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; […]
Global Trade Rebounds, But the Outlook for 2023 Is Bleak
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA, 21 June 2023 (IDN) — Trade in goods and services rebounded between January and March 2023 after two consecutive quarters of decline. However, the outlook for the rest of the year is bleak. According To UNCTAD‘s Latest Global Trade Update, published on 21 June, global merchandise trade rebounded both in volume […]
Persons with Different Outlooks Head Two Development Banks
By Vijay Prashad* This article was produced by Globetrotter. NORTHAMPTON, Massachusetts | USA, 7 April 2023 (IDN) — In late February 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that the United States had placed the nomination of Ajay Banga to be the next head of the World Bank, established in 1944. There will be no other […]
UN Focuses on Global Sustainable Development in 2023
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) — The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) comprising 169 targets, which are […]
German Experts Study the Impact of Economic Sanctions Against Iran and Russia
By Jutta Wolf BERLIN (IDN) — Researchers at the Institute for World Economy IfW Kiel and DIW Berlin have analysed the economic impact of jointly implementing punitive measures in the context of the 2012 Iran and 2014 Russia sanctions. They find that coalitions serve two crucial purposes—they not only magnify the economic cost imposed on […]
Global Trade Hits Record $7.7 Trillion in First Quarter of 2022
This article was issued by UNCTAD and is being republished courtesy of them. GENEVA (IDN) — The value of global trade rose to a record $7.7 trillion in Q1 2022, an increase of about $1 trillion relative to Q1 2021, according to UNCTAD’s Global Trade Update published on 7 July. The growth, which represents a […]
Ukraine War Threatens Development Aid to World’s Poorer Nations
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the current devastating war in Ukraine has an equally destructive impact on the outside world: an assault on the world’s most vulnerable people and countries. The worst affected are the world’s poor as food, fuel and fertilizer prices are skyrocketing while […]
Why Finance in Common’s Big Promises Should be Seen with Caution: Examples from Brazil
By Iara Pietricovsky & Livi Gerbase Iara Pietricovskyis, current President of FORUS – International Forum of NGO Platforms and co-director OF INESC – Institute of Socioeconomic Studies, at the Brazilian NGO Association (Abong). She has represented the institution in international fora, especially the socio-environmental and indigenous areas, and has a degree in Social Sciences, specializing […]
Creating and Codifying the Right to Be Remembered
By Yossef Ben-Meir, Emily Oksen, and Kristin O’Donoghue Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir is President of the High Atlas Foundation and Chief of Party of the USAID Religious and Ethnic Minorities Activity Program in Morocco. Emily Oksen and Kristin O’Donoghue are students at the University of Virginia and interns with HAF. MARRAKESCH (IDN) — It is human […]
Landmark World Social Forum Meets Virtually
By Jaya Ramachandran ROME (IDN) – Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the international edition of the World Social Forum (WSF) will take place virtually this year from January 23 to 31, marking the 20th anniversary of an extraordinary global gathering. The forthcoming WSF will be the longest ever held since the first World Social Forum […]