OPINION

Image: Eternal Flame in Belgrade, memorial to the military and civilian victims of the NATO bombing. (Taken on 9 November 2015) CC BY 3.0

The Great Game in Ukraine is Spinning out of Control

Viewpoint by Jeffrey D. Sachs

This article was published in Other News and is being republished with the author's permission.

NEW YORK (IDN) — Former US National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski famously described Ukraine as a “geopolitical pivot” of Eurasia, central to both US and Russian power. Since Russia views its vital security interests to be at stake in the current conflict, the war in Ukraine is rapidly escalating to a nuclear showdown. It’s urgent for both the US and Russia to exercise restraint before disaster hits.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 29 September 2022

Photo: Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the General Debate of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly stressing the need to abide by the UN Charter. Source: The Astana Times.

Kazakhstan Could Become “The Switzerland of the 21st Century"

Viewpoint by Dmitry Babich*

This article was issued by The Astana Times.

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan (IDN) — The 77th General Assembly of the United Nations was characterized by a general feeling of anxiety and alarmism. Some speakers limited themselves to accusations, blaming other members of the “community of nations” for the generally accepted fact that the world’s security situation and economic perspectives are visibly worsening.

: Ramesh Jaura; OPINION; 28 September 2022

Photo: Former President Lula at a campaign rally in Nova Iguaçu on September 8,2022. Ricardo Stuckert/Reproduction, Lula campaign website. Source: Americas Quarterly.

Brazil Has the Potential to Moving to the First World

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN) — Brazil has long lived out its personal fantasy as the archetypal relaxed, tolerant and gregarious country with Copacabana beach, the samba, the carnival and a great deal of sexual freedom. But, as it was often said when Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva came to power in 2003, it had yet to live its societal dream, an economic-cum-social revolution.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 27 September 2022

Possible Deployment of North Korea's Nuclear Weapons: "Automatically and Immediately"

Viewpoint by Herbert Wulf

This article was issued by the Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission.

BONN (IDN) — In the shadow of the Ukraine war and the extraordinary media attention, the conflict over North Korea's nuclear ambitions is currently receding into the background. For years, the government in Pyongyang has been continuously advancing its program. After numerous missile tests earlier this year, according to the English-language state news agency KCNA, the Supreme People's Assembly passed a law on September 8, "On Policy of the Nuclear Force of DPRK".

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 27 September 2022

Photo: Late Dr. Mohamed Jameel of Sainthamaruthu

In Memoriam: Dr. M.I.M Jameel

By A. L. A. Azeez

COLOMBO (IDN) — Much-loved and respected Dr Mohamed Jameel of Sainthamaruthu passed away on September 24.

The last time I visited him in 2020, he received me with open arms, shared with me his anxiety over what was then going on in the country and within the community, and discussed his ideas for how healing and reconciliation should be advanced at every level of Sri Lankan society and asked me about my future plans.

: A. L. A. Azeez; OPINION; 25 September 2022

Act Now to Transform Education into 21st Century Learning

Viewpoint by Dr Randa Grob-Zakhary

The author is the Founder and CEO of Education.org

ZURICH (IDN) — At the recent Transforming Education Summit in New York, 130 countries pledged to reboot their education systems and accelerate action to tackle the global learning crisis. Fifty foundations pledged to support those ambitions.

As UN Secretary-General António Guterres outlined, COVID-19 has “dealt a hammer blow” to education systems worldwide. But this has come on top of a much longer term crisis. Too often, education systems “don’t make the grade,” the Secretary-General said, as they are “dependent upon outdated and narrow curricula, under-trained and underpaid teachers, and rote learning”.

: Opinion Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Quality Education; 24 September 2022

Image: Cover of the book, 'Lessons Learnt'.

A Conversation About Life Love and Career

A Review by Nandi Jasentuliyana

The writer is the former Deputy Director-General of the United Nations.

LOS ANGELES, USA (IDN) — Love, heartache, and euphoria wrapped in a treasure trove of the author's life experiences narrated within these pages depict the lonely abyss and the dizzy heights of glory that people experience.

In 'Lessons Learnt', Pramuk Manchanayaka 'has brought forth a wonderfully written, captivating publication that affirms the depth of humanity's relationship.

: Opinion Editor; ARTS & CULTURE; 23 September 2022

Photo: Thousands of demonstrators join Fridays for Future’s global day of action to stand with Ukraine by walking down Willy-Brandt-Strasse, a main thoroughfare in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo: Daniel Reinhardt/dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Ukraine War: Still a Cuban Missile Crisis in Slow Motion

Viewpoint by Joseph Gerson

This article was first published by CommonDreams.org

NEW YORK (IDN) — During the first days of the Ukraine war, former Senator Sam Nunn warned that the Ukraine War was a Cuban Missile Crisis in slow motion. That warning was recently reiterated by senior analysts in Moscow during an off-the-record conversation.

The war is about Ukraine and much more: power, privileges, the security disorder in Europe; the future of Putin’s rule; and Biden/Blinken efforts to reinforce U.S. hegemony in the face of pressures for a bipolar or multi-polar world disorder.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 22 September 2022

Photo: Subhash Chandra Bose on a 1964 stamp of India. Wikimedia Commons.

India: Misrepresenting Subhash Chandra Bose's Philosophy

Viewpoint by Dr Ram Puniyani

This article is the 23rd in a series of joint productions of South Asian Outlook and IDN-InDepthNews, the flagship of the International Press Syndicate. The writer is a former professor of biomedical engineering and former senior medical officer affiliated with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (now Mumbai) and, meanwhile, a social activist and commentator.

: Suresh Jaura; OPINION; 22 September 2022

Image: Mitchell Squire/Private Media. Source: Crickey

Democracy: Room for Some Sptimism Despite Setbacks

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN) — In the year 2000, George W. Bush became the victor of an imperfect presidential election. The less than straightforward way that Bush won and, in particular, how obvious it became that the US Supreme Court had become a political creature, raised the profound worry that this would rub off on many parts of the world.

One can’t prove it, but I suggest that that, together with later shenanigans surrounding the presidency of Donald Trump, including his refusal to accept the election result and the riot of January 6, when his supporters stormed the Capitol, there is some correlation between these events and the decline of democracy in many parts of the world.