By Dr Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 3 July 2026 (IDN) — As the United States marks its 250th anniversary—a testament to endurance, sacrifice, and democratic aspiration—it does so under a dark and foreboding shadow. At this defining moment, the nation finds itself led not by steadiness or vision, but by a figure whose erratic conduct, […]
Malawi Has No Coastline. We’re Fighting for The Ocean Anyway
By Dr George Chaponda The writer is the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Malawi. LILONGWE, Malawi | 1 July 2026 (IDN) — When Malawi became the first landlocked country to ratify the BBNJ Agreement, we affirmed a simple but powerful principle: stewardship of the global commons is a shared responsibility, not a […]
Whither the Law of the Sea?
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 1 July 2026 (IDN) — David Attenborough said in his wondrous documentary film, Ocean, that it had taken him a long time in his 99 years of life to understand that for the survival of our planet the oceans are more important than the land. This past four months, as […]
From a Respected Hegemon to a Drifting Power
As midterm campaigns accelerate and disillusionment with Trump’s domestic and foreign policies widens, a stark scenario emerges: America faces a perilous inflection point demanding immediate action before democratic erosion becomes irreversibleBy Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 28 June 2ß26 (IDN) — Donald Trump did not invent America’s vulnerabilities, but he has driven them to a breaking point. […]
Why Biden’s Debate Disaster Two Years Ago Matters for the Future
By Norman Solomon* SAN FRANCISCO | 25 June 25 (IDN) — The saying “that’s history” is usually meant to be dismissive, but in politics, the past casts a long shadow over the future. Now, two years after President Biden’s disastrous debate with Donald Trump, the patterns that dominate the Democratic Party are damaging its prospects […]
Our Less Violent World
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 24 June 2026 (IDN) — The world over, most of the public opinion is ignorant of just how much violence has declined over the last 3,000 years. Judging by the historical record, the 21st century, thus far, is the least violent and safest Century of all, despite ISIS, despite […]
The Price of Miscalculation
By Alon Ben-Meier* A war launched to reshape the Middle East has instead exposed the limits of force—and the cost of misunderstanding a nation that has spent millennia learning how to endure. NEW YORK | 22 June 2026 (IDN) — The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was finally unveiled a few days ago only reaffirmed […]
Gulf Security: The Case for Regional Ownership
By Tariq Rauf The writer is a former Head of Verification and Security Policy Coordination, Coordinator IAEA Forum on a Middle East Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Below are his personal comments. VIENNA| 23 June 2026 (IDN) — The Gulf’s security order is broken. Four decades of foreign military guarantees, more than one […]
Trump and the Aestheticization of Fear
By Sam Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 18 June 2026 (IDN) — In 2016, during the first Trump campaign, I wrote an article asking whether American democracy could survive the reduction of politics to entertainment. At the time, the question seemed exaggerated to some readers. Politics had always contained theatrical elements. Presidents cultivated images. Campaigns relied […]
The Fulcrum is Female
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 17 June 2026 (IDN) — Over 200 years, we have watched with a mixture of fascination and horror the explosion of population in most parts of the world. In the 1960s and 70’s, many people were convinced that it was the single most important issue of our times. Government […]