By Thalif Deen* When the UN’s four high-level summit meetings take place September 22-30, over 150 world leaders, including Presidents and Prime Ministers, are expected to address the gatherings. Besides the annual high-level General Debate, the focus will also be on the Summit of the Future, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Sea-Level Rise, and on Anti-microbial […]
The Five Front Escalation in West Asia
Israeli Settler Colonialism and Expansionism Threaten an All-Out War By Anuradha Chenoy* This article was published in Economic&Political Weekly (Vol. 59, Issue No. 37, 14 Sep. 2024 2024) and is being republished with the author‘s permission. NEW DELHI | 14 September 2024 (IDN) — There is a fault line under Israel that promises to crack […]
Chinese Financing for African Renewables Rebounds After Two-Year Lull
By Anika Patel* BEIJING | 13 September 2024 (IDN) — New data reveals a rebound in Chinese financing of renewable energy projects in Africa in 2023, following a lull over the past few years. Climate cooperation between China and Africa was a key focus of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which concluded on 6 […]
On Its 25th Anniversary, The Culture of Peace Focuses on Women, Children and Communities
By Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury* NEW YORK | 13 September 2024 (IDN) —The global community is celebrating today the adoption by the United Nations of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, which is considered a monumental document that transcends boundaries, cultures, societies, and nations. That inspirational action took place 25 […]
Haiti: Despite Kenyan Presence, Security in the Country Has Not Improved
By Pablo Meriguet* QUITO, Ecuador | 11 September 2024 (IDN | Peoples Dispatch) — On June 25, hundreds of Kenyan police officers landed in Haiti as part of the United Nations’ Multinational Security Support Mission. Thousands of other members of security forces are expected to be deployed to the Caribbean nation from other parts of […]
Undebatable: What Harris and Trump Could Not Say About Israel and Gaza
By Norman Solomon* SAN FRANCISCO | 11 September 2024 (IDN) — Kamala Harris won the debate. People being bombed in Gaza did not. The banner headline across the top of the New York Times home page—“Harris Puts Trump on Defensive in Fierce Debate”— was accurate enough. But despite the good news for people understandably eager for […]
How US Foreign Policy Affected Relations with Russia
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 10 September 2024 (IDN) — Two mistakes, committed on President Barack Obama’s watch, were the triggers for the end of the long post-Cold War period of good relations with Russia. They were the attack on Libya by the US, France and the UK and the subsequent killing of its […]
Pursuing Transitional Justice in the Aftermath of Peace in Nepal
By Simone Galimberti* KATHMANDU, Nepal | 9 September 2024 (IDN) — Ending a civil conflict is always an incredibly daunting task but ensuring a permanent peace that would enable the peace dividend to trickle down can often prove to be even more challenging. The unbalanced power dynamics and the inequities at the foundation of the […]
Is the IAEA Board up to the job: Safeguards at Sea?
By Tariq Rauf* VIENNA | 9 September 2024 (IDN) — The Board of Governors (Board) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is holding its third regular meeting of the year during the week of 9 to 13 September 2024. Increasingly, astute observers are wondering whether the IAEA Board is up to the job mandated […]
Kosovo: The Closure of Parallel Institutions and Its Ramifications
By Dr. Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 8 September 2024 (IDN) — Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti’s consistent efforts to assert Kosovo’s sovereignty over the predominantly ethnic Serb municipalities do not bolster Kosovo’s independence. Instead, Kurti’s misplaced efforts only strain EU-Kosovo ties while exposing his lack of confidence in Kosovo’s sovereign resiliency Kurti’s decision to close […]