By Alisher Kukanbekov* PAMIR, Tajikistan (IDN) – The great mountains of Pamir that have been known as the ‘Roof of the World’ over the centuries is now falling victim to climatic change. One of the largest glaciers here, Garmo glacier, has retreated by a staggering 7 kilometers in the past few decades with the annual […]
Economic Growth Makes Africa Highly Popular with Investors
Viewpoint by Dmitry Medvedev The following are extensive extracts from the Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s remarks on June 21, 2019 to the Russia-Africa Conference and the general meeting of shareholders of the African Export-Import Bank, a leading regional financial institution. This was only the second meeting of the Bank’s shareholders outside the African continent. […]
Russia-Africa Economic Partnership Under the Spotlight
By Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW (IDN) – Squeezed between European and American sanctions, Russia has stepped up efforts to elevate its existing relationship, mostly focusing on trade, investment and economic cooperation with several African countries, to include areas spanning the financial sector, energy, the mining industry, railway infrastructure, digital technologies, cybersecurity, healthcare, education, and food […]
Russia and Africa Gearing for Inter-Parliamentary Conference
By Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW, (IDN) – With high optimism, Russian legislators plan to use the forthcoming Russia-Africa inter-parliamentary conference scheduled for July 3 to discuss effective ways of strengthening Russia-African relations with a focus on new mechanisms for exploring business opportunities in Africa. More than 30 African countries will take part in the conference in […]
European Union Lambasted for ‘Externalising’ Migration Policy
By Reinhard Jacobsen BRUSSELS (IDN) – More than twenty African and international organizations have signed a letter which slates the European Union and its member states for externalizing migration policy through direct and indirect cooperation with regimes and militia forces that are utterly unaccountable for their actions, and violating its constitutional values and international obligations, […]
1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference in Retrospect
Viewpoint by David Krieger The author is President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. The following article originally appeared on the organisation’s website on April 9, 2019. SANTA BARBARA, CA | USA (IDN-INPS) – The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was opened for signatures in 1968 and entered into force in 1970. Despite its name, the NPT […]
Kazakh Election Shows Youth Wavering between Apathy and Passion for Change
By Milena Melnikova* NUR-SULTAN (IDN) – When Kazakhstan went to the polls on June 9 with six candidates challenging the incumbent president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, one may have thought that the people had a clear choice to make after almost three decades. But many young people in this oil-rich former Soviet Republic do not share that […]
U.S. Accusations Against Iran Not Without Risk
By Kelsey Davenport The following article by Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, was published on their website. WASHINGTON, DC (IDN-INPS) – Tensions over the 2015 multilateral nuclear deal with Iran continue to rise after the Trump administration accused Tehran of violating one of its commitments under the agreement, but […]
From Russia with Additional Insights
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – When I was in Moscow three weeks ago, I was briefing myself for an interview with the Soviet Union’s last president, Mikhail Gorbachev. As it happened, he had to cancel it as he went into hospital for tests. One of the American academics I always read is […]
SDGs Offer Russia New Opportunities in Africa
By Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW (IDN) – The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-19) that brought together thousands of foreign delegates, including those from Africa, prioritized “sustainable development” as the key theme. It offered an opportunity to discuss in-depth the significance, challenges and prospects of sustainable development, and cooperation among state institutions and businesses as […]