Viewpoint by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies* NEW YORK (IDN) — President Biden and the Democratic Congress are facing a crisis as the popular domestic agenda they ran on in the 2020 election is held hostage by two corporate Democratic Senators, fossil-fuel consigliere Joe Manchin and payday-lender favorite Kyrsten Sinema. But the very […]
Joe Biden Acclaimed for Transparency on Nuclear Arsenal
Viewpoint by Daryl G. Kimball The following statement by Daryl G. Kimball, Executive Director of The Arms Control Association, was issued on October 6, 2021. WASHINGTON, DC (IDN) — The Biden administration’s decision to declassify updated information on the number of nuclear warheads in the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal is a welcome step that reverses […]
Despite Brexit Europe Will Continue to Come Together
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN) — The lorries have no drivers. The supermarket shelves are emptying. The poor are having their subsidies cut. The British government ties itself in knots trying to square what is a circle in Northern Ireland. Brexit—the leaving of the EU—is failing the nation. But Europe itself is not […]
US Facing End of Its Unipolar Moment
Viewpoint by Shastri Ramachandaran* NEW DELHI (IDN) — Recent developments—such as the pandemic’s impact, the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, its nuclear submarine deal with Australia and the release of Huawei’s CFO Meng Wanzhou—once again raise the question of whether the US remains the world’s sole superpower with its hegemony unchallenged. As is the wont in […]
EU Pivot to Asia
Viewpoint by Israel Rafalovich BRUSSELS (IDN) — The EU and Asia are undergoing rapid changes in an increasingly globalised World. The Asian trade community is gripped with fear and Asia’s economic growth will get to a slowdown because of the impact of coronavirus. The slowdown would be worse than the global financial crisis of 2008-09 […]
Enable Digital Equity For All Ages
Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana The writer is the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). BANGKOK (IDN) — The growing number and share of older persons in Asia and the Pacific represent success stories of declining fertility and increasing longevity; the result of […]
Africa Needs to Do a Lot More to Combat Gender Discrimination and Violence
Interview with ProHumane Afrique International’s Executive Director MOSCOW (IDN) — Globally, violence against women and girls persists. Besides, there are all kinds of gender discrimination. Some governments are steadily making efforts to eradicate violence and discrimination using legislation, and supporting public platforms devoted to discussing these. In this interview with Kester Kenn Klomegah* of IDN-InDepthNews, […]
Foreign Policy: Sri Lanka and South Asia and the Conundrum to Resolve
By A. L. A. Azeez* COLOMBO (IDN) — Whenever the foreign policy of the government of Sri Lanka is explained, the familiar refrains that are bandied around are ‘non-alignment’ and ‘neutrality’. No other South Asian country today has the burden of clarifying its foreign policy in terms of such ideals or any other as much […]
Security Challenges We Face Are Climate and Disease, World Leaders Need to Rise Up
By Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama Fiji Islands Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama is the current Chair of the 18-member Pacific Islands Forum. Addressing the UN General Assembly virtually on September 25, he called on the global community to embrace Fiji’s vision of a better, greener, bluer and safer future for humanity. SUVA (IDN) — The United […]
Pandemic Raises Stakes for Success of The SDGs — Private Sector Collaboration Crucial
Viewpoint by Tina Nybo Jensen* AMSTERDAM (IDN) — In this Decade of Action for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we hear much about how organizations, countries and individuals are stepping up their efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda. Despite this, the reality is that the pace of action has not been quick enough, and we […]