Category: OPINION

By Neville de Silva* This article was issued by Asian Affairs (London). LONDON (IDN) — The sense of economic optimism expressed by Sri Lanka’s increasingly despotic president is not shared by the country’s long-suffering people.  Presenting his first budget since assuming office as president after his predecessor fled the country, Ranil Wickremesinghe seemed to see […]

Viewpoint 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. (IDN) — Since the end of the Cold War, every U.S. president has conducted an in-depth review of the nation’s nuclear strategy. Each […]

Viewpoint by Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India The Indian Express issued this article, and it is being republished because it announces India’s agenda during its G20 Presidency, which commenced on December 1. NEW DELHI (IDN) — The previous 17 Presidencies of the G20 delivered significant results—for ensuring macro-economic stability, rationalising international taxation, relieving […]

Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA (IDN) — Former US President Donald Trump didn’t just happen to the United States. He hit the world like the climax of a horror movie. Scene after scene, act after act, left the thoughtful in bewilderment, the […]

Viewpoint by Ambassador Palitha Kohona* BEIJING (IDN) — Sitting in the middle of the Indian Ocean at the southern tip of India, Sri Lanka occupies an enviable strategic position. A blessing that it has successfully leveraged to advantage in the past and a curse that will continue to attract the rapacious attention of global and […]

The Importance of Loss and Damage Fund (LDF) Viewpoint by Inge Kaul The author is a fellow at the Hertie School of Governance, Berlin, Germany. Comments are welcome and can be addressed to contact@ingekaul.net. BERLIN (IDN) — For decades, there have been non-conclusive deliberations regarding how the international community can support poor and vulnerable countries […]

Viewpoint by Jan Servaes BRUSSELS (IDN) — Since the February 1, 2021 coup, Myanmar’s military has committed a variety of atrocities that, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, may amount to “crimes against humanity and war crimes”. To consolidate its power against widespread popular resistance, the self-proclaimed State Administration Council (SAC) led […]

Viewpoint by Sima Bahous The following is the text of the statement by Ms Bahous, UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, 25 November 2022. NEW YORK (IDN) — Five years ago, the global #MeToo movement brought new urgency and visibility to the extent […]

Viewpoint by Alon Ben-Meir Dr Alon Ben-Meir is a retired professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at New York University (NYU). He taught courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies for over 20 years. NEW YORK (IDN) — The result of the midterm election has caused a seriously widening fissure […]

Viewpoint by M. K. Bhadrakumar* NEW DELHI (IDN) — The seventeenth G20 Heads of State and Government Summit held in Bali, Indonesia, on November 15–16 stands out as a consequential event from many angles. The international politics is at an inflection point and the transition will not leave unaffected any of the institutions inherited from […]