By Medea Benjamin* NEW YORK | 13 February 2026 (IDN) — Marta Jiménez, a hairdresser in Cuba’s eastern city of Holguín, covered her face with her hands and broke down in tears when I asked her about Trump’s blockade of the island—especially now that the United States is choking off oil shipments. “You can’t imagine […]
Elections in Thailand — More of the Same?
By Jan Servaes BANGKOK, Thailand | 11 February 2026 (IDN) — During early general elections on Sunday, February 8, 2026, Thai voters elected a new 500-seat House of Representatives and voted in a national referendum on drafting a new constitution to replace the military-backed 2017 constitution. Approximately 60 political parties participated in these elections. Four […]
The New START Treaty Expired — Ending Nuclear Restraint
By Somar Wijayadasa* NEW YORK | 7 February 2026 (IDN) — On 5 February 2026, the New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty)—the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia—expired. For the first time since 1972, there are no legally binding limits on strategic nuclear weapons between Washington and Moscow. This marks […]
India–Europe at a Geopolitical Crossroads
Trade, Trust, and the Return of Strategic Memory By Ramesh Jaura This article first appeared on https://rjaura.substack.com BERLIN | 4 February 2025 (IDN) — When India and the European Union finally inked their long-anticipated Free Trade Agreement on January 27, 2026, the fanfare barely masked the unease that had driven both sides to the table. […]
When the Centre No Longer Holds
The UN’s failure and the rise of the Board of Peace By Ramesh Jaura* This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com/p/when-the-centre-no-longer-holds BERLIN | 29 January 2026 (IDN) — As the Canadian prime minister concluded his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on 20 January 2026, the applause lingered, stretching just beyond the ordinary. […]
U.S. Dual-Edged Approach of Military Posturing and Diplomatic Signals to Tehran
By Syafruddin Arsyad* JAKARTA | 28 January 2026 (IDN) — As United States naval forces assemble in the Gulf while Washington simultaneously signals openness to dialogue with Tehran, the U.S. appears to be pursuing a carefully calibrated—but inherently risky—strategy. By pairing visible military pressure with diplomatic outreach, Washington seeks to coerce Iran into concessions without […]
India Between Power Blocs
Indo-Europe and BRICS 2026 crucial to New Delhi ‘Multi-Alignment’ By Ramesh Jaura This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com BERLIN | 23 January 2026 (WorldView) — For close to eight decades since World War II, world trade has been based, though imperfectly, on the premise that rules matter. This was from the General Agreement on […]
Why World War II Analogies Are Reappearing in Debates Over ICE on America’s Streets
By Piet Gotlieb* This article was originally published on https://phdforsociety.com/world-war-ii-analogies-ice/ TILBURG, The Netherlands | 20 January 2026 (IDN) — On January 7, 2026, Renée Good was shot and killed by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The killing of the 37-year-old mother and author tugs at the heartstrings of the American and global […]
Russia–Africa: Foreign Minister Lavrov Points to Weak Media Coverage
By Kester Kenn Klomegah* MOSCOW | 27 December 2025 (IDN) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has sharply criticised the near absence of African media presence in the Russian Federation, arguing that this gap undermines the development of a positive and balanced Russia–Africa relationship. Speaking at the plenary session of the Ministerial Conference held in […]
Diving Deep into Natural Disasters: Real or Fake?
By Fathima Kadhija Mohamed* TOKYO | 26 December 2025 (IDN) — The recent rise in natural disasters worldwide has inflicted serious damage on infrastructure and economies across several nations—from typhoons and floods devastating South Asia and Africa to wildfires in Iran, Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean, and spontaneous earthquakes across Asia. Yet while these disasters […]