By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 2 December 2025 (IDN) — “George, you have to understand that Ukraine is not even a country. Part of its territory is in Eastern Europe, and the greater part was given to us.” These were the ominous words of President Vladimir Putin of Russia to President George W. Bush in […]
Details of EU Migration and Asylum Pact Revealed Amidst Concerns of Externalisation on Human Trafficking in Libya
Brussels, Belgium | 29 November 2025 (IDN) — On 11 November, the European Commission unveiled the long-awaited details of the much discussed allocation key of the EU’s new Migration and Asylum Pact, marking a major reform of Europe’s migration system that will come into force on 12 June, 2026. The pact aims to create faster […]
Can Global Climate Diplomacy Still Deliver?
COP30 and the Amazon Reckoning This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | 28 November 2025 (IDN) — When world leaders arrived in Belém for COP30 on 10 November, the symbolism was clear. Delegates entered a city where the air is thick with humidity, the scent of river mud blends with […]
The Trump-Mamdani Show Was Amazing
But Downsides for Progressives Could Turn Out to Be Steep By Norman Solomon* SAN FRANCISCO | 25 November 2025 (IDN) – Across the political spectrum – with alarm on the right and delight on the left – the display of warmth from President Trump toward Zohran Mamdani on 21 November set off shock waves. Trump’s […]
Trump’s Peace with Russia
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 25 November 2025 (IDN) — Trotsky, the one-time close comrade of Lenin, reportedly said, “You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you”. This is how it seems to have been with the US presidents in office before Donald Trump. Trump is unique when it […]
Trump, Deterrence, and the Erosion of Nuclear Restraint
By Ramesh Jaura* This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com BERLIN | 16 November 2025 (IDN) — Ahead of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on 30 October at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, U.S. President Donald Trump declared he had ordered the resumption of U.S. nuclear testing. His statement shattered more […]
Accessibility to the Disabled isn’t a Luxury – it’s a Necessity
By Tanja B. Sejersen & & Manal Hassan* BANGKOK | 14 November 2025 (IDN) — Imagine being invisible—not because you’re unseen, but because your existence isn’t officially recorded. For millions of children with disabilities across Asia and the Pacific, this is a daily reality. A recent UNICEF report reveals stark disparities in access to rights […]
Has Malaysia Surrendered To America’s “Gangster” Diplomacy?
By Kalinga Seneviratne BANGKOK | 11 November 2025 (IDN) — After the United States President Donald Trump barged into the ASEAN Summit with the Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim providing him with Malay dancing music at Kuala Lumpur airport, a trade deal signed between the two countries on the sidelines of the Summit on October 29th […]
Is a Critical Pillar of the Global Nuclear Arms Control Architecture About to Crumble?
By Tariq Rauf* VIENNA | 10 November 2025 (IDN) — On 26 September 1996, on the floor of the United Nations General Assembly, at the signing ceremony for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), then-US President William J. Clinton declared the treaty as “the longest-sought, hardest fought prize in arms control history.” He exaggerated; in […]
Kenya’s Liberal Economy Attracting Russian and Foreign Investors
By Kester Kenn Klomegah* MOSCOW | 9 November 2025 (IDN) — Over the years, Kenya and Russia have enjoyed cordial and warm bilateral relations. Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus remain key to Kenya’s development agenda, aligning with the country’s economic blueprint, Vision 2030, and the Fourth Medium Term Plan (MTP IV) 2023–2027, under the broad economic philosophy of […]