By Ramesh Thakur* This article was issued by the Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission. CANBERRA, Australia. 16 August 2023 (IDN) — Lord Ismay, NATO’s first secretary-general (SG), famously said the purpose of NATO was to “keep the Americans in, the Russians out, and the Germans down”. The end of the […]
Rainbow Warrior Sails the Pacific to Gather Evidence for World Court
By Sera Sefeti SUVA, Fiji. 14 August 2023 (IDN) — International environmental campaign group Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior is currently sailing across the Pacific waters, calling at ports collecting evidence to present to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), also called the World Court, during a historic hearing in The Hague next year. Rainbow Warrior staff […]
Will the Modern-Day Silk Road Bring Prosperity to Laos?
By Pattama Vilailert VIENTIANE, Laos. 5 August 2023 (IDN) — When a China-built high-speed railway began operations in December 2021, Laos joined the modern-day silk road project that opened itself to trade and tourism opportunities across Asia. But many in the country doubt whether the land-locked nation would reap full benefits. “Since the Laos-China railway […]
Macron Warns of New Colonialism in The Pacific, But Refuses to Abandon Overseas Territories
By Ravindra Singh Prasad SUVA, Fiji. 1 August 2023 (IDN) — French president Emmanuel Macron in a historic first visit to an independent Pacific state by a sitting French President, has denounced “new imperialism” in the region during a stop in Vanuatu, warning of a threat to the sovereignty of smaller states. But, earlier, during […]
Myanmar: As ASEAN Crumbles, Western Sanctions Are Starting to Bite
By Jan Servaes* BRUSSELS 10 July 2023 (IDN) — According to a World Bank report released at the end of June, Myanmar’s economy stabilized in the first half of 2023. But this isn’t exactly good news, as the report points out that the economy is still lagging far behind that of the region. GDP growth of 3 […]
Fukushima Is Not Merely a Nuclear Issue for The Pacific
By Sera Sefeti SUVA, Fiji 9 July 2023 (IDN) — The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) submitted its final report to Japan on July 4 on the safety of dumping treated nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean, saying the discharge proposal is consistent with relevant international safety standards. But the small island nations of the […]
Sri Lanka: Double Trouble
By Neville de Silva* LONDON 2 July 2023 (IDN) — Politics, say those not averse to giving Shakespeare’s words a little twist, make strange bed fellows. Last July two of Sri Lanka’s leading political parties and arch enemies decided to bed together, not because of a newfound intimacy but rather for their political survival.
Thailand’s ‘Sufficiency Economy’ Philosophy Bears Fruits in Laos
By Pattama Vilailert VIENTIANE, Laos. 28 June 2023 (IDN) — It was at the height of the Thai Economic Crisis in 1997 that the term “sufficiency economics” came into prominence when the late King of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej told his people that rather than building factories to become another Asian Tiger, the important thing for […]
Tonga: A ‘Paradise’ in the South Pacific Ocean Turns to a Plastic Landfill
By Fresh Polutele* NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga, 23 June 2023 (IDN | Wansolwara) — The kingdom of Tonga in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean was known as a “paradise” island. But not anymore. Plastic and glass waste is an ongoing problem in Tonga’s environment and it has created a dilemma for the government. How will […]
South Pacific Is Not in Good Shape Because of Other Peoples’ Wars
By Kalinga Seneviratne SUVA, Fiji, 20 June 2023 (IDN) — In a keynote speech at the annual Pacific Update conference at the University of the South Pacific (USP), the university’s former Dean of the Business and Economic Faculty, and now the Deputy Prime Minister and Economics Minister of the island country, Professor Biman Prasad told […]