OPINION

Photo: The wide-angle photograph of the sun and inner planets (not visible), with Pale Blue Dot superimposed on the left, Venus to its right. Credit: NASA/JPL

A Provocative and Inspiring Look at the Future of Humanity

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power*

LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – “Suppose aliens existed, and that some had been watching our planet for its entire forty-five million centuries, what would they have seen? Over most of that vast time-span, Earth’s appearance altered very gradually. Continents drifted; ice-cover waxed and waned; successive species emerged, evolved and became extinct.

But just in a tiny sliver of Earth’s history – the last hundred centuries – the patterns of vegetation altered much faster than before. This signaled the start of agriculture – and then urbanization.” We are at the very end of that “sliver”.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 16 October 2018

Photo: UN Secretary-General António Guterres speaks at the IMF Development Committee meeting in Bali, Indonesia. Credit: Grant Ellis/World Bank

Trust Deficit Disorder Jeopardising Sustainable Development

By António Guterres

The following are extensive extracts from UN Secretary-General António Guterres' remarks to finance ministers and central bank governors at the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) in Bali, Indonesia, on October 13, 2018. Stressing that the meeting was taking place "at a time of enormous uncertainty", he cautioned that high debts in many countries are limiting fiscal space and taking away much needed resources vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). – The Editor

BALI (IDN-INPS) – As Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, you are accustomed to dealing with deficits every day.

: UN Bureau; OPINION; 15 October 2018

Photo: Samir Somaiya. Credit: Katsuhiro Asagiri | IDN-INPS

Creating A World Where We All Feel Secure

Viewpoint by Samir Somaiya

The author is President of the Institute on the study of Indology and inter-religious dialogue 'Somaiya Vidyavihar'. The following is the text of his remarks at the two-day Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions on October 10, 2018 in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, with the key topic 'Religious Leaders for a Secure World'.

ASTANA (IDN-INPS) – The word secure, is derived from Latin, and means ‘se’ - without, and ‘cura’, care. Meaning ‘without care’. Without worry. Without fear. How do we help create a world where we all feel secure, free from fear and threats, and one in which we feel free to dream, hope and pursue our dreams.

: Ramesh Jaura; OPINION; 12 October 2018

Photo: Hirotsugu Terasaki, Vice President, Director General of International Bureau, Peace and Global Issues, United Nations Liaison Offices, Soka Gakkai, addressing the opening session of the two-day Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions on October 10, 2018 in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. Credit: Katsuhiro Asagiri, IDN-INPS Multimedia director.

Faith Communities Play A Vital Role in Ensuring Human Security

Viewpoint by Hirotsugu Terasaki

The author is Vice President, Director General of International Bureau, Peace and Global Issues, United Nations Liaison Offices, Soka Gakkai. The following is the text of his remarks at the opening session of the two-day Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions on October 10, 2018 in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

ASTANA (IDN-INPS) – First of all, I would like to thank the Republic of Kazakhstan for giving me this opportunity to speak on behalf of the members of Soka Gakkai, as well as for organizing this truly meaningful meeting dedicated to interfaith dialogue.

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: UN Bureau; OPINION; 11 October 2018

Photo: Kazakh President Nazarbayev urges religious leaders to appeal to world community to support peace and security. Credit: KazInform

Kazakh President Urges Religious Leaders to Help Resolve 'Civilizational' Problems

Viewpoint by Nursultan Nazarbayev

The author is the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Following are extensive excerpts from his opening address to the two-day Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions on October 10, 2018 in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. He shared with religious leaders "a vision of the areas that we can focus on together" in the interest of global peace and security. – The Editor

ASTANA (IDN-INPS) – Fifteen years have passed since the first historic Congress was held here. Today we are gathering for the sixth time.

: Ramesh Jaura; OPINION; 10 October 2018

Trump Impossible to Deal with Though He Gets Things Done

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power*

LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – What do we have to truly fear about President Donald Trump? Early October he pulled off the successful re-negotiation of the North America Free Trade area. Pundits thought, with Canada refusing to bend, it couldn’t happen. Maybe the deal now leans more in America’s direction but Trump has also given something away: the right of Mexico and Canada to sell their trucks and cars more easily in the U.S. He said he’s a great “deal-maker,” and so this time he is.

