Viewpoint by Yvonne Bartmann* This article first appeared on International Politics and Society, an e-Journal published by Germany’s Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung’s office in Brussels. GENEVA (IDN) — When problems proliferate, expectations tend to be high. The World Trade Organization (WTO) is facing many problems, indeed a whole raft of them. Accordingly, there’s a lot of pressure on […]
Doubts Whether Return to Exceptionalism Will Serve Perceived U.S. Interests
Viewpoint by M.K. Bhadrakumar The writer is a former Indian diplomat. This article was produced in partnership by Indian Punchline and Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute where it first appeared. NEW DELHI (IDN) — In a statement marking the “return” of the United States to the United Nations Human Rights Council on […]
The Creative and Destructive Aspects of Homo Sapiens
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) — We do not know exactly how many millennia ago human beings started their ascent among other species to become dominant over the […]
Two Major Conferences Resolute in Combating COVID-19
Viewpoint by Somar Wijayadasa* NEW YORK (IDN) — The leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) and the Munich Security Conference (MSC) held two meetings virtually on February 19, 2021, as these had to be postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The G7 countries — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and […]
Still Much to Be Done to Make Immigration More Palatable
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN) — The Mexicans had a joke about ex-President Donald Trump’s planned wall along its border with the US. “It’s not being built to keep Mexicans out of the US; it’s built to keep Trump out of Mexico!” If this be so, then President Joe Biden can relax. No […]
The Ascendency and Mainstay of Participatory Development
Viewpoint by Dr Yossef Ben-Meir The writer is President of the High Atlas Foundation, which is an implementer of the USAID Farmer-to-Farmer Program in Morocco. MARRAKECH (IDN) — Participatory community movements found a contemporary impetus in post-World War II reconstruction of Europe and decolonization, primarily in Africa. The approach of locally managed change, however, was […]
Why the U.S. Should Build A New Base in Eritrea
Viewpoint by Daniel Haile* COLLEGE STATION, Texas | USA (IDN) — The United States should abandon its base in Djibouti and build a new military base in Eritrea after the Communist regime in Asmara falls from power. daniel_haile.jpg The communist regime of 78-year-old dictator Isaias Afwerki has an expiration date. When the current government in […]
Looking Forward to A Pluralistic and Rebalanced World
Viewpoint by S. Jaishankar A return to normalcy in 2021 will mean safer travel, better health, economic revival and digitally-driven services. They will be expressed in new conversations and fresh understandings, writes Dr S. Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs of India and author of “The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World.” The views […]
The Choice of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as WTO Head Makes History
Can This ‘Grandmother’ Save The World Ruled by Gender and Racial Bias? Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Interview magazine based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA (IDN) — As the World Trade Organization (WTO) formally announced the appointment of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as Director-General on February 15, a Swiss newspaper […]
Global Food Systems Can Only Be Truly Transformed with a People’s Summit
Viewpoint by Agnes Kalibata* NEW YORK (IDN) – Long before the emergence of COVID-19, it was well-accepted that the world was off-course to achieve most of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, including ending hunger. But recovering from the pandemic to deliver any of the 17 SDGs relies now more than ever on first feeding the […]