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Viewpoint by Jonathan Power
LUND, Sweden (IDN) — Mikhail Gorbachev, the last head of the Soviet Union, the idealistic leader from within who accepted the end of communism, arrived in Berlin in November 1999 on a private visit to mark the fall and destruction of the Berlin Wall ten years before. The Cold War had ended a year later. In one speech, with a tone of great sadness in his voice, he said, "Now, ten years after, we see the world does not appear as we had hoped".
Viewpoint by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J.S. Davies*
NEW YORK (IDN) — Six months ago, Russia invaded Ukraine. The United States, NATO and the European Union (EU) wrapped themselves in the Ukrainian flag, shelled out billions for arms shipments, and imposed draconian sanctions intended to severely punish Russia for its aggression.
Viewpoint by John P. Ruehl
This article was produced by Globetrotter. John P. Ruehl is an Australian-American journalist living in Washington, D.C. He is a contributing editor to Strategic Policy and a contributor to several other foreign affairs publications. He is currently finishing a book on Russia to be published in 2022.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (IDN) — On August 24, Ukraine’s independence day, the U.S. provided a $3 billion military aid package to the country. The additional assistance adds to more than $80 billion worth of support that Kyiv has already received between January 24 and August 3, the majority of which was provided by the U.S., the UK, and the EU.
Viewpoint by Roberto Savio*
This article was issued by Meer and is being re-published with the author's permission.
ROME (IDN) — With the death of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last great statesman, an entire epoch has ended.
I had the privilege of working with him as deputy director of the World Political Forum, which 'Gorbi' had founded in Turin in 2003, with a headquarters agreement with the Piedmont Region.
Viewpoint by David C. Speedie
This article was produced by Globetrotter in partnership with the American Committee for U.S.-Russia Accord. David C. Speedie, a board member of ACURA, was the former chair of International Peace and Security at Carnegie Corporation.
MONTCLAIR, New Jersey, US (IDN) — The seven-month war in Ukraine, and the role of NATO, especially the Atlanticist powers, are fuelled by an official western narrative that depicts the conflict as one between the plucky little Ukrainian David and the brutish Goliath that is Russia. The invasion is as unwarranted as it is vicious and provides justification for a current tally of $57 billion in lethal and non-lethal aid from the United States alone, with the United Kingdom at its side.
By Kalinga Seneviratne
SYDNEY (IDN) — The 12th and the first anniversary issue of Sustainable Development Observer started by IDN-InDepthNews Southeast Asia with no funding and a lot of passion is out now. The situation has not changed, and it is your feedback and encouragement that keeps us going.
Viewpoint by René Wadlow, President, Association of World Citizens
GENEVA (IDN) — On August 26, 2022, there was the bombing by Ethiopian federal troops of a primary school in Mekelle—the capital city of the Tigray province, which had a population of about 500,000 before the fighting began. It is not clear if the attack brings to an end some five months of relative calm in the war-torn Tigray or not.
Viewpoint by Manish Uprety F.R.A.S.
The writer is an ex-diplomat and Special Adviser for Asia & Africa of ALCAP, the Latin American Parliamentary Association of Audio-Visual Communication. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of IDN InDepth News.
NEW DELHI (IDN) — Those who have seen the 1969 movie Easy Rider must have reflected on the meaning of The Ballad of Easy Rider, a beautiful elegy that evokes the subconscious bond a man shares with rivers and his very existence.
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power
LUND, Sweden (IDN) — High moments aside, do we know what happiness is? Is the world becoming a happier place? Are we happier than our parents' or grandparents’ generations? What could give us a little more happiness?
"Homo Sapiens has been around for about 8,000 generations, and for most of that time, life has been rather unpleasant. Most humans who have ever lived have done so under despotic regimes," wrote Stephen Krasner in Foreign Affairs in March 2020. Life expectancy, he points out, didn’t begin to increase until 1850, just seven generations ago, and accelerated only after 1900. It is still accelerating.
Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana
Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
BANGKOK (IDN) — Asia and the Pacific is the most digitally divided region of the world, and South-East Asia is the most divided subregion. The Covid-19 pandemic detonated a “digital big bang” that spurred people, governments and businesses to become “digital by default;” a sea change that generated vast digital dividends.
IDN-InDepthNews offers news analyses, features, reports and viewpoints that impact the world and its peoples. It has been online since 2009. Its network spans countries around the world.