By Jayasri Priyalal* SINGAPORE | 2 June 2025 (IDN) — The unilateral declaration of reciprocal tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump on trading partner countries has unfolded myriad uncertainties heightening the geopolitical and economic tensions. Immediate reactions were reflected in the global stock markets trading on negative levels. The full repercussions will be known in […]
The United Nations Confronts a Crisis Necessitating Thorough Reforms
By Simone Galimberti* KATHMANDU, Nepal | 30 May 2025 (IDN) — Is the UN salvageable, or is it doomed to irrelevance and perhaps even a complete collapse? The drastic cuts imposed by the United States on development cooperation following the closure of USAID, combined with a significantly weaker appetite among many traditional donors for international […]
Inside the Oval Office, Trump’s new Lair
By Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP and the author of the new book Writing for Media and Monetising It. ABUJA, Nigeria | 27 May 2025 (IDN) — The world has never been short of demagogues and fools, but the remedies have often matched the supply. In 1990, during President Nelson Mandela’s […]
Can Trump Break the Iran Deadlock and Reshape the Middle East?
By Alon Ben-Meir NEW YORK | 23 May 2025 (IDN) — The Trump administration’s pursuit of a negotiated agreement over Iran’s nuclear program is the only sound policy that can prevent a regional conflagration. Beyond that, it offers a unique opportunity that can change the regional security trajectory and potentially usher in long-term peace and […]
Trump’s Hostility Towards China
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 20 May 2025 (IDN) — President Donald Trump’s antagonism towards China existed before the Coronavirus. Despite his bonhomie with President Jinping Xi whenever he meets him, he has gone all out with his trade war. He refuses to negotiate an extension of the nuclear weapons reduction agreement with Russia […]
UN Reform Is Not a Floorplan. It’s a Reckoning
By Stephanie Hodge* UNITED NATIONS | 20 May 2025 (IDN) — Last week’s leaked UN80 reform blueprint offers a sweeping architectural plan for a more “streamlined” UN. It proposes merging development-related entities, relocating operations to Nairobi, cutting senior posts, and centralizing administration through a new Executive Secretariat. It reads like a rebrand of the UN system […]
How to Crown an Impostor
By Azu Ishiekwene The writer is Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP and author of the new book Writing for Media and Monetising It. ABUJA, Nigeria | 14 May 2025 (IDN) — Burkinabe leader Ibrahim Traore is acting like a rock star. It’s not entirely his fault. He’s receiving a lot of help from dozens of social media […]
Peace and Disarmament Education: A Strategy to Prevent Dystopia
By Ramesh Jaura This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com/ BERLIN | 12 May 2025 (IDN) — Fancy people around the world singing John Lennon’s “Imagine” — of a world where there is “nothing to kill or die for” and “all the people living in peace…sharing all the world…as one”! Envision people beating their “swords into […]
Humanitarian Corridors: A Trojan Horse Threatening Bangladesh’s Sovereignty
By Tajul Islam* DHAKA, Bangladesh | 6 May 2025 (IDN) — In the ever-shifting terrain of global politics, ‘humanitarian corridors’ are increasingly wielded not as genuine lifelines for suffering populations but as instruments of foreign influence and domination. The recent decision to establish a United Nations-backed humanitarian corridor along the Chittagong–Rakhine route in Bangladesh is […]
Japan’s Largest Bank’s Role in Financing Indonesia’s Fire and Haze Crisis
By Alex Helan The writer is a Senior Researcher at Rainforest Action Network. LONDON | 4 May 2025 (IDN) — Trade shocks and geopolitical restructuring likely mean economic instability is the new norm and will be compounded by climate and natural shocks like the fires in Indonesia, Brazil and the United States. Banks’ role in […]