By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden, 30 May 2023 (IDN) — The war in Syria has dropped out of the news, like almost everything else, in a time when the Ukraine war seems to dominate all discourse and reporting. But the regime of Bashar al-Assad continues to strangle its own country. Even last year the Russians […]
Russia-Ukraine War: A Peace Solution Eludes Kissinger Too
By Ramzy Baroud* WASHINGTON, 29 May 2023 (IDN) — It is unclear why 100-year-old Henry Kissinger has been elevated by Western intelligentsia to serve the role of the visionary in how the West should behave in response to the Russia-Ukraine war. But does the centenarian politician have the answers?
Tributes: Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala*
UNITED NATIONS, 28 May 2023 (IDN) — The sad demise of Sri Lanka’s veteran diplomat Dr Jayantha Dhanapala at the Kandy National Hospital, was announced on 27 May. Following are tributes by Nandasiri (Nandi) Jasentuliyana, former Deputy Director-General of the United Nations and Director UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOSA), and Ambassador A. L. […]
Viewpoint: For the Sake of Peace, We Need a Fossil Fuel Treaty
By Tomohiko Aishima* & Shahin Ashraf** TOKYO, 25 May 2023 (IDN) — When the leaders of powerful nations meet, finding ways to maintain peace is one of their most important responsibilities. But as the G7 meeting in Hiroshima has come to an end, some of the world’s most powerful leaders have let two opportunities to […]
Behind Biden Administration’s ‘Democratism’ in Bangladesh
Viewpoint by Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury* DHAKA, Bangladesh, 23 May 2023 (IDN) — The Biden administration is aggressively pushing forward its ‘democratism’ policy with the ulterior motive of kowtowing targeted foreign nations through its so-called approach for a better democracy.
Stopping The Bad Being Stronger Than the Good
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden, 23 May 2023 (IDN) — Do we, especially our politicians and media, focus more on threats than on opportunities, dwell on loses more than on gains, and learn more from past failures than from successes? When we are children, we are frightened of bogeymen. When we are adults, we often […]
The Military-Industrial Complex Is Triggering US Debt Crisis
By Jeffrey D. Sachs* This article was published in Common Dreams and is being republished with the author’s permission. NEW YORK, 22 May 2023 (IDN) — In the year 2000, the U.S. government debt was $3.5 trillion, equal to 35% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). By 2022, the debt was $24 trillion, equal to […]
China-Strategy: Transatlantic and European Cacophony
Viewpoint by Herbert Wulf This article was issued by the Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission. BONN, Germany, 21 May 2023 (IDN) — The G7 summit of foreign ministers in Japan in mid-April sought to emphasise the need for a unified China policy. However, the diplomatic pronouncements can only gloss over […]
Has Hunter Biden Been Linked to Bangladesh Islamists?
Viewpoint by Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury* DHAKA, Bangladesh, 20 May 2023 (IDN) — US President Joe Biden’s scandalous son Hunter Biden, who has earlier met with State Department official on behalf of Gabriel Popoviciu, a corrupt Romanian real estate tycoon in exchange for US$1 million when Joe Biden was vice president in 2016, seems to […]
The Occupation Is Destroying Israel’s Democracy
Regardless of What Kind of Spin Is Put On By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK, 19 May 2023 (IDN) — My recent article entitled “An Occupying Power Cannot Be a Beacon of Democracy” engendered both criticism and compliments. Given the severity of the Israeli occupation and the need to end it under conditions of peace, I […]