By Kim Scipes* Editor’s Note: This article deliberately follows US English spelling conventions. WESTVILLE, Indiana, USA | 17 June 2026 (IDN) — Strong support for Palestine and Palestinian workers was obvious at the recently concluded Labor Notes conference in Chicago. This bi-annual conference of labor activists took place on June 12-14 at the Hyatt Regency […]
Energy Transition Only Works If Development Works
By Shuvojit Banerjee and Weiwen Qi* BANGKOK, Thailand | 16 June 2026 (IDN) — The energy transition is reshaping economic structures across Asia and the Pacific. When managed well, it can unlock new economic growth opportunities. Where it is not, it can trigger inflation and political backlash that stalls reform. The difference lies in whether […]
The New Documentary “An Ordinary Insanity”
Only when such sanity becomes ordinary will we have a chance of surviving the nuclear era. By Robert Ellsberg* NEW YORK | 13 JUNE 2026 (IDN) —This film presents a synthesis of my father’s book, The Doomsday Machine. His book depicts the evil murderousness of nuclear war plans, and the particular dangers posed by ICBMS, with their […]
Germany, Japan and the Return of Military Power (Part I)
From Defeat to Dependence Eighty years after World War II, Germany and Japan—once defined by constitutional restraints on military power—are rebuilding their armed forces as the international order grows increasingly uncertain. Their transformation is reviving old debates about war, memory, nuclear weapons and the fragile foundations of global stability. By Ramesh Jaura This article was […]
Ethiopia: Managed Competition in the 7th General Election
Prosperity Party Left 75 Seats to the Opposition in Bid to Legitimize Elections By Daniel Tesfa, Filmon Gebremikael, Shim Masha, Kristína Melicherová, Mirjam van Reisen and Joëlle Stocker ADDIS ABEBA, Ethiopia | 2 June 2026 (IDN) — The 7th Ethiopian general election, being conducted on 1st June 2026, represents one of the most administratively expansive […]
The Long Shadow of Slavery
50 million Modern Slaves and America’s Battle Over Historical Memory By Ramesh Jaura This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com BERLIN | 30 May 2026 (IDN) — More than 50 million people around the world are living in modern slavery today, according to the latest estimates from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the United […]
A ‘Wake-Up Call’ for U.S. Democracy
By Jan Servaes MIAMI | 28 May 2026 (IDN) — The weekend preceding Memorial Day (observed on the last Monday of May) is not only the time when Americans host their first barbecue of the summer season, but also when—during religious services, parades, and speeches—they commemorate those who have fallen in all American wars. In local […]
The Bomb Wins Again: How the 2026 NPT Review Conference Became a Monument to Nuclear Complacency
By Tariq Rauf A Special Report on the collapse of the Eleventh NPT Review Conference, New York, 27 April– 22 May 2026.[i] NEW YORK | 25 May 2026 (IDN) — On the evening of Friday, 22 May 2026, Ambassador Do Hung Viet, the President of the Eleventh Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) solemnly took […]
The World Tilts into A New Great Power Struggle
The New Age of Power and Peril By Ramesh Jaura This article first appeared on https://rjaura.substack.com BERLIN | 21 May 2026 (IDN) — The world’s geopolitical centre of gravity is shifting once again, and the personal diplomacy of US President Donald Trump is increasingly part of the equation. His complex and often controversial relationships with […]
After Venezuela and Iran, Next Cuba?
By Jan Servaes BANGKOK | 16 May 2026 (IDN) — Following the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a military attack, US President Donald Trump has hinted that Cuba could be his next target. In a presidential decree dated 26 January, 2026, he declared that […]