Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana The writer is Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). BANGKOK (IDN) – The unprecedented public health emergency triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and its multi-faceted impact on people’s lives around the world is taking a heavy toll on Asia and […]
COVID-19: Is This Snark in Fact a Boojum?
On the Future of Capitalism after the Pandemic Viewpoint by Albena Azmanova* This article was originally published on openDemocracy. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of IDN-InDepth News. LONDON (IDN) – While nursing his gravely ill godson in the spring of 1876, Lewis Carroll […]
COVID-19: A Pandemic of Fear?
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN) – Let’s get death in proportion. True, Coronavirus is an appalling disease but the number of deaths it has caused this year is far lower than deaths caused by either common flue, car accidents, drug taking, alcoholism or cigarette smoking. Governments don’t like these things and make an […]
How Data-Mining Companies Are Set to Gain from COVID-19
Viewpoint by Ivan Manokha* This article was originally published on openDemocracy. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of IDN-InDepth News. LONDON (IDN) – The current outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic may be seen as a litmus test for different institutions of contemporary society – […]
The Philippines Moving to Active Middle Power Diplomacy
Viewpoint by Aileen S P Baviera* Professor Aileen Baveira died of COVID-19 in Manila on 21 March 2020. MANILA (IDN) — The Philippines was first a colony and then a formal treaty ally of the United States for so long that many Filipinos tend to take the existence of reciprocal defence obligations for granted. For […]
The Bigger Picture Is Hiding Behind a Virus
Viewpoint by Jonathan Cook*, Countercurrents.Org NAZARETH, Israel (IDN) – Things often look the way they do because someone claiming authority tells us they look that way. If that sounds too cynical, pause for a moment and reflect on what seemed most important to you just a year ago, or even a few weeks ago. Then, […]
Trump’s ‘Pivot to Asia’ To ‘Make America Great Again’ Setting the Stage for a New Clash of Civilizations
Viewpoint by Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake The writer is a cultural anthropologist with research expertise in international political economy, peace, and development studies in South and South East Asia.* COLOMBO (IDN) – India’s capital New Delhi burned in the last week of February 2020 as US President Donald Trump pivoted to India. Visiting the world’s largest and […]
Update: Postponed 2020 NPT Review Conference
Viewpoint by Tariq Rauf * VIENNA (IDN) – On 30 March 2020, IDN-InDepthNews published my article, Challenge for the NAM: Move the NPT Review Conference to 2021 in Vienna, in which I had noted the announcement of the postponement of the 2020 review conference of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), scheduled to be held in […]
Our Economic System is on Life Support – But Who are We Really Saving?
Viewpoint by Laurie Macfarlane* This article was originally published on openDemocracy. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of IDN-InDepth News. LONDON (IDN) – In recent weeks governments around the world have injected extraordinary sums of money into the economy to support businesses and households […]
COVID-19 Could Derail Russia’s Constitutional Reform Vote
Viewpoint by Ben Noble* LONDON (IDN) – Russia’s nationwide vote on controversial constitutional reforms is likely to be postponed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The vote is currently scheduled for April 22. The vote is the last hurdle before this set of reforms – including a change allowing Vladimir Putin to stay in […]