By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 2 January 2025 (IDN) — The lives of all politicians end in failure”. So said Enoch Powell, a maverick former cabinet minister in the British government. Of recent US presidents Jimmy Carter has not been alone in being considered “a failure”. Think of Lyndon Johnson (Vietnam war). George W. […]
UN Considers Haiti’s Destiny ‘Bright’ Despite Terrifying Escalation of Violence
By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK | 28 December 2024 (IDN) — Haiti is faced with a multifaceted crisis including rising gang violence, political instability, the displacement of over 700,000 people as well as widespread hunger. UNICEF has reported a sharp increase in the recruitment of minors by armed gangs, with the number of child recruits […]
New Cold War in South Asia as the BRICS Rise
US Sanctions and Regime Change Aragalaya Protests By Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake* COLOMBO, Sri Lanka | 27 December 2024 (IDN) — There will be no honeymoon for the newly minted National People’s Power (NPP) Government that got a massive people’s mandate for debt justice. The storm blowing from Washington DC across the Indian Ocean World—targeting China to […]
Africa: Too Few Are Interested in Learning the Russian Language
By Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW | 27 December 2024 (IDN) — Russian language study is hitting roadblocks in Africa. For several years after the Soviet collapse, Moscow has been stepping up efforts to strengthen Russian language study and its culture across Africa. However, there have been few tangible results, mainly due to low motivation towards […]
Now It Can Be Told . . . After All the Harm Has Been Done
By Norman Solomon* SAN FRANCISCO, USA | 26 December 2024 (IDN) — This week, the New York Times reported that the U.S. government made war in Afghanistan while helping to “recruit, train and pay for lawless bands of militias that pillaged homes and laid waste to entire communities.” Those militias “tortured civilians, kidnapped for ransom, […]
Ecuador Opens World Heritage Natural Site Galapagos Islands to US Military
By Pablo Meriguet and Benjamin Zinevich* QUITO, Ecuador | 23 December 2024 (IDN) — On 15 February 2024, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboasigned a series military cooperation treaties with the US government, allowing ships, military personnel, armament, equipment, and submarines to be installed in the natural reserve, which UNESCO declared a World Natural Heritage Site in […]
Who Will Stop Israel as it Defies the UN and Invades Syria?
By Nicolas J. S. Davies* NEW YORK | 23 December 2024 (IDN) — The United States, Turkey and Israel all responded to the fall of the Assad government in Damascus by launching bombing campaigns on Syria. Israel also attacked anddestroyed most of the Syrian Navy in port at Latakia, and invaded Syria from the long-occupied […]
Coal Will Be a Central Pillar of UN Climate Summit in 2026
By Christopher Wright and Ufuk Alparslan* LONDON | 22 December 2024 (IDN) — Australia and Türkiye went into COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, with a range of diplomatic goals, but none greater than each country’s hopes to be announced as the host of the UN climate summit in 2026. For Ufuk and myself, the competition between […]
UN Warns of Hunger Reaching New Heights in the Arab Region
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | 20 December 2024 (IDN) — Six UN agencies have called for enhanced funding for transforming and strengthening agrifood systems, address inequalities, and ensure that healthy diets are affordable and accessible to all in the Near East and North Africa as a new report warns that the Arab region remains off-track […]
U.S. Defense Official Outlines Continued Support for Ukraine
By Joseph Clark, DOD News WASHINGTON, D.C. | 18 December 2024 (IDN) — The Defense Department is committed to helping Ukraine prevail amid Russia’s ongoing war of aggression and will continue sending key capabilities to meet Ukraine’s battlefield needs in the weeks to come, a senior defense official said Monday (16 December). The department is […]