By Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW | 16 February 2026 (IDN) — Russia and Burkina Faso have moved quickly to finalise a number of key documents forming the bedrock of their future strategic partnership. The agreements span multiple agencies, signalling concrete progress on understandings reached by both leaders, including during President Ibrahim Traoré’s visit to Russia […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Behind Putin–Modi’s Handshakes: A New Chapter of Russian-Indian Alliance
By Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW | 20 December 2025 (IDN) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s December 4–5, 2025, visit to India—his first since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war—carried heavy symbolism and clear strategic messaging, capped by an unprecedented public embrace with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The trip underscored the durability of a decades-old partnership […]
Modi and Putin Send Clear Message To Trump
By Kalinga Seneviratne BANGKOK, Thailand | 8 Dec 2025 (IDN)– By unveiling an ambitious Economic Cooperation Program aimed at expanding bilateral trade and investment till 2030, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a clear message to the US President Donald Trump that India-Russia relations are iron-clad, no matter what […]
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 […]
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 […]