By Jeffrey D. Sachs* This article was published in Common Dreams and is being republished with the author’s permission. NEW YORK | 12 December 2024 (IDN) — In the famous lines of Tacitus, Roman historian, “To ravage, to slaughter, to usurp under false titles, they call empire; and where they make a desert, they call […]
How The Loss of Naval Base in Syria Would Weaken Russia as A Global Power
By Basil Germond The writer is Professor of International Security, Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion, Lancaster University. The Conversation issued this article. LANCASTER, UK | 11 December 2024 (IDN) — The fall of the Assad regime constitutes a major blow to Russia’s foreign policy and prestige. Not least among the setbacks is the prospect […]
Post-Assad Power Struggle: A New Battle Awaits Syria
By Bahauddin Foizee* DHAKA, Bangladesh | 10 December 2024 (IDN) — The watershed moment in Syria with the ousting of Bashar al-Assad has triggered a complex and high-stakes scramble for influence in a region already rife with instability. As Syrian rebel forces have seized Damascus, toppling over more than 50 years of Assad family’s autocratic […]
Israel-Palestine: Seeking a Two-State Solution by Insisting on One
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 9 December 2024 (IDN) — Albert Einstein once said that “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result”. That’s how it seems to be with President Joe Biden continuously sending his secretary of state to the Middle East to attempt to resurrect […]
Syria is the Big Enchilada
By James E. Jennings* ATLANTA, USA | 9 December 2024 (IDN) — In American slang, “the big enchilada” means something of supreme importance, more than any other item among a slew of alternatives. Historical comparisons over long millennia in the Middle East show that Syria, not Iraq or Palestine, is the keystone of the Fertile […]
Syrian President’s Ouster Ends a 14-Year-Old Rebellion Against a Dictatorial Regime
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 9 December 2024 (IDN) — The overnight ouster of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, who fought a relentless battle against home-grown rebels, has generated a positive but cautious response from the highest echelons of the United Nations. In a statement immediately following Assad’s ouster on December 8, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres […]
Syria: UN Relocates Non-critical Staff — Report Unveils Torture in Detention Centres
By J Nastranis NEW YORK | 8 December 2024 (IDN) — More than 300,000 people have been displaced in northwest Syria in recent days following the sudden and massive offensive into Government-controlled areas led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is sanctioned by the UN Security Council as a terrorist group. According to the United […]
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Right to Statehood or Recipe for Next Inferno
By Dr Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 7 December 2024 (IDN) — Trump, who wants an end to the Israeli-Hamas war even before he reassumes the Presidency, must know that denying the Palestinian right to statehood and conceding further Palestinian land in the West Bank and Gaza to Israel is a recipe for the next […]
UNHCR Hits a Record USD 1.5 Billion in Early Funding to Support Refugees
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 4 December 2024 (IDN) — As humanitarian emergencies in the Middle East and Africa keep escalating—including in Gaza, Lebanon, Sudan and most recently in Syria—there was a glimmer of hope to millions starved of food and deprived of shelter and medication in war zones. According to the Office of […]
Lebanon: Can Diplomacy Rise from the Ruins?
By Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies* NEW YORK | 4 December 2024 (IDN) — On 26 November, Israel and Lebanon signed an agreement for a 60-day truce, during which Israel and Hezbollah are both supposed to withdraw from the area of Lebanon south of the Litani River. The agreement is based on the […]