanctions and threats posed by armed groups. Its meeting on […]
Rethinking Digital Public Infrastructure for the Age of Emerging Technologies
By Leonora Smart-Abbey* SUVA, Fiji | 23 September 2026 (IDN) — Digital identity, digital payments and data exchange have become powerful reference points for thinking about what digital public infrastructure (DPI) can enable. They have supported financial inclusion, improved access to services, enabled new forms of digital participation and demonstrated how common digital foundations can […]
Peter Obi and the Obidient Movement: Nigeria’s Future
By Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW | 22 September 2026 (IDN) — As the Federal Republic of Nigeria prepares for the 2027 presidential election, the Obidient Movement is seeking to build on the political momentum it generated around Peter Obi’s 2023 candidacy. The movement attracted significant support among younger Nigerians and sections of the country’s professional […]
What Shall We Do About South Africa?
By Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP and the author of the new book Writing for Media and Monetising It. ABUJA, Nigeria | 18 September 2026 (IDN) — If South Africa needed any serious signal that the mobs roaming the streets of its cities and townships in search of immigrants were a disgrace, […]
Embodied Freedom and Mutual Recognition: A Fichtean Foundation for Healthcare Ethics
By Sam Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 17 September 2026 (IDN) — Beauchamp and Childress’ principlist framework has shaped biomedical ethics for more than four decades, providing clinicians and policymakers with a vocabulary centered on autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. Its influence is undeniable: the four principles have become the default language of ethics committees, medical […]
Why Ro Khanna and AOC Should Run for President in 2028
By Jeff Cohen and Norman Solomon* SAN FRANCISCO, USA | 16 September 2026 (IDN) — Fifteen years ago, during President Obama’s first term, we co-founded RootsAction as an online progressive group challenging not only Republicans but also the corporatism and militarism of the Democratic Party. RootsAction supported Bernie Sanders for president in 2016 and 2020. […]