By Miroslav Lajčák Miroslav Lajčák is President of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly. Following is a slightly abridged version of his Statement at Mid-Term Ministerial Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement comprising 120 members, in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 5 April 2018. – The Editor. BAKU (IDN-INPS) – I would like to . . […]
U.S. Congress Should Prevent Saudis from Going Nuclear
By Kingston Reif, Daryl G. Kimball and Kelsey Davenport Kingston Reif is Director for Disarmament and Threat Reduction Policy and Daryl G. Kimball is Executive Director of the Arms Control Association. Kelsey Davenport is the Association’s Director for Nonproliferation Policy. This article appeared as Issue Brief on April 5, 2018 with the caption ‘The Risks […]
No Easy Answer To The Knife That Killed Arnaud Beltrame
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – Personally I’m a coward. I’m unlikely ever to be a hero. (I have rescued on different occasions three young children from drowning, but I didn’t risk my life.) I certainly would never have done what Colonel Arnaud Beltrame, the French policeman, did. He asked the terrorist who […]
How Francis Could Become to be Seen as One of the Greatest of all Popes
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – This present pope – Francis – is probably the most powerful man in the world, in the round. Stalin once asked when confronted with the argument about the Pope’s reach and influence, replied, “How many divisions has the pope got?” He missed the point. The pope does […]
In 2018, Who Will Speak Up for Peace in the Korean Peninsula?
By Rick Wayman Rick Wayman is Programs Director of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF). In April 2016, he received the ‘Activist of the Year’ award from the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability (ANA) for “dynamic leadership in bringing the Marshall Islanders’ Nuclear Zero litigation to world attention, activating the next generation of peace leaders, and […]
Trump Plans a Treaty with North Korea, Abandon One with Iran
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – Like it not we find that we’re having to get used to the paradoxes, contradictions and confusions of the Trump era. None is more apparent than his attack on the landmark Iran de-nuclearisation agreement, fashioned by the Obama Administration and the Iranian government. President Donald Trump wants […]
Why Putin Will Win Re-election As Russia’s President
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – The seemingly eternal president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has an iron grip on his nation and a foreign policy to match. A large majority of Russians give him their support. He will win re-election. Is it his early economic success? Or is it because of a new […]
The Rise of Donald Trump and the Decline of America
By H. L. D. Mahindapala* “… my administration, I believe, has had the most successful year in the history of the Presidency,” Donald Trump, Conservative Political Action Conference, Maryland, February 23, 2018. MELBOURNE, Australia (IDN) – Since it is generally agreed that one week is a long time in politics, it is time to ask, […]
Surprise Trump-Kim Summit by May with Global Repercussions
By Jayantha Dhanapala The writer is a former Sri Lanka Ambassador and UN Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs. He was also President of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs for ten years until August 2017. Click here for his previous stimulating contributions for IDN. – The Editor. KANDY (IDN) – Donald Trump has always […]
To Achieve Gender Equality, We Need Women Entrepreneurs
By Shamshad Akhtar Dr. Shamshad Akhtar is the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). BANGKOK (IDN) – In 2018, we have an opportunity to accelerate progress towards gender equality. Movements such as #MeToo have shone the spotlight on an unacceptable status quo […]