By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 3 June 2026 (IDN) — President Barack Obama was not a war criminal despite US involvement in wars in Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan and against ISIS. They were legitimate if wrong-headed interventions. His predecessor George W. Bush was a war criminal. Apart from anything else his administration tortured captives, and […]
Civilization Unmasked: The Persistence of Human Brutality
By Alon Ben-Meir* We are not merely witnessing human suffering—we are learning to endure it without outrage. When atrocity no longer shocks the conscience, it is not only humanity that is under assault—it is our very capacity to remain human. NEW YORK | 3 June 2026 (IDN) — To my utter chagrin, the scale, frequency, […]
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: HIistory Will Not Yield to Power
By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 30 May 2026 (IDN) — Israeli-Palestinian conflict, examining it from historical, religious, psychological, and geostrategic perspectives, as well as through the hard realities on the ground. After all this, one conclusion has remained inescapable: there will be no peace—none—unless it is anchored in a viable two-state solution. Nearly six […]
Turkey’s Egregious Human Rights Violations Are Beyond The Pale
By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 26 May 2026 (IDN) — Turkey’s human rights record has crossed from troubling to indefensible. Behind the language of counterterrorism and national security lies a systematic campaign that has dismantled the rule of law, criminalised dissent, and stripped hundreds of thousands of their most basic rights. In the aftermath […]
Trump’s War on Iran Is a Symptom of Unchecked US Military Power
By George Yancy This article was originally published by Truthout. NEW YORK | 26 May 2026 (IDN) — Perhaps some things should never be spoken — for, when they are, they leave us aghast, in a state of horror. Think here of the ghostly figure in Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.” During the height of the […]
After Venezuela and Iran, Next Cuba?
By Jan Servaes BANGKOK | 16 May 2026 (IDN) — Following the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a military attack, US President Donald Trump has hinted that Cuba could be his next target. In a presidential decree dated 26 January, 2026, he declared that […]
The Shattered Covenant
As Israel celebrates its 78th anniversary By Alon Ben-Meir* Israel! I speak not in anger, but in mourning. What unfolds here is not prophecy— It is a confession. A lament for a nation that lost its way. A reckoning with faith betrayed, with justice undone. The dream of Israel, once radiant, redemptive, now stands fractured— […]
IRAN: Sustainable Peace Takes Time
By David L. Phillips* OXFORD, UK | 29 April 2026 (IDN) — I spent hours with Ambassador Javad Zarif, Iran’s Permanent Representative to the UN and Foreign Minister in 2015. Rather convincingly, he maintained that Iran was not seeking a nuclear weapon but merely insisting on its right to enrichment. He called Iran’s nuclear program a […]
Trump, Iran, and the Folly of Demanding Surrender
By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK, 27 April 2026 (IDN) — Trump’s threats and maximalist demands ignore Iran’s history, security fears, and distrust of Washington. A durable agreement requires time, restraint, and professional diplomacy—not bombast, coercion, and calls for unconditional surrender that guarantee only resistance. Iran is not a transient power that can be coerced into […]
Conflict-ridden Sahel at the Crossroads
The Impact of the Iran War on West African Power and Conflict By Ramesh Jaura This article was first published on rjaura.substack.com BERLIN | 25 April 2026 (IDN) — The war involving Iran, Israel, and the United States is centred in the Middle East, but its effects are quickly changing geopolitical boundaries far beyond that […]