Resurrection of Bushidō into a tool for Japanese ultra-nationalism & military expansionism? By Purnaka L. de Silva* NEW YORK | 22 February 2026 (IDN) — Japan’s acquisition of a parliamentary supermajority under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s landslide election victory marks a qualitative shift in the country’s political trajectory with significant implications for regional security, historical reconciliation, […]
Floods and Mudslides Prompt Sri Lanka To Move Communities From Mountain Slopes
By Benuka Senadheera* WELIMADA, Sri Lanka | 20 February 2026 (IDN) — Sri Lanka, it seemed, was well on the way to recovering from the economic crash of 2022, when Cyclone Ditwah hit the island at the end of November last year, resulting in devastating floods in all 25 districts of the country. The floods washed […]
A ‘Wrecking-ball’ Smashing the International Order
By Somar Wijayadasa* NEW YORK | 19 February 2026 (IDN) — The 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC), held from February 13–15 in Munich, Germany, convened global leaders at a moment of mounting geopolitical strain. Long regarded as a premier forum for international security dialogue, this year’s conference unfolded against the backdrop of what its organizers […]
Situation Report Horn of Africa: UN accuses RSF of war crimes
Situation in Sudan (per 16 February) The UN Human Rights Office reported that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed acts amounting to war crimes during their October 2025 offensive on El Fasher, citing more than 6,000 killings and widespread abuses, according to UN High Commissioner Volker Türk. An RSF drone attack on the Al […]
Suffocating an Island: What the U.S. Blockade Is Doing to Cuba
By Medea Benjamin* NEW YORK | 13 February 2026 (IDN) — Marta Jiménez, a hairdresser in Cuba’s eastern city of Holguín, covered her face with her hands and broke down in tears when I asked her about Trump’s blockade of the island—especially now that the United States is choking off oil shipments. “You can’t imagine […]
The Democrats Need a Concrete Governing Agenda
By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 12 February 2026 (IDN) — Since President Donald Trump reassumed office, the Democratic rank and file have been relentless in criticizing what many view as his unhinged exercise of power. Given Trump’s sweeping challenges to political norms, democratic institutions, and long-established economic and cultural frameworks, there is no shortage […]
Can We Quench the Fire That Might Start in Mali?
By Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP and the author of the new book Writing for Media and Monetising It. ABUJA, Nigeria | 6 February 2026 (IDN) — Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger—three rogue states that have formed an Alliance of Sahelian States (AES) to resist external pressure from ECOWAS on military rule— […]
A Shaky International System gets Shakier
By James E. Jennings* ATLANTA, USA | 4 February 2026 (IDN) — While UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ recent speech brilliantly described the world as it is in 2026—growing in population, war, starvation, and conflict, there are no solutions as yet that anybody can see. No easy fix exists for the widespread unrest that may eventually […]
Sensitive Data Sovereignty Conference commits to African Health and Humanitarian Data Space
Sensitive Data Sovereignty Conference commits to African Health and Humanitarian Data Space A conference on Sensitive Data Sovereignty held at Tangaza University in Nairobi – Kenya adopted a resolution to support the principle of creating an African Health Data Space including sensitive and humanitarian data. The proposal is supported by universities who acknowledge the critical […]
When the Centre No Longer Holds
The UN’s failure and the rise of the Board of Peace By Ramesh Jaura* This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com/p/when-the-centre-no-longer-holds BERLIN | 29 January 2026 (IDN) — As the Canadian prime minister concluded his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on 20 January 2026, the applause lingered, stretching just beyond the ordinary. […]