OPINION

Image: Kiev. Credit: GEO. © Leonid Andronov

Biden and NATO Need To Drop Their Ukrainian Obsession

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN) — “European Union and NATO allies have swung behind the Biden administration’s assessment that Russia may be poised to invade Ukraine following unprecedented sharing of US intelligence on Moscow’s military preparations”, reported Financial Times on December 6. President Joe Biden in a video link was expected to warn President Vladimir Putin of the consequences of such an invasion. Putin was expected to reply that there can be no consequences for an event that is not going to happen.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 07 December 2021

The Taliban's Social Media Warfare Operation Toward Seizing Kabul

Viewpoint by Iria Puyosa

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

MICHIGAN, United States (IDN) — In their advance towards Kabul, the Taliban were anticipating their military victory through WhatsApp's voice notes, tweets, and Facebook posts. The Taliban insurgency crafted transmedia storytelling on how Afghan army soldiers were surrendering without much fighting.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 06 December 2021

Photo. The CSTO Secretariat hosted the 34th meeting of the CSTO Ministerial Council Working Group on Afghanistan. Source: Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Russia’s Good Cop, Bad Cop Strategy In Afghanistan

Viewpoint by Andrei Kazantsev & Svetlana Medvedeva*

MOSCOW (IDN) — Russia has fundamental interests in Afghanistan. Three Central Asian countries—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan—are members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). As a member of the CSTO, Russia guarantees the security of these three countries and maintains military bases and facilities on their territory.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 03 December 2021

Afghanistan's Destination Is Unknown Yet

Viewpoint by Farooque Chowdhury*

DHAKA (IDN) — Unknown is Afghanistan’s trajectory of developments. None of the players, external and internal, knows the highly-contested land’s flight path. All of the players are unsure of the possible impact of each of the tactical moves being taken by each of them. So, there’re compromises or postures to compromise, and contest—cold and hot.

Already an empire has experienced, as has been admitted, strategic failure in that land. At least one faction in the Empire is telling: War in Afghanistan isn’t over. At least two forces within that landlocked land are getting prepared to carry on their bloody fight while at least one force, faction-ridden, is rifle-ready to counter all counter-forces.

: Asia Editor; OPINION; 02 December 2021

Photo: Soil salinization and sodification are among the most important problems at a global level for agricultural production, food security and sustainability in arid and semi-arid regions. Credit: International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

Food Systems Transformation Must Be Grounded in Healthy Soil

Viewpoint by Leigh Ann Winowiecki, Research Theme Leader, Soil and Land Health, World Agroforestry (ICRAF)

LONDON (IDN) — A world without healthy soil is a world in which little grows. Yet, for those who live in the roughly 25 to 40 per cent of the Earth’s surface that is degraded, this is what the future could hold.

Healthy soil stands at the centre of all our pressing global challenges and will be crucial in achieving the aims of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, launched in June this year.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 01 December 2021

Image: A photo of the US Army's new MQ-1C Warrior UAV. Courtesy of US Army | Wikimedia Commons

It Is High Time to End Reliance on Nuclear Armaments

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN) — It's almost twenty-five years since General George Lee Butler made his confessional statement before the National Press Club in Washington—that as commander in chief of the US Strategic Command, which controls all army, navy and air force nuclear weapons, he'd had moral qualms and profound doubts about America's possession of nuclear weapons.

The speech triggered an avalanche of supportive phone calls and letters from all over the world. This led General Butler to conclude that he could "discern the makings of an emerging global consensus that the risks posed by nuclear weapons far outweigh the presumed benefits".

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 30 November 2021

Photo: Ambassador Gustavo Zlauvinen, President-designate of the Tenth NPT Review Conference, addresses the opening of the regional meeting on November 13-14.

The NPT Will Probably Endure, But Its Longevity May Be at Stake

Viewpoint by Sergio Duarte

The writer is President of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs and former UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.

NEW YORK (IDN) — The NPT turned 50 in 2020. The anniversary should have coincided with the Tenth Review Conference, but unfortunately it had to be postponed due to the COVID 19 pandemic. President-designate Gustavo Zlauvinen wisely used the delay to deepen his consultations with states parties in an effort to ensure the success of the Conference.

: Sergio Duarte; OPINION; 30 November 2021

Photo: Dubai must be one of the most unusual places in the world. It is one of the seven emirates that comprise the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Source: tribuneindia.com

Prosperous Dubai and Its Paradoxes

Viewpoint by Rahul Singh

The writer is a veteran journalist. This article first appeared in The Tribune, the largest selling English daily in North India.

DUBAI, UAE (IDN) — Dubai must be one of the most unusual places in the world. It is one of the seven emirates that comprise the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary as an independent, united country. Contrary to what people imagine, Dubai has little oil (Abu Dhabi, the largest emirate, is the oil-rich one). Its prosperity is largely based on trade and commerce, the communications infrastructure there being among the world’s best.

: Asia Editor; OPINION; 28 November 2021

Are We Heading for a Cold War with China?

Viewpoint by Herbert Wulf

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

In recent months, we have often heard that the return of the Cold War is imminent, this time with China. How great is this danger? Some developments point at a dangerous confrontation; others are completely different from the times of the Cold War with the Soviet Union and its allies.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 25 November 2021

Photo: Screen shows Xi Jinping attending a virtual meeting with US President Joe Biden via video link. Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.

What Xi-Biden Summit Means for India and the World

Viewpoint by Shastri Ramachandaran*

NEW DELHI (IDN) — The text as well as the subtext of the three-hour-long virtual meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden held on November 15-16 is certain to be debated and dissected long after the event fades from the headlines before there is any conclusive view on whether Biden had got the better of Xi or was it vice-versa.