By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden. 3 October 2023 (IDN) — In Ukraine, there is war. The only place where it is happening on a significant scale in the Western hemisphere. Elsewhere in the Middle East, there are only two “live” wars—Syria and Yemen. In Latin America and the Caribbean, zero. In Asia, only in Myanmar. […]
Kenyan Troops to Fight Gang Violence in Haiti with US Funds
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | NAIROBI. 2 October 2023 (IDN) — After months of fruitless efforts to control spiraling gang violence in Haiti, a framework for defense cooperation has been signed by the United States and Kenya aimed at creating a multinational force to quash the violence that has brutally taken […]
Human Rights Activists Facing Threats in 40 Countries for Cooperating with UN
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, 29 September 2023 (IDN) — Be warned: If you are a human rights activist or an individual cooperating with the UN in revealing abuses, you may be under surveillance or in danger of facing physical threats. A new report from Secretary-General António Guterres says that from 1 May last year […]
Caribbean Moving Against “Killer Robots”
By Peter Richards* DIEGO MARTIN, Trinidad & Tobago. 28 September 2023 (IDN) — Caribbean countries have signalled their intention of moving against autonomous weapons systems (AWS) or “killer robots” developing a common position on the issue that will find favour with the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping. AWS are weapons systems that use artificial intelligence […]
Embarrassing Facts, Truth and Reality for Peace in Ukraine
Viewpoint by Somar Wijayadasa* NEW YORK. 28 September 2023 (IDN) — Addressing the current United Nations General Assembly (missed by leaders of China. Russia, France and Britain), Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, “Today, the rhetoric of our opponents is filled with slogans: ‘invasion’, ‘aggression’, ‘annexation’ and not a single word about the root causes […]
Ukraine Conflict: Global Leaders Plead for Peace at UN
By Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies* NEW YORK. 27 September 2023 (IDN) — As it did last year, the 2023 United Nations General Assembly has been debating what role the United Nations and its members should play in the crisis in Ukraine. The United States and its allies still insist that the UN […]
Nuclear Annihilation: A Haunting Reality of the Future
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS. 26 September 2023 (IDN) — When the United Nations commemorated the 10th anniversary of International Day for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, the President of the General Assembly, Dennis Francis, was dead on target when he warned that the risk of nuclear annihilation “is not a chapter from our past; […]
Ukraine Conflict: A Peace Proposal to Avert an All-Out War
By Michael von der Schulenburg* VIENNA. 25 September 2023 (IDN) — At the end of August this year, four highly respected German personalities presented a peace proposal for ending the war in Ukraine through a ceasefire and subsequent peace negotiations: It is arguably the most comprehensive and groundbreaking peace proposal made by any government, international […]
Cocaine Trade is Flourishing Again in South America
By Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury* DHAKA. 24 September 2023 (IDN) — The cocaine trade is experiencing a resurgence in South America, bouncing back from a downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the intriguing positions of several regional countries, Latin America has yet to seriously discuss its drug policy, instead clinging to the prohibitionist and […]
A New UN Report Warns of Slow Progress Towards SDG16
By Reinhard Jacobsen VIENNA. 23 September 2023 (IDN) — A first-of-its-kind report jointly produced by three United Nations organizations, shows that progress towards achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 is worryingly slow, with limited information to drive evidence-informed policies. The report calls for urgent action and substantial investment on Goal 16 to expand data […]