His trade tussle with China, which looks to be a standoff at the moment, has not yet led to a breakdown in good relations. Trump has been more than careful to keep the direct channels open to President Xi Jinping, even if early October he became more openly critical and personal. He has treated Xi much better than he treated Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 09 October 2018

Photo: Skyline of Lujiazui, Pudong New Area, Shanghai (2016). Xi Jinping has specified the goal of achieving – between 2020 and 2035 – the condition of xiaokang shehui, of a moderately prosperous society, without poor. CC BY-SA 2.5

On 'Socialism with Chinese Characteristics' – or Harmony and the Seeds of Conflict

Viewpoint by Michele Nobile*

This is the fourth of a four-part series. Click here for Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

ROME (IDN) – Since 2004-2005, the CCP has set itself the task of "building a harmonious society". The internal harmony of China presupposes the discipline of farmers and the working class within the paternalistic dictatorship of the single party. No longer totalitarian as in the time of Mao – and how could it be otherwise when becoming rich is the glory of "socialism", transnational societies are courted, Confucius is a model of wisdom and capitalists are no longer demons to beat?

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 09 October 2018

Photo: Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan and Head of the Secretariat of the Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. Credit: The Astana Times.

Leaders of World and Traditional Religions Gather in Astana for Inclusive Dialogue

Viewpoint by Kassym-Jomart Tokayev

The author, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, is Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan and Head of the Secretariat of the Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. This opinion article first appeared on The Astana Times on October 5, 2018, and is being reproduced courtesy the prestigious Kazakh newspaper. IDN-INPS are providing a special coverage of the conference, including videos interviews and features. – The Editor.

ASTANA (IDN-INPS) – The Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions is a unique interfaith forum, convened every three years in Astana at the initiative of President Nursultan Nazarbayev. For 15 years, this forum has played an important role in the rapprochement of cultures and civilisations, in searching for answers to the key challenges of our time. “Religious Leaders for a Safe World” is the main topic of the Sixth Congress, which will be held October 10-11 in the capital of Kazakhstan.

: Ramesh Jaura; OPINION; 08 October 2018

Photo: The ballet The Red Detachment of Women, one of the Model Dramas promoted during the Cultural Revolution. White House photo by Byron Schumaker. Source: https://web.archive.org

On 'Socialism with Chinese Characteristics' – or Ideological Mess and Reality

Viewpoint by Michele Nobile*

This is the third of a four-part series. Click here for Part 1 and Part 2.

ROME (IDN) – One of the collective ideological hallucinations of the 20h century was Mao Zedong Thought. A remarkable thought in terms of metaphors and similitudes but even more so in terms of incoherence: as with Stalin, the most different lines can be extracted from the texts and the practice of Mao depending on convenience.

It is true that the Red Army was mostly peasant; but it is also true that from the "Great Leap Forward" in the second half of the 1950s – which resulted in the greatest famine of the twentieth century (about 30 million deaths between 1958 and 1961) – up to the phase of the "Third Front" of industrial development in China's interior, and passing through the Cultural Revolution and most of the 1970s, the peasant masses trapped by the hukou system were uninterruptedly squeezed like a lemon to finance industrial development, especially heavy and military industry.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 08 October 2018

Photo credit: Peter Miller © Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0

India Needs to Reify its Global Nuclear Disarmament Policy

Viewpoint by Pulkit Mohan

India's challenge in asserting its stance on global nuclear disarmament requires a precise articulation of its goals and plans, writes Pulkit Mohan, a Research Intern at India's prestigious Observer Research Foundation. The article first appeared on 28 September 2018, and is being reproduced courtesy the Foundation.

NEW DELHI (IDN-INPS) – For India, non-proliferation challenges have warranted special attention both from regional and global contexts for several decades. India's tumultuous relationship with its neighbours and its desire to be a regional and global power has continually shaped the tenets of its nuclear weapons programme and policy.