By Somar Wijayadasa* NEW YORK | 19 February 2026 (IDN) — The 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC), held from February 13–15 in Munich, Germany, convened global leaders at a moment of mounting geopolitical strain. Long regarded as a premier forum for international security dialogue, this year’s conference unfolded against the backdrop of what its organizers […]
Iran, War, and the Illusion of Control
By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 18 February 2026 (IDN) — As U.S.–Iran negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program continue under the shadow of possible military action, both Washington and Tehran must weigh carefully the potentially catastrophic regional consequences of failure. If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convinced President Trump during their recent meeting that now is […]
Human Rights and the U.S. Presidency
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 18 February 2026 (IDN) — Jimmy Carter liked to think of himself as a human rights president. Many of us believed he heralded a new spring. Spring is coming again now. Snowdrops and crocuses are pushing through the frost; daffodils are preparing to bloom; trees along the Potomac will […]
The Democrats Need a Concrete Governing Agenda
By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 12 February 2026 (IDN) — Since President Donald Trump reassumed office, the Democratic rank and file have been relentless in criticizing what many view as his unhinged exercise of power. Given Trump’s sweeping challenges to political norms, democratic institutions, and long-established economic and cultural frameworks, there is no shortage […]
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 […]
U.S. Dual-Edged Approach of Military Posturing and Diplomatic Signals to Tehran
By Syafruddin Arsyad* JAKARTA | 28 January 2026 (IDN) — As United States naval forces assemble in the Gulf while Washington simultaneously signals openness to dialogue with Tehran, the U.S. appears to be pursuing a carefully calibrated—but inherently risky—strategy. By pairing visible military pressure with diplomatic outreach, Washington seeks to coerce Iran into concessions without […]
Americans Love Watching TV Wars
By James E. Jennings* ATLANTA, USA | 7 January 2026 (IDN) — On January 3, key figures of the American government lined up in front of TV cameras at Florida’s Mar-a-Lago White House and bragged about the latest American whiz-bang overseas war—this time against Venezuela—which included violating the U.S. Constitution, breaking a host of international […]
A Global Piracy For All To See
By Alon Ben-Meir NEW YORK | 7 January 2026 (IDN) — Trump’s actions in Venezuela are morally calamitous, showing a perilous disregard for human dignity and the rights of ordinary Venezuelans to be free from external forces. Although Maduro is a corrupt autocrat who has often ruled by decree, no country has the right to […]
2025 Exposed A Myth: The ‘American Dream’ Is A Debt Trap
By Kalinga Seneviratne* BANGKOK, Thailand | 5 January 2026 (IDN) — The US President Donald Trump’s Tariff War on the rest of the world in 2025 should go down in history as the year when the ‘American Dream” unraveled as a Debt Trap. In 2008, the so-called subprime lending crisis gave a hint of it, […]