By Soleil-Chandni Mousseau* OAKLAND, California | 2 October 2024 (IDN) — With the largest population of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Africa—nearly 7 million people—the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is ravaged by decades of conflict. Since late 2023, the security situation has deteriorated drastically resulting in widespread displacement with almost one million IDPs in […]
Middle East: Oxygen Has Been Taken Out of The Air
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 1 October 2024 (IDN) — American Middle East interventionists used to chide President Barack Obama for not doing more. Why was the US running away from Yemen, why didn’t the US go into Syria and depose President Bashar al-Assad, why did Obama pull troops out of Iraq prematurely, why […]
Iran’s Predicaments in The Wake of Nasrallah’s Assassination
Dr Alon Ben-Meir*- NEW YORK | 1 October 2024 (IDN) — As Iran is currently weighing whether or not to retaliate against Israel for the assassination of Hezbollah’s chief Hassan Nasrallah, the US and Israel should make it possible for Tehran not to retaliate without losing face and potentially avert further escalation of the conflict […]
Brazil and China Could Lead the Way on South-South Climate Cooperation
By Leo Horn-Phathanothai and Rogerio Studart* BANGKOK | NEW YORK | 30 September 2024 (IDN) — This August marked the fiftieth anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Brazil—two of the most consequential countries for global efforts to avert climate chaos. Their celebrations came against the backdrop of improved relations and strengthening climate cooperation. As […]
From the Bullet to the Ballot — Can AKD become the Sri Lankan Lee Kuan Yew?
By Seevali Abeysekera* LONDON | 27 September 2024 (IDN) — All my previous posts pertaining to Sri Lankan politics written over the last decade or so have had one primary theme, namely that Sri Lankan politics was merely an extension of a culture based on false values which had created and promoted inept, incompetent and […]
Child Survival Award to Honour the Legendary Jim Grant
By Kul Chandra Gautam The writer is a former UN assistant secretary general and deputy executive director of UNICEF. KATHMANDU | 26 September 2024 (IDN) — Ever since UNICEF’s legendary Executive Director Jim Grant passed away in January 1995, I have had a dream that UNICEF, ideally, or some other organization, would establish a prestigious […]
Wanted A Non-Hegemonic New International Order Under the UN Charter
By Jeffrey D. Sachs* This article was originally published in Horizons and is being republished with the author’s permission. – Though the Summit of the Future has concluded, this article by SDG Advocate under Secretary-General António Guterres is of utmost importance. The Outcome Document of the Summit reflects some of the author’s recommendations for a […]
Ukraine War: Zelensky Wants US Troops in Ukraine — And Putin Replaced
By Stephen Bryen* This article was issued by Weapons and Strategy and is being republished with their permission. WASHINGTON, D.C. | 25 September 2024 (IDN) — A friend of mine “translated” Zelensky’s UN speech as follows: Force Russia to the Negotiating Table, Return all territory taken by Russia to Ukraine; have a war crimes trial […]
Sri Lanka: Is the New President Harbinger of Hope and Change?
By Farwa Aamer The writer is Director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI). NEW YORK | 25 September (IDN) — Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s win (as new President) marks a period of hope and change for the Sri Lankans who are still recovering from the political and economic crisis of 2022. […]
Is The World Moving Toward Long-Term Self-Destruction?
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 24 September 2024 (IDN) — Eleven hundred years ago Europe was a backwater. There were no grand cities, apart from Cordoba in Spain which was Muslim. The Middle East was much further ahead, still absorbing the intellectual delights and challenges of Greek science, medicine and architecture which Europeans were […]