By Ian Williams The writer is the President of the Foreign Press Association in New York and a former President of the UN Correspondents’ Association. NEW YORK | 24 September 2025 (IDN) — If Donald Trump had worn a gaudy uniform like Gaddafi, he might have pipped the Libyan leader for the most memorable UN […]
Why Do Westerners Still Think There’s An Islamic Threat?
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 23 September 2025 (IDN) — The words still ring in policy-makers’ ears from Harvard Professor Samuel Huntington’s famous treatise, The Clash of Civilizations. This book, in many ways, triggered the paranoia that has infected politicians, the press, and public discourse. “The underlying problem for the West is not Islamic […]
Shades of Collective Self-Defence in the Context of Saudi-Pakistan Agreement
By A.L.A. Azeez* COLOMBO, Sri Lanka | 21 September 2025 (IDN) — What does it entail when two states enter into a mutual defence pact? What if one of them is a nuclear-armed state, not party to the Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the other an NPT state, not possessing nuclear weapons? That’s exactly the scenario […]
Suspending US-Kosovo Dialogue — A Rude Awakening for Kurti
By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 19 September 2025 (IDN) — Although Trump does not necessarily follow logical and practical foreign policy to frame US relations with other countries, his decision to suspend the US-Kosovo dialogue was not entirely misguided. Prime Minister Kurti has failed to demonstrate statesmanship in steering the country in the right […]
Situation Report Horn of Africa: Over 100 Sudanese refugees die in shipwrecks
Situation in Sudan (per 18 September) At least 18 people were killed and 14 kidnapped by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in an attack on El Fasher, North Darfur, on Tuesday. This happened during violent clashes between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The death toll only accounts for those brought to the […]
Saving the Emerald Forest
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 16 September 2025 (IDN) — Belem is the Brazilian city at the mouth of the Amazon. Unlike its slummy counterpart, Kinshasa, at the mouth of the Congo, it is full of resplendent streets with beautiful nineteenth-century houses. It has squares and marketplaces filled with cafes, fountains, and life. In […]
Madness on Steroids in Gaza
By James E. Jennings* ATLANTA, USA |13 September 2025 (IDN) — Israel has announced its intention to forcibly drive from one to two million people from their homes in Gaza city to make room for Israeli settlements, military bases, or glitzy casinos, or whatever else comes to mind. Besides being inhumane, it amounts to insanity. […]
Climate change impact on workers’ health explored at Osaka EXPO
By Mahinda Seneviratne* OSAKA, Japan | 8 September 2025 (IDN) — As the sun rose over the picturesque, volcanic mountain region of central Kyushu in Japan, four young women from Myanmar were reporting for work as house maids at a local ryokan (Japanese-style inn). They are part of the growing number of migrant workers evident […]
“Never Again” Has Tragically Lost Its Moral Weight
By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 6 September 2025 (IDN) — The genocidal war in Gaza should put the whole world on notice that this is now simply another episode in the moral collapse of our humanity, as “never again” has lost its moral weight Since he rose to power 30 years ago, Netanyahu has […]
How the UN Can Act Decisively to End Genocide in Gaza
By Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies* NEW YORK | 2 September 2025 (IDN) — One year ago, the UN General Assembly demanded that Israel must end its occupation of the Palestinian Territories within twelve months. The General Assembly voted, by 124 votes to 14, with 43 abstentions, for a strong resolution that not only “demanded” an […]