By Dr George Chaponda The writer is the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Malawi. LILONGWE, Malawi | 1 July 2026 (IDN) — When Malawi became the first landlocked country to ratify the BBNJ Agreement, we affirmed a simple but powerful principle: stewardship of the global commons is a shared responsibility, not a […]
Whither the Law of the Sea?
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 1 July 2026 (IDN) — David Attenborough said in his wondrous documentary film, Ocean, that it had taken him a long time in his 99 years of life to understand that for the survival of our planet the oceans are more important than the land. This past four months, as […]
The Ceasefire in Gaza: A Deadly Illusion
By Somar Wijayadasa* NEW YORK | 30 June 2026 (IDN) — The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has described the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza as a “cruel and deadly illusion” as Israel continues to attack the besieged enclave. “During a period supposedly defined by restraint and protection, a child has been killed, on average, every […]
EEPA reports on Heavy fighting in North Darfur
BRUSSELS | 29 June 2026 (IDN | EEPA) — The following are the situation reports on Sudan, Ethiopia, the EU visa restrictions on Somali nationals and Kenyan Human Rights Lawyer, Martha Karua, arrested and deported upon arrival in Entebbe on 22 June. Situation in Sudan (per 29 June) The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have launched […]
Germany, Japan and the Return of Military Power (Part III)
Rearmament Without Militarism? By Ramesh Jaura This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com/ Editor’s Note: This article is the third and final instalment in a three-part series examining how Germany and Japan—the two former Axis powers that embraced constitutional restraint after World War II—are responding to a rapidly changing global security environment. Part I, From […]
EEPA reports on World Refugee Day highlights protection gaps
BRUSSELS | 25 June 2026 (IDN | EEPA) — The following are the situation reports on World refugee day, Sudan, Ethiopia and The United States military resuming its operations against Al Shabab in Somalia. Migration and refugee situation (per 25 June) Libya’s eastern-based government in Benghazi has issued a decree barring entry to Sudanese, Eritrean, […]
Our Less Violent World
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 24 June 2026 (IDN) — The world over, most of the public opinion is ignorant of just how much violence has declined over the last 3,000 years. Judging by the historical record, the 21st century, thus far, is the least violent and safest Century of all, despite ISIS, despite […]
The Price of Miscalculation
By Alon Ben-Meier* A war launched to reshape the Middle East has instead exposed the limits of force—and the cost of misunderstanding a nation that has spent millennia learning how to endure. NEW YORK | 22 June 2026 (IDN) — The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was finally unveiled a few days ago only reaffirmed […]
Gulf Security: The Case for Regional Ownership
By Tariq Rauf The writer is a former Head of Verification and Security Policy Coordination, Coordinator IAEA Forum on a Middle East Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Below are his personal comments. VIENNA| 23 June 2026 (IDN) — The Gulf’s security order is broken. Four decades of foreign military guarantees, more than one […]
Solomon Islands – Climate Change: Perils Of Losing Our Home
By Cheryl Bera Honiara, Solomon Islands, 20 June 2026 (IDN/Wansolwara) — The relocation of the A’ama tribe due to the impact of climate change reflects the perils of loosing one’s treasured homes. In April 2014, after over two weeks of slow moving tropical depression, that later became Cyclone Ita, Solomon Islands experienced flash […]