By Busani Bafana BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe (IDN) — The long-awaited African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)—set to be the world’s biggest free trade zone by size—which entered into force on January 1, 2021, promises a new era for African trade. An Africa-wide free-trade pact could bolster the region’s income by $450 billion and lift 30 million […]
The West Should Declare It Has No Strategic Interest in Israel
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN) — Yesterday morning [April 5] I watched on BBC News the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, walking into the courtroom where he is to be tried for corruption. He is impossible to read—his mask makes it even more difficult. In repose his intentions and personality are inscrutable. On […]
Nigeria Decides to Invest $1.5bn in Irreparable Refinery
Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Interview magazine based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA (IDN) — Brazil has proved a disaster in the management of COVID-19, but there are other areas where we can use their examples. Like what to do about failing refineries. This hot-button topic returned to the […]
Rolling Back on NATO’s Expansion Should Be President Joe Biden’s Immediate Task
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN) — History and events have not been kind to Russia. Napoleon’s invasion, revolution, two world wars, Hitler’s invasion, Stalin’s communism and, most recently, the expansion of NATO, have shattered the Russian people’s equilibrium and self-regard time and time again. At the end of the Cold War and with […]
COVID-19 Bares Chronic Development Fault Lines in Asia-Pacific
Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana The writer is United Nations-Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP). BANGKOK (IDN) — The world is emerging from the biggest social and economic shock in living memory, but it will be a long time before the deep scars of […]
The NPT – From Promise to Reality
Viewpoint by Sergio Duarte The writer is Ambassador, former High Representative of the United Nations for Disarmament Affairs and current President of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs NEW YORK (IDN) — “How can we—the non-nuclear-weapon States—be expected to enter into an interminable obligation to remain non-nuclear if the nuclear-weapon States are engaged in […]
My Vaccination Story
By Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Interview magazine based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA (IDN) — It wasn’t planned. I was seeing off my neighbour and friend on March 18 evening when one of the officers of our estate residents’ association called out to me. He was in knickers and shirtsleeves, […]
The Story of China’s Development Miracle
Viewpoint by Siddharth Chatterjee UN Resident Coordinator* in China Siddharth Chatterjee, formerly the Resident Coordinator in Kenya, considers how China’s admirable rise can provide valuable lessons for developing nations looking to improve livelihoods for their citizens. The ‘story’ first appeared on UN News on March 20, 2021. BEIJING | GUANGZHOU (IDN) — Arriving in Guangzhou […]
Stop Arms Sales—Open Markets for Middle East Exports Wider
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN) — The Middle East is going to hell in a handbasket. Israel is about to hold its fourth election in two years. After having effectively quashed the notion of a two-state solution, the favourite for the premiership is the long-serving Benjamin Netanyahu, the principal living architect of the […]
Secularism Is the Principle That Binds India Together
Viewpoint by Dr Ram Puniyani This article is the 12th in a series of joint productions of South Asian Outlook and IDN-InDepthNews, the flagship of the International Press Syndicate. The writer is a former professor of biomedical engineering and former senior medical officer affiliated with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (now Mumbai). NEW DELHI […]