Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* Over the years, as a foreign affairs columnist of the International Herald Tribune, the author has made four visits to Guatemala. LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – In 1981 on the editorial page of the New York Times I wrote a column showing that the mass atrocities against the Indian population of Guatemala […]
Sweden’s Political Balance Threatened by Immigration Debate
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – The arrival in Sweden of 163,000 refugees, mainly Syrians, in 2015 – making for a higher proportion of Sweden’s population than almost any other European country – has been used by the far right to drum up broader fears about immigration. A recent spate of shootings, grenade […]
BIMSTEC Viable, Though SAARC Deadlocked
By Sugeeswara Senadhira The author is Director (Research & International Media), Presidential Secretariat in Colombo. This article first appeared in Ceylon Today on September 3, and is being reproduced with the author’s permission. – The Editor COLOMBO (IDN-INPS) – Sri Lanka, as the new Chair of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and […]
UN Chief Urges Greater Investment in Diplomacy for Peace
By António Guterres Inclusive mediation requires paying greater attention to the gender dimensions of conflict, including conflict-related sexual violence and the gendered impact of decisions around post-war reconstruction, says UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Following are his remarks, as delivered to the Security Council, to the open debate on the maintenance of international peace and security: […]
Uncertainty About Whether the U.S. and Russia Can Avert a New Arms Race
By Daryl G. Kimball The United States and Russia are rushing forward with costly, ambitious plans to upgrade their Cold War nuclear arsenals and develop new types of destabilizing nuclear weapon, writes Daryl G. Kimball, Executive Director of the Arms Control Association in the September issue of Arms Control Today. The editorial appeared with the […]
Guterres Urges Security Council to Work with Myanmar, Says Rohingya Refugees Lack Life-Saving Assistance
By António Guterres A report released on August 27 by UN investigators accused Myanmar’s military of carrying out mass killings and gang rapes of the Rohingya with “genocidal intent” and called for prosecution of the country’s commander-in-chief, senior General Ming Aung Hlaing, and five generals. On August 28, UN Secretary-General António Guterres spoke “with a […]
U.S. Goes for ‘Space Force All the Way’
Viewpoint by Alice Slater*, The Hill NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – […] Vice-President Mike Pence announced the Trump administration’s plan for a new military command, the U.S. Space Force, emphasizing President Donald Trump’s urging that “It is not enough to merely have an American presence in space: we must have American dominance in space.” Pence’s announcement was greeted […]
Little Progress in Nuclear Disarmament Since Helsinki Summit
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – Everything gets said, nothing gets done. When President Donald Trump met President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on July 16, we were promised all sorts of goodies – progress in reconciliation in Ukraine and Syria, and not least nuclear disarmament. If there is progress behind the scenes it’s […]
Libya and Ukraine were Big American Mistakes with Russia
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* Under Obama the spirit of cooperation had nearly all gone. But President Donald Trump wants to bring the era of goodwill back again. Unfortunately, because of his erratic leadership, no one is quite sure whether to trust him. Moreover, he says one thing about friendship with Russia while his Administration increases […]
Advancing Disarmament Within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Viewpoint by Izumi Nakamitsu The author is Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs. This article first appeared in UN Chronicle, Vol. LV No. 2 2018 | August 2018. NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – The idea that disarmament and arms control are connected to development is not new. Article 26 of the Charter of the United […]