By Tariq Rauf* VIENNA (IDN) — Let me start with giving the “bottom line” of this assessment. While many well-meaning experts have written legal, policy and technical tomes on how to verify naval nuclear fuel and to convert such fuel from weapon-grade highly-enriched uranium (HEU) to low enriched uranium (LEU); the unfortunate reality remains that […]
Achieving The Possible Against the Odds: “A Middle East Nuclear and WMD Free Zone”
Viewpoint by Tariq Rauf[1] VIENNA (IDN) — In normal times, the second session of the “United Nations Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction”, scheduled to take place from 29 November to 3 December 2021, would have been an in-person event at the […]
Russia Agrees to Strengthen Military Regime in Mali
By Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW (IDN) — During his first official visit to Moscow under the military rule in Mali, Abdoulaye Diop, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, held extensive discussions with his counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The discussions on November focussed on increasing bilateral cooperation in economic sectors. But particularly significant was […]
Russian Experts Recommend New Policy Strategies for Africa
By Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW (IDN) — Senior policy experts have advised Russia to make its Africa policy a derivative of the country’s overall foreign policy objectives taking into account the Continent’s human capital and natural resources. The ‘Situation Analytical Report’, as it is titled, was prepared by 25 policy experts, as part of a […]
Breaking Down Barriers to Food Entrepreneurship to Connect Us Beyond Our Differences
By Elizabeth Frame Ellison The writer is president and CEO of the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation. TULSA, United States (IDN) — As Oklahoma is poised to resettle nearly 2,000 Afghan refugees in the near future, it is more important than ever to welcome newcomers who are fleeing war, poverty, trauma and many other hardships. That […]
Australia Censured For ‘Abandoning’ Pacific Nuclear-Free Pact
By Asia Pacific Report Newsdesk SUVA (IDN) — Australia needs to be put on notice by Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders over abandoning its commitments under the South Pacific’s nuclear free accord— he Treaty of Rarotonga—by signing up to the controversial security pact, AUKUS, says the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG). The deal by the […]
WTO Chief Welcomes India’s Pledge of Support for the Global Trade Organization
By Jamshed Baruah GENEVA (IDN) — World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has applauded India’s pledge of support for the WTO and a successful 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) that will take place from November 30 to December 3, 2021, in Geneva. The gathering was originally scheduled to take place from June 8 to June […]
North Korea Flexes its Nuclear Muscles – and Defies the Western World
By Thalif Deen NEW YORK (IDN) – North Korea, long dubbed as a “hermit kingdom” has continued to remain cut off from the rest of the world—politically, economically and geographically. But neither rigid sanctions, nor international isolation and growing food insecurities, have prevented the country—officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)—from making […]
Little Visible Economic Impact of Russian Cooperation with Africa
By Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW (IDN) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Angolan counterpart Tete Antonio, held a sordid diplomatic meeting for a few hours on October 13 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This was earlier during the month, preceded by a similar meeting with Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International […]
Kazakhstan Has A Vested Interest In Afghanistan’s Stability
By Akhas Tazhutov The writer is a political analyst. This article first appeared in Eurasia Review on October 1, 2021. ALMATY (IDN) — What should be taken into account when analyzing the Kazakh government’s attitude and policies toward Afghanistan? According to Kazakh media reports, Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Kabul, Alimkhan Esengeldiev, met with the acting foreign […]