By Tariq Rauf* VIENNA. 25 August 2023 (IDN) — The Biden administration has characterized securing the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel as a national security matter and is actively working to achieve its goal. US domestic politics is driving the Biden policy that sees Saudi-Israel normalization as a “foreign policy win” for […]
The U.S. Has No Alternative to Adjusting to A Multipolar World
By Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies* NEW YORK. 25 August 2023 (IDN) — In his 1987 book, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, historian Paul Kennedy reassured Americans that the decline the United States was facing after a century of international dominance was “relative and not absolute, and is therefore perfectly natural; […]
Saudi Arabia Seeks Civilian Nuclear Program in Return for Ties with Israel
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS. 24 August 2023 (IDN) — The US continues its backdoor negotiations to broker a deal to help establish diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia—a potential game changer in the geopolitics of the Middle East. One of the demands of the Saudis is US assistance to set up “a civilian […]
Sri Lanka Back as Donor Darling Ignores the BRICS
France’s Macron and the US Fish in the Indian Ocean By Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake* COLOMBO. 23 August 2023 (IDN) — Sri Lanka continues to swing wildly between being a ‘Donor Darling’ flooded with foreign ‘aid’ and ‘advisors’ on the one hand to a ‘bankrupt’ pariah or outcast on the other. Last year, the strategic Indian Ocean […]
International Criminal Court Is No Longer a Paper Tiger
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden. 23 August 2023 (IDN) — There can be no question that if President Bashar al-Assad of Syria falls the International Criminal Court (ICC) will want to put him on trial for war crimes. The long arm of international law will reach him wherever he flees to. The ICC has an […]
If This Is Artificial Intelligence, Let’s Go with Real Stupidity
By Norman Solomon* SAN FRANCISCO. 22 August 2023 (IDN) — At first, I admit, I was a bit flattered to learn that online entrepreneurs are selling study guides for my new book. I thought of CliffsNotes from long ago, helping fellow students who were short on time or interest to grasp the basics of notable […]
Polarisation as a Challenge to Democracy
By Wolfgang Merkel* This article was issued by the Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission. BERLIN. 22 August 2023 (IDN) — It is above all social conflicts that shape politics, its disputes and its effects on democracy. The effects can be positive or negative, depending on the degree of conflict and […]
The UN Charter Must Remain the Heart and Soul of Any New Peace Architecture
By Michael von der Schulenburg* This article is a contribution to the German peace movement’s pamphlet on the occasion of this year’s Anti-War Day on September 1. On this day, 84 years ago, the German Reich marched into Poland and ignited the Second World War, bringing indescribable destruction, misery and suffering to Europe and the […]
Opinion: Joe Biden’s Disastrous Diplomatic Gamble
By Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury* DHAKA, Bangladesh. 20 August 2023 (IDN) — In a series of swift and ill-conceived diplomatic moves, US President Joe Biden has plunged into catastrophic decision-making, most notably concerning Afghanistan. Biden’s first significant move involved the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, a decision that has had dire repercussions. His statement […]
It’s Time to End the ‘Nonsense’ in Niger
By Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA. 17 August 2023 (IDN) — Almost everyone, including me, seems opposed to Nigeria leading the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to war in Niger. In one of the most telling anti-war metaphors, a Nigerian columnist and […]