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 […]
The High Stakes of the U.S.-Russia Confrontation over Ukraine
Viewpoint by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies* NEW YORK (IDN) — A report in Covert Action Magazine from the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic in Eastern Ukraine describes grave fears of a new offensive by Ukrainian government forces, after increased shelling, a drone strike by a Turkish-built drone and an attack on Staromaryevka, a […]
Key to Ending the Fighting in Kiev Is Ukraine Giving up Donbass
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN) — As Russia/Nato passions are stirring once again, we should wind the clock back to seven years ago when the Ukraine crisis began. What’s it all about? The demonstrators in the Maidan, the central square of the capital, Kiev, were motivated by the arguments over a trade agreement […]
The Contours of Central Asia’s Rapid Integration are Underlined by New Railway Agreements
Viewpoint by M.K. Bhadrakumar * This article was produced in partnership by Indian Punchline and Globetrotter. M.K. Bhadrakumar is a former Indian diplomat. Source: Globetrotter NEW DELHI (IDN) — The information war is so intense nowadays that unsung melodies are often more alluring that the sung ones. The lines from English poet Shelley’s famous ode […]
Humanitarian Catastrophe on The Belarus/Polish Border Is Not A ‘Migrant Crisis’
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN) — It’s always sad to see migrants up against it, whether it be the deadly waves of the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas, the slow churning processes of the US/Mexican border and, in the case now in the news, of 4,000 or so mainly Kurdish migrants trapped on […]
Universal Birth Registration in Asia-Pacific Significant for Realizing Human Rights and Equality
viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana and Gillian Triggs While Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is Executive Secretary of ESCAP, Gillian Triggs is Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, UNHCR. BANGKOK (IDN) — Most countries in the Asia-Pacific region are on track to reach universal birth registration by 2030: an incredible achievement and a significant milestone in realizing human […]
Germany’s Neo-Nazi Death Squad
Viewpoint by Thomas Klikauer and Meg Young* BOSTON (IDN) — Ten years ago, one of Germany’s most violent post-war Neo-Nazi killing squad, the so-called National-Socialist Underground or NSU-network came to light when their caravan exploded and their Neo-Nazi hideout was set on fire to eliminate all evidence. This occurred in the former East-German city of […]
Descending From Sugar Pyramids to Pounds of Bitters, Fruits and Vegetables
Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA (IDN) — The cold blast of the air conditioner from the room hit me by surprise as I opened the door. I wasn’t expecting a draught from inside at eight on a damp morning. But there was […]
It’s Time to Deliver on Pacific Climate Financing
Viewpoint by the Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown Mark Brown, Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, is also the Pacific Political Champion for Climate Finance at COP26. While not attending the COP this year due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, Prime Minister Brown is providing support and undertaking this role remotely. This article is republished […]