By Nandasiri Jasentuliyana The writer is former Deputy Director-General of the United Nations. LOS ANGELES (IDN) — The earliest Sri Lankans to enter the United States were classified as “other Asians.” Immigration records show that between 1881 and 1890, 1,910 “other Asians” were admitted to the United States. It is unlikely that many of these […]
Is China Really a Threat?
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN) — Exactly five years ago, the American secretary of defence, Jim Mattis, declared a new era: “There has been a return of great power competition……great power competition—not terrorism—is now the primary focus of US security”. In the new national defence strategy document, China and Russia were singled out […]
India Going Down Path of Pakistan, Sri Lanka
Viewpoint by Dr Ram Puniyani* NEW DELHI (IDN) — Pakistan is in the grip of a massive economic crisis. Wheat flour costs Rs (PKR) 150 per kg. Staple diet roti (type of bread) costs Rs 30 in a country where the average daily earning is Rs 500 with an average household needing around 10 rotis […]
Should South Korea Go Nuclear?
By Rebecca Johnson Dr Rebecca Eleanor Johnson is the Executive Director of the Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy (AIDD). LONDON (IDN) — In just the few weeks between the West’s New Year and the East’s Year of the Rabbit South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol has been making some very worrying remarks about getting nuclear weapons. […]
US Intelligence Officer Warns of ‘A Slaughter, A Massacre’
Viewpoint by Ahmed Adel This article was published in Blitz, a weekly newspaper with a distinctive difference, established in 2003 and published in Dhaka, Bangladesh. CAIRO (IDN) — A former US Marine Corps intelligence officer has not only warned that Russia is escalating its special military operation in Ukraine but that this will result in […]
Neutral Countries Should Mediate Between Russia and Ukraine
Viewpoint by Jeffrey D. Sachs This article was published in The Economist and is being republished with the author’s permission. NEW YORK (IDN) — Neither Russia nor Ukraine is likely to achieve a decisive military victory in their ongoing war: both sides have considerable room for deadly escalation. Ukraine and its Western allies have little […]
“Forge the Pathways to Cooperation in Our Fragmented World”
By António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General The following are extensive excerpts from the UN Chief’s address to the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on 18 January 2023. The focus of the Forum (16-20 January) is on ‘Cooperation in a Fragmented World’. NEW YORK | DAVOS (IDN) — [The Forum’s] theme perfectly sets […]
The Idea Biden Is the One to Beat the GOP in 2024
Viewpoint by Norman Solomon* SAN FRANCISCO (IDN) — For many months, conventional media wisdom has told us that Joe Biden would be the strongest candidate to defeat Donald Trump in 2024 because he did it before. The claim was always on shaky ground—after all, Trump was the ultimate symbol of the status quo when he […]
It’s the Right Time to Diminish War
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN) — With unanimous approval in the Security Council, the UN, over the course of December, passed resolutions directed at seven different locations of conflict. Most of what the Security Council ordered doing was to the point. Even at a time of heightened antagonism between the West and Russia, […]
The Ukraine War Should Alert Us to The Need to Ban Nuclear Weapons
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN) — In the year 2000, President Vladimir Putin, having just won his first election, made his own contribution to solving the nuclear weapons imbroglio. He said in a speech that Moscow was prepared to drastically reduce its stockpile of nuclear missiles. Putin’s call was not just for further […]