By Tor Wennesland The following are extensive excerpts from the Briefing by the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, on the Situation in the Middle East. UNITED NATIONS | 22 February 2024 (IDN) — As we approach 140 days of devastating war, there is still no end in sight. No end to […]
The Missing Nexus between Foreign Policy and Domestic Policy: Overseas Sri Lankans
By A.L.A. Azeez* COLOMBO | 21 February 2024 (IDN) — During my recent visit to Australia I took a keen interest in engaging with several young persons of Sri Lankan origin in different cities. They were among the second and third generation youths from Sri Lanka’s migrant communities resident in Down Under. For me, this […]
The World Appears to Be Getting Happier
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 20 February 2024 (IDN) — Can we be happier? It is difficult to be happy when there is war in Ukraine, in Gaza, Myanmar and the Sudan. According to a new map I saw this morning, there have been over 50,000 wars since counting began, overwhelmingly concentrated in Europe. […]
Gaza War: Biden Still Has the Chance to Prevent Genocide
By Jeffrey D. Sachs* This article was published in Common Dreams and is being republished with the author’s permission. NEW YORK | 20 February 2024 (IDN) — The cabinet of Israel’s Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu is filled with religious extremists who believe that Israel’s brutality in Gaza is at God’s command. According to the Book […]
Ending the Existential Risks of the Menace of Nuclear Weapons
By Tariq Rauf* VIENNA | 20 February 2024 (IDN) — Following the Trinity nuclear test detonation of 16 July 1945, nuclear scientist Leó Szilárd observed: “Almost without exception, all the creative physicists had misgivings about the use of the bomb” and further that “[President] Truman did not understand at all what was involved regarding nuclear […]
The Complexity of Nuclear Submarine Safeguards Impacts the Current Landscape
By Leonam dos Santos Guimarâes* RIO DE JANEIRO | 14 February 2024 (IDN) — The topic of applying safeguards to nuclear submarine fuel, focusing on ensuring security and proliferation resistance, involves a complex interplay of international regulations, agreements, and technical considerations. A pivotal aspect of this discussion centres on the application of International Atomic Energy […]
The Ukraine War Could Come to An Unexpected End
By Michael von der Schulenburg* BERLIN | 14 February 2024 (IDN) — Even if there is still fighting at the front, recent developments in Ukraine would suggest that the war could end in a way that is entirely unexpected in the West – with a Ukrainian-Russian agreement. It all concerns the fact that the war […]
The EU Should Take Over Most of NATO’s Role
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 13 February 2024 (IDN) — So what does ex-President Donald Trump think about NATO? Twice during his previous presidential campaign, he rubbished it publicly, saying it was “obsolete”. Yet when a little later he met the UK’s prime minister, Therese May, it was all hunkydory. He told her he […]
Using Technology to Support Neurodiversity and Education
By Yejin Choi The writer is CEO of Dubu and Generation17 Young Leader, volunteered as a tutor for under-resourced children after realizing that many, especially those with learning differences, lack proper educational resources. NEW YORK | 11 February (IDN) —Education is vital to ensure a better future for children. But can we provide the same […]
Senegal’s President Sall Taking ECOWAS from Frying Pan to Fire
By Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA | 10 February 2024 (IDN) — As the troubled Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) convened its Ministerial Council meeting in Abuja on February 8 to discuss the quit notice served by three of its members—Mali, Burkina […]