By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 24 October 2023 (IDN) — “Suppose aliens existed and that some had been watching our planet for its entire forty-five million centuries; what would they have seen? Over most of that vast timespan, Earth’s appearance altered very gradually. Continents drifted; ice-cover waxed and waned; successive species emerged, evolved, and […]
Hamas Engaged in Mass Murder. Israeli Army is Killing Palestinian Civilians
By Norman Solomon* SAN FRANCISCO | 24 October 2023 (IDN) — Labels are central to the politics of media. And no label has been more powerful than “terrorist.” A single standard of language should accompany a consistent standard of human rights, which the world desperately needs. “If thought corrupts language,” George Orwell wrote, “language can […]
US Likely to Persist with Renewed Pacific Role Despite Island Nations’ Doubts
Viewpoint by Shailendra Bahadur Singh* SUVA, Fiji | 23 October 2023 (IDN) — Pacific Island nations have been skeptical about the recent revival in U.S. interest in the region. Despite those misgivings, likely, Washington is back for the long haul. China’s rise to a major economy—second only to the United States—is reshaping the world, notwithstanding […]
A Milestone in the History of Nuclear Diplomacy
70th Anniversary of President Eisenhower’s Speech on “Atoms for Peace” By Leonam dos Santos Guimarâes *The writer is a Nuclear and naval engineer (PhD) member of the Brazilian National Academy of Engineering. CEO of Eletronuclear S.A. Coordinator, Brazilian Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program. RIO DE JANEIRO | 23 October 2023 (IDN) — On 8 December 1953, […]
Will World Bank Boss Be Allowed to Reform the Bank?
By Kalinga Seneviratne SINGAPORE. 22 October 2023. (IDN) — “Economic growth in much of the developing world is retreating,” warned World Bank’s new President Ajay Banga in his keynote speech at a meeting of the World Bank (WB) and IMF (International Monetary Fund) from 9 to 15 October in Marrakech. Pointing out that the world […]
OPINION: Civic Engagement Key to Tackle Our Biggest Challenges
By Simone Galimberti The writer co-founded ENGAGE and Good Leadership, Good for You & the Society. KATHMANDU, Nepal | 21 October 2023 (IDN) — How staggering is it that one of the best tools to fight the most formidable challenges humanity faces remains undervalued and underappreciated? I am talking about the role that civic engagement […]
Retaliatory Attacks Threaten Palestinian People and Culture
By Jamshed Baruah NEW YORK | 19 October 2023 (IDN) — The US Pen Association, PEN America, mourns the devastating deaths of civilians in Gaza and condemns threats to free expression and the free flow of vital information to the public, including the international community, as a result of the escalating conflict between Israel and […]
Why the Ugly American?
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 17 October 2023 (IDN) — American foreign policymakers often wonder aloud why much of the world has such an anti-American reflex. Why the “Ugly American”? Graham Greene would never have written a novel entitled “Ugly Russian” or even “Ugly German”. Not just Iran considers the US the “Great Satan.” […]
NATO Secretary General Will Tell You Who Started the Ukraine War
By Benjamin Abelow* MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY, USA | 15 October 2023 (IDN | Independent Media Institute) — There are two competing narratives about the origins of the Ukraine War. According to one narrative, Vladimir Putin is a Hitler-like aggressor. He wants to reestablish the Soviet empire by swallowing Ukraine and threatening the Baltic countries, Poland, […]
Continued Buildup of Massive US Nuclear Arsenal Dangerous
By Daryl G. Kimball The writer is the Executive Director of the Arms Control Association (ACA). Following is the preliminary Assessment of the Report of the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States, ACA issued on 12 October. WASHINGTON, D.C. 15 October 2023 (IDN) — Following more than a decade of deteriorating […]