By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden. 3 October 2023 (IDN) — In Ukraine, there is war. The only place where it is happening on a significant scale in the Western hemisphere. Elsewhere in the Middle East, there are only two “live” wars—Syria and Yemen. In Latin America and the Caribbean, zero. In Asia, only in Myanmar. […]
US Imposes Visa Restrictions on Liberians ‘Undermining Democracy’
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK. 3 October 2023 (IDN) — With the approach of national elections in Liberia, the U.S. has imposed visa restrictions, withholding travel to the U.S. for individuals “undermining democracy.” The restrictions, announced by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, target people believed to be manipulating or rigging the […]
Kenyan Troops to Fight Gang Violence in Haiti with US Funds
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | NAIROBI. 2 October 2023 (IDN) — After months of fruitless efforts to control spiraling gang violence in Haiti, a framework for defense cooperation has been signed by the United States and Kenya aimed at creating a multinational force to quash the violence that has brutally taken […]
India-led South Asia Plays a Significant Role in Global Politics
By Ambassador Kazi Anwarul Masud The writer is a former Secretary and ambassador of Bangladesh DHAKA. 1 October 2023 (IDN) — South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, defined in geographical and ethnic-cultural terms. As commonly conceptualized, South Asia consists of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Most recent figures in […]
India Refuses to Be Coerced into Dumping Its Independent Foreign Policy
By M K Bhadrakumar * NEW DELHI. 1 October 2023 (IDN) — The sombre mood at the Council on Foreign Affairs in New York during External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s talk on 26 September was only to be expected against the backdrop of the India-Canada diplomatic spat over the killing of a Sikh secessionist in […]
Human Rights Activists Facing Threats in 40 Countries for Cooperating with UN
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, 29 September 2023 (IDN) — Be warned: If you are a human rights activist or an individual cooperating with the UN in revealing abuses, you may be under surveillance or in danger of facing physical threats. A new report from Secretary-General António Guterres says that from 1 May last year […]
The ‘Bumpy Road’ between Cuba and America
By Jan Servaes* MIAMI, USA. 29 September 2023 (IDN) — “As many people who know Cuba and Miami well have observed, each is a peculiar mirror of the other. … It is impossible to understand the Cuban Revolution without understanding Miami, and it is impossible to understand Miami without understanding the Cuban Revolution,” writes Ada […]
Caribbean Moving Against “Killer Robots”
By Peter Richards* DIEGO MARTIN, Trinidad & Tobago. 28 September 2023 (IDN) — Caribbean countries have signalled their intention of moving against autonomous weapons systems (AWS) or “killer robots” developing a common position on the issue that will find favour with the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping. AWS are weapons systems that use artificial intelligence […]
Embarrassing Facts, Truth and Reality for Peace in Ukraine
Viewpoint by Somar Wijayadasa* NEW YORK. 28 September 2023 (IDN) — Addressing the current United Nations General Assembly (missed by leaders of China. Russia, France and Britain), Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, “Today, the rhetoric of our opponents is filled with slogans: ‘invasion’, ‘aggression’, ‘annexation’ and not a single word about the root causes […]
Ukraine Conflict: Global Leaders Plead for Peace at UN
By Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies* NEW YORK. 27 September 2023 (IDN) — As it did last year, the 2023 United Nations General Assembly has been debating what role the United Nations and its members should play in the crisis in Ukraine. The United States and its allies still insist that the UN […]