By Kul Chandra Gautam* KATHMANDU, Nepal | 5 April 2026 (IDN) — I join many former UNICEF staff members in expressing profound sorrow at the passing of Stephen Lewis, a friend, colleague, mentor, and fellow Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF. I first learned about Stephen Lewis in the 1980s when he was the Canadian Ambassador […]
After Recognition: The UN’s Next Reckoning on Slavery
Will global powers act—or stall—on reparative justice? By Ramesh Jaura This article first appeared on https://rjaura.substack.com BERLIN | 2 April 2026 (IDN) — The United Nations’ declaration of the transatlantic slave trade as the “gravest crime against humanity” marked a moment of moral clarity on March 25, 2026. Yet, almost immediately, geopolitical tensions and diverging […]
Is Islam Violent? A Question Framed by Fear
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 1 April 2026 (IDN) — Is Islam violent? ISIS in Syria. Iraq and West Africa. In Pakistan, there is Lashkar-e-Taiba and the attempted murderer of the schoolgirl, Malala Yousafzai. Immigrant Moroccan men roughly pushing women and fondling them in the crowd in Cologne. Murderous bombs in Paris and Manchester. […]
SHAHED 136 – The Cheap Drone that Changed Warfare
By Seevali Abeysekera* LONDON | 28 March 2026 (IDN) — The Cold War between America and the Soviet Union existed in an era where their joint strategies were to show each other the enormous destructive capabilities of their respective arsenal of weapons, which in turn acted as the ultimate deterrent to both sides. Mutually Assured […]
How AIPAC’s Betrayal of Its Own Cause Fueled the Iran War
By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 26 March 2026 (IDN) — By reinforcing Israel’s hardline positions and narrowing the scope of American diplomacy, AIPAC’s advocacy has done enduring harm to Israel’s prospects for peace and to the United States’ global credibility and moral standing. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), as a self-described bipartisan […]
From ‘Epic Fury’ to a Trap of Trump’s Own Making: Finding the Way Out
By Alon Ben-Meir NEW YORK | 25 March 2026 (IDN) — Trump never tested serious, sustained diplomacy to resolve the wide-ranging, conflicting issues with Iran; instead, he defaulted to the illusion that enough bombs could “end” a conflict that has spanned nearly five decades. This war with Iran is a war of choice—and a reckless […]
Brute Force Prevails The Global Order
The UN is sidelined as U.S.-backed Israel strikes deep into Iran By Ramesh Jaura This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com BERLIN | 25 March 2026 (IDN) — Wars no longer announce themselves with official proclamations. They creep forward, strike by strike, each retaliation erasing another line once thought uncrossable. In April 2024, Israel’s unprecedented […]
DNC Approach to Israel Is Political Malpractices and Moral Failure
By Norman Solomon* SAN FRANCISCO | 22 March 2026 (IDN) — When the governing body of the Democratic Party convenes next month, it will face a growing challenge to its support for Israel. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has largely evaded the fact that substantial majorities of Democrats oppose continuing military aid to Israel and […]
The Role of Imported Arms in the Iran War
By Zain Hussain and Pieter Wezeman* STOCKHOLM | 20 March 2026 (IDN) — Imported arms have significantly shaped developments in the Middle East since Israel and the United States launched coordinated attacks on Iran last month. In this Q&A, Zain Hussain (ZH) and Pieter Wezeman (PW) of the SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme discuss what the […]
Trump’s Aura of Invincibility Is Disintegrating
By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 18 March 2026 (IDN) — Republican lawmakers, courts, governors, and conservative media are increasingly challenging Trump’s authority as the Iran war and economic policies deepen divisions inside the GOP. The widening fissures inside the Republican Party over Trump’s broader unilateralism and chaotic foreign policy, and now the war of […]