The following is the text of a statement by Mr. Hirotsugu Terasaki, Director General, Peace and Global Issues of Soka Gakkai International (SGI) on the Ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons by 50 States. TOKYO (IDN) – We wish to wholeheartedly welcome the ratification, on October 24, 2020, UN Day, of […]
The Promise of the Treaty on Prevention of Nuclear Weapons
Viewpoint by Dr Joseph Gerson* NEW YORK (IDN) – The Treaty on the Prevention of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) has received its 50th ratification and will go into force in 90 days – January 22, 2021. Hiroshima and Nagasaki A-bomb survivors, activists from ICAN (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons) and the diplomats are celebrating this […]
The ‘Lekki Toll Gate’ Massacre and What It Means for Nigeria
Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-In-Chief of The Interview magazine based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA (IDN) – It was hard to keep up with the torrent of posts as the power of social media was deployed in all its ferocity for good and evil. Through it all though, one thing was […]
2045: A New Rallying Call for Nuclear Abolition
Viewpoint by Alyn Ware, Vanda Proskova and Saber Chowdhury* NEW YORK (IDN) – On October 2, 2020, 77 Heads of State and Government Ministers addressed a United Nations High-Level meeting on the elimination of nuclear weapons, along with the UN Secretary-General, the President of the UN General Assembly and two representatives of civil society. One […]
Colonial Past Rooted Police System Terrorizes the Poor and Minorities
Viewpoint by Justin Podur* This article was produced by Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute. TORONTO (IDN) – The Minneapolis City Council’s attempt to defund police may have fizzled out for the moment, but the problem of police violence across the United States is unresolved—and much of it stems from the institution’s colonial, […]
Ye Are Many, They Are Few!
By John Scales Avery COPENHAGEN (IDN) – I would like to announce the publication of a new book, which discusses the question of how oligarchs maintain their grasp on an excessive share of wealth and power when, as Shelley pointed out, the have-nots are many, while the power-holders are few. Here the link to a […]
Exploring Whether Trump or Putin Is a Dictator
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN) – Who comes closest to being a dictator? Is it President Vladimir Putin or President Donald Trump? Until Trump came on the scene as America’s number one, Putin took the prize for autocracy. No longer. Who uses his power to stir up violent, anti-democratic, movements? Who incites racism? […]
The US Pastor Who Preaches Climate Change Denial
Viewpoint by Paul Braterman* LANCASTER (IDN) – Every so often you come across a piece of writing so extraordinary that you cannot help but share it. One such piece is a sermon on global warming by American pastor John MacArthur. Full of beautifully constructed rhetorical flourishes, it is forcefully delivered by an experienced and impassioned […]
Death Before Due Process in Trump’s America
Viewpoint by Sonali Kolhatkar This article was produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute. Sonali Kolhatkar is the founder, host and executive producer of “Rising Up With Sonali,” a television and radio show that airs on Free Speech TV and Pacifica stations. LOS ANGELES (IDN) – The federal government’s killing […]
Peaceful Resistance Has Proved to Be More Effective Than Violent Protests
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN) – Non-violent protests seem to be erupting all over the place. Martin Luther King would be happy. So would Mahatma Gandhi. In Russia in the eastern city of Khabarovsk marchers, each Sunday for the last three months have been protesting the arrest of their governor. In Belarus, even […]