By Norman Solomon* SAN FRANCISCO, USA 6 July 2023 (IDN) — Midway through his cumulatively stunning new book “Soldiers Don’t Go Mad,” author Charles Glass quotes a declaration from The Times of London on August 18, 1917: “The war has brought new opportunities of heroism to us all. Every Briton in the full strength of […]
India’s G20 Presidency: Can It Reshape International Climate Politics?
By Robert Mizo* This article was issued by the Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission. NEW DELHI 5 July 2023 (IDN) — India’s presidency of the G20 for 2023 has been hailed with much fanfare and national pride in India. The G20, being a club of leading economies, accounts for 74 […]
Sri Lanka: Double Trouble
By Neville de Silva* LONDON 2 July 2023 (IDN) — Politics, say those not averse to giving Shakespeare’s words a little twist, make strange bed fellows. Last July two of Sri Lanka’s leading political parties and arch enemies decided to bed together, not because of a newfound intimacy but rather for their political survival.
A Legally Binding Treaty on Business & Human Rights is Needed
By Simone Galimberti The writer is the co-founder of ENGAGE and of the Good Leadership, Good for You & Good for the Society. KATHMANDU, Nepal 1 July 2023 (IDN) — Communities can become truly empowered while dealing with grievances or alleged abuses perpetuated by the corporate sector. Katherine McDonnell, an expert on human rights and […]
US Foot-dragging at the Paris Finance Summit
By Jeffrey D. Sachs* This article was published in as part of a series of columns The New World Economy and is being republished with the author’s permission. NEW YORK, 30 June 2023 (IDN) — Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley and French President Emmanuel Macron invited world leaders to Paris on June 22-23 to reach […]
Five Titanic Tourists Killed Is the Big Story, not 500 Dead Migrants
By Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA, 30 June 2023 (IDN) — It doesn’t make sense to weigh tragedies on a scale. How do you measure them? Leo Tolstoy got it right in Anna Karenina when he said whereas all happy families are alike, every […]
Is Patriotism Confined to Killing and Being Killed?
By Norman Solomon* SAN FRANCISCO, USA, 29 June 2023 (IDN) — The Fourth of July—the ultimate patriotic holiday—is approaching again. Politicians orate, American Flags proliferate and, even more than usual, many windows on the world are tinted red, white and blue. But an important question remains unasked: Why are patriotism and war so intertwined in […]
A Viable Path for Moving Back to Nuclear Arms Control
By Daryl G. Kimball The writer is the Executive Director of the Arms Control Association (ACA). The following text was published in the organization’s monthly journal, Arms Control Today. WASHINGTON, D.C., 28 June 2023 (IDN) — Deteriorating relations between the major nuclear powers have stymied progress on nuclear arms control and disarmament for more than […]
Climate Change, Disasters and Armed Conflict
By Tobias Ide* This article was issued by the Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission. PERTH, Australia, 27 June 2023 (IDN) — Humanity will very likely not keep global warming to two degrees Celsius (relative to pre-industrial temperatures). This means that during the 21st century, humanity will cross an important planetary […]
We Still Have a Long Way to Reach a World Sans Violence
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden, 27 June 2023 (IDN) — The world over most of 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 Ukraine, despite ISIS, despite Iraq, […]