A Memo to Congress Viewpoint by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies NEW YORK (IDN) — While the Biden administration is sending more troops and weapons to inflame the Ukraine conflict and Congress is pouring more fuel on the fire, the American people are on a totally different track. A December 2021 poll found […]
UN Sanctions “A Vital Tool” Available to the Security Council
By Rosemary A. DiCarlo Ms DiCarlo is the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. NEW YORK (IDN) — United Nations Security Council sanctions are no longer the “blunt instrument” they once were, having transformed since the 1990s into “a vital tool” that minimizes negative consequences for civilians, and States that are not directly being […]
Are Democracies Slowly Dying in The Age of Authoritarianism and Populism?
Viewpoint by Jan Servaes * BRUSSELS (IDN) — Military coups d’état posed the greatest threat to democracies during the Cold War, until about 1990, and were responsible for nearly three out of every four democratic collapses. Democracies in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Thailand, Turkey and Uruguay all […]
As Threats of War Loom Over Ukraine, the Illegality of NATO Is Laid Bare
Viewpoint by John Scales Avery* COPENHAGEN (IDN) — Russia understandably fears the eastward expansion of NATO. Recently NATO countries, led by the United States, have supplied arms to Ukraine. There is a threat that the tensions building up in the region will lead to war. Such a development would be catastrophic for the entire world. […]
China’s Olympic Battle for Legitimacy: The Prehistory of Beijing 2022
Viewpoint by Charles Xu This article was first published on Qiao Collective and was adapted in partnership with Globetrotter. Charles Xu is a member of the Qiao Collective and of the No Cold War collective. Source: Globetrotter NEW YORK (IDN) — Much has been made of the “diplomatic boycott” by the United States and its […]
Is China Pursuing ‘Debt-Trap Diplomacy’ in Africa?
Viewpoint by Allison Lau and Lauren Gonitzke * This article was produced by Local Peace Economy, a project of the Independent Media Institute. NEW YORK (IDN) — In mid-December 2021, South African comedian Trevor Noah used “The Daily Show” to target China when he aired a segment titled “Why China Is in Africa”. While this […]
Pressing the Reset Button on the Africa-Europe Relationship
Viewpoint by Inge Kaul * This blog is part of a series by Center for Global Development (CGD) ahead of the EU-Africa Summit on February 17-18, 2022. This series presents proposals for priorities, and commentary on whether a meaningful reconstruction of the relationship between the two continents is likely. BERLIN (IDN) — When the European […]
America Is Reaping What It Sowed in Ukraine
Viewpoint by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies * NEW YORK (IDN) — So what are Americans to believe about the rising tensions over Ukraine? The United States and Russia both claim their escalations are defensive, responding to threats and escalations by the other side, but the resulting spiral of escalation can only make […]
Was It Ever Ethnic War in Yugoslavia and Rwanda?
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN) — The divisions and tensions in some parts of ex-Yugoslavia appear to be boiling up again. The leadership of the Serbian ministate, Srpska, which comprises 49% of Bosnia’s territory, appears to be challenging the governing entity of Bosnia, founded at the end of the civil wars that raged […]
Six Country Coalition Criticises the Modernisation of Nuclear Weapon Programmes
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) — On the eve of the opening of the Tenth Review Conference* of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the five states […]