By Raghav Kumar* DHAKA | 15 February 2026 (IDN) — The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secured more than two-thirds of parliamentary seats in the 13th general elections, reports Hindustan Times. India, the United States, the United Kingdom, and China were swift to congratulate BNP’s leadership while emphasizing the elections’ peaceful, transparent nature. BNP’s decisive victory […]
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 […]
Democracy in The Age of Disinformation and Digital Capitalism
By Jan Servaes* BRUSSELS | 2 February 2026 (IDN) — President Trump’s second term in office started with a crackdown on immigration, the introduction of sweeping tariffs and efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce. Hours after taking office, Trump signed executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs in business and higher […]
As Myanmar’s Civil War Drives Global Scam Industry, Human Rights May Need Rethink
*By Kalinga Seneviratne BANGKOK. | 23 January 2026 (IDN) —With Myanmar’s three-stage elections hitting the home stretch later this week on Sunday, ending the country’s civil war may need to take center stage in the post-election period. It is fueling a global scam industry that is destabilizing not only the Southeast Asian region, but also […]
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 […]
Europe’s Rearmament: A Test of Democracy
Support is real, but the most challenging political test comes later By Ramesh Jaura This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com/ BERLIN | 27 December 2025 (IDN) — Europe is taking on debt to fund its defence, building up its military, and asking people to be patient. History shows that the real political challenges often […]
The End of America; So Is The Future For Asia?
By Jan Servaes* BRUSSELS, Belgium | 18 December 2025 (IDN) — “We Americans have never been very good at managing empire. It is not one of our skill sets. But what is coming next may be a great deal worse than the naïve and incompetently managed American empire of the past eighty years. We may […]
Trump Must Be Stopped from Destroying Our Democracy
By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 6 December 2025 (IDN) — Every American must remember that the US is not on the verge of an authoritarian takeover; we are in it. Trump is acting on it methodically in broad daylight, with the deafening silence of the Republican Party, as if silence in the face of […]
Tanzania’s 2025 Elections: AU and SADC Condemn Final Results
By Kester Kenn Klomegah | MOSCOW | 10 November 2025 (IDN) — Women’s empowerment was uniquely exemplified by voting for Samia Suluhu Hassan as the new president of the United Republic of Tanzania late October 2025, but that election has generated distressing reports. Samia Hassan was inaugurated as Tanzania’s first female president in March 2021, […]
Festering conflict between Church and government in Armenia
By Benoit Lannoo* Antwerp | 5 November 2025 (IDN) – While President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan is ramping up his claim to the neighbouring country again, the conflict in Armenia between the government of Nikol Pashinyan and the Armenian Apostolic Church continues to fester. In recent weeks, Garegin II celebrated the 26th anniversary of his […]