By Lincoln Rice* MILWAUKEE, USA, 17 April 2023 (IDN) — Since the beginning of 2022, the US has dedicated over $30 billion of military aid for war in Ukraine. Most of these funds will be used by the Department of Defense to replenish the military equipment and weapons that have been sent to Ukraine. Essentially, […]
Myanmar: International Outrage Without Action?
By Jan Servaes* BRUSSELS, 16 April 2023 (IDN) — February 1 marked two years since Myanmar’s military, the Tatmadaw, launched a disastrous coup that has plunged the country into an economic slump. The State Administration Council (SAC) military junta continues to struggle to impose its rule across the country, while a coalition of activists and […]
US Foreign Policy Conflicts with the UN Charter
By Jeffrey D. Sachs* NEW YORK, 15 April 2023 (IDN) — US foreign policy is based on an inherent contradiction and fatal flaw. The aim of US foreign policy is a US-dominated world in which the US writes the global trade and financial rules, controls advanced technologies, maintains militarily supremacy, and dominates all potential competitors. […]
US and Not the Global South Gets Its Way with the UN
By Roger McKenzie Globetrotter produced this article. The writer is the international editor of the Morning Star newspaper. Follow on Twitter at @RogerAMck. LONDON, 15 April 2023 (IDN) — Dag Hammarskjöld, the tragic second United Nations secretary general, once said the organization “was created not to lead mankind to heaven but to save humanity from […]
Why Several Democratic Countries Do Not Support Ukraine
Some are Shifting Closer to Russia By Jose Caballero Dr José Caballero is a Senior Economist at IMD World Competitiveness Center, International Institute for Management Development (IMD). LAUSANNE, Switzerland, 14 April 2023 (IDN) — After over a year of the Ukraine war, efforts at building a global consensus against Russia seem to have stalled, with many […]
“Communication for All”—An 18th SDG is Needed
By Jan Servaes & Muhammad Jameel Yusha’u * BRUSSELS | CAMBRIDGE, USA, 13 April 2023 (IDN) — The 2030 Agenda for Development or what is known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is perhaps the most ambitious agenda collectively agreed by 193 countries in human history. Yet, an explicit role for communication as a dedicated goal […]
Ellsberg Has Foiled Those Who Want Him Confined to the Past
By Norman Solomon* SAN FRANCISCO, 11 April 2023 (IDN) — In just a few words—“those who control the present, control the past and those who control the past control the future”—George Orwell summed up why narratives about history can be crucial. And so, ever since the final helicopter liftoff from the U.S. Embassy’s roof in […]
Why Nuclear Power Plants Are Not Suitable for Sri Lanka
By I.M. Dharmadasa* COLOMBO, 10 April 2023 (IDN) — Recent articles in the local press have publicised the government’s plans for the introduction of nuclear power plants to Sri Lanka with Russian support. A similar decision was taken way back in 2010 by the then President to bring nuclear power plants to Sri Lanka from […]
G7 Hiroshima Summit: Opportunity to Rethink National Security
Adopting a No First Use Policy is Equally Important Viewpoint by Anna Ikeda* NEW YORK, 10 April 2023 (IDN) — The current war in Ukraine has shown that nuclear deterrence is deeply flawed. It relies on the assumption of “rational actors” in power and credibility of threats, which we know are far from reality, especially […]
Finland’s NATO Accession Raises the Possibility of a Nuclear Conflict
By M.K. Bhadrakumar The writer is a former Indian diplomat. This article was published by Indian Punchline. NEW DELHI, 9 April 2023 (IDN) — The national flag of Finland was raised for the first time at the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in Brussels on 4 April 2023, which also marked the […]