By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 4 March 2026 (IDN) — Besides President Donald Trump’s conviction that Iran is very close to building nuclear weapons (which the CIA disputes), there is a next crisis looming on Trump’s agenda. It might well be North Korea, which openly has the bomb, many of them. (Due to a […]
Europe Confronts a World Without Guarantees
The Merz Doctrine, and the Cost of Strategic Adulthood This article first appeared on https://rjaura.substack.com By Ramesh Jaura* BERLIN | 1 March 2026 (IDN) — For nearly eight decades, Europe thrived under the sturdy canopy of a security order that felt immovable. The United States was the bedrock of NATO, its power a shield against […]
Escape, extradition and trial: the case of human trafficker Kidane
The Dutch trial against Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam, an alleged notorious Eritrean human trafficker, will commence on 31 March. Kidane will face charges of various severe human rights abuses, including the rape, torture, murder and ransoming of refugees in closed compounds in Libya. The Walid case: an important precedent Kidane’s trial follows the recent Walid judgement, […]
Iran Crisis Exposes the Impotence of America’s Neoliberal War Machine
By Nicolas J. S. Davies* NEW YORK | 20 February 2026 (IDN) — After some delays, the United States is dispatching a second aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, from the Caribbean to the Middle East to join the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and threaten Iran. This is the third Atlantic crossing […]
After New START: Ban the Bomb
Why nuclear abolition must replace deterrence and treaty illusion By Ramesh Jaura* This article first appeared on rjaura.substack.com BERLIN | 14 February 2026 (IDN) — The New START treaty expired on 4 February 2026, marking what many see as a dangerous shift in global security. The last accord limiting U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals—together nearly 90 […]
Will Trump Break International Law Over Iran?
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 10 February 2026 (IDN) — We are heading toward a potential collision between President Donald Trump and international law. Anyone listening carefully to his rhetoric about Iran and its alleged nuclear weapons programme can sense it coming. Trump has spoken in tones I would describe as “fire and brimstone.” That […]
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 […]
One More Step Towards Nuclear Obliteration?
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 3 February 2026 (IDN) — Nuclear arms control is close to collapse. On Wednesday, February 4, the so-called New START Treaty, signed in 2011 by the United States and Russia, expires. It capped long-range strategic nuclear warheads at roughly 1,500 each—a dramatic reduction from Cold War levels. Even so, today’s […]
Violent Eritrean smuggler Walid gets maximum sentence of 20 years in Dutch court
On 27 January 2026, the Dutch court in Zwolle delivered a significant verdict in the case against a suspect known as Walid, or Tewelde Goitom, convicting him on nearly all charges related to widespread human rights abuses against refugees in Libya. The court, in a comprehensive ruling totaling around 100 pages, sentenced Walid to the […]
Situation Report Special: Cruel Eritrean smuggler Walid gets the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison
Walid hearing verdict (per 27 January 2026) The judges in the Dutch court in Zwolle found the suspect in the ‘Walid’ case guilty of almost all charges and sentenced him to the maximum of 20 years in prison. The full verdict comprises around 100 pages. The judge presented the main points of the verdict during […]