Viewpoint by Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) — In the early 1980s when I was studying mass communications in Australia, our journalism lecturer told us that as journalists we will have to hold governments to account, and to do that sometimes we may need to depend on leaks from government officials. “You should not hesitate to […]
Biden and NATO Need To Drop Their Ukrainian Obsession
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN) — “European Union and NATO allies have swung behind the Biden administration’s assessment that Russia may be poised to invade Ukraine following unprecedented sharing of US intelligence on Moscow’s military preparations”, reported Financial Times on December 6. President Joe Biden in a video link was expected to warn […]
Russia’s Good Cop, Bad Cop Strategy In Afghanistan
Viewpoint by Andrei Kazantsev & Svetlana Medvedeva* MOSCOW (IDN) — Russia has fundamental interests in Afghanistan. Three Central Asian countries—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan—are members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). As a member of the CSTO, Russia guarantees the security of these three countries and maintains military bases and facilities on their territory.
Afghanistan’s Destination Is Unknown Yet
Viewpoint by Farooque Chowdhury* DHAKA (IDN) — Unknown is Afghanistan’s trajectory of developments. None of the players, external and internal, knows the highly-contested land’s flight path. All of the players are unsure of the possible impact of each of the tactical moves being taken by each of them. So, there’re compromises or postures to compromise, […]
Food Systems Transformation Must Be Grounded in Healthy Soil
Viewpoint by Leigh Ann Winowiecki, Research Theme Leader, Soil and Land Health, World Agroforestry (ICRAF) LONDON (IDN) — A world without healthy soil is a world in which little grows. Yet, for those who live in the roughly 25 to 40 per cent of the Earth’s surface that is degraded, this is what the future […]
It Is High Time to End Reliance on Nuclear Armaments
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN) — It’s almost twenty-five years since General George Lee Butler made his confessional statement before the National Press Club in Washington—that as commander in chief of the US Strategic Command, which controls all army, navy and air force nuclear weapons, he’d had moral qualms and profound doubts about […]
The NPT Will Probably Endure, But Its Longevity May Be at Stake
Viewpoint by Sergio Duarte The writer is President of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs and former UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs. NEW YORK (IDN) — The NPT turned 50 in 2020. The anniversary should have coincided with the Tenth Review Conference, but unfortunately it had to be postponed due to the COVID […]
Prosperous Dubai and Its Paradoxes
Viewpoint by Rahul Singh The writer is a veteran journalist. This article first appeared in The Tribune, the largest selling English daily in North India. DUBAI, UAE (IDN) — Dubai must be one of the most unusual places in the world. It is one of the seven emirates that comprise the United Arab Emirates (UAE), […]
Are We Heading for a Cold War with China?
Viewpoint by Herbert Wulf This article was issued by Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission. In recent months, we have often heard that the return of the Cold War is imminent, this time with China. How great is this danger? Some developments point at a dangerous confrontation; others are completely different […]
What Xi-Biden Summit Means for India and the World
Viewpoint by Shastri Ramachandaran* NEW DELHI (IDN) — The text as well as the subtext of the three-hour-long virtual meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden held on November 15-16 is certain to be debated and dissected long after the event fades from the headlines before there is any conclusive view […]