OPINION

Photo: Woomera Test Range. An effort to create a manual on law governing space war is named for the Woomera Test Range in South Australia. Credit: Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Defence.

Time to Negotiate for Peace in Space!

Viewpoint by Alice Slater

The writer serves on the Board of 'World Beyond War'.

NEW YORK (IDN) – The US mission to dominate and control the military use of space has been, historically and at present, a major obstacle to achieving nuclear disarmament and a peaceful path to preserve all life on earth.

Reagan rejected Gorbachev's offer to give up Star Wars as a condition for both countries to eliminate all their nuclear weapons when the wall came down and Gorbachev released all of Eastern Europe from Soviet occupation, miraculously, without a shot.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 09 February 2021

Photo: UN North Delegates' Lounge. Credit: dezeen.com and @NLatUN

No Comment!... And Don't Quote Me on That

Book Review by Roderic Grigson*

NEW YORK | MELBOURNE (IDN) – It takes years to write a good book and in this insightful memoir, Thalif Deen, a former UN Bureau Chief and Regional Director at Inter Press Service news agency, recounts colourful and amusing stories from his 40-year career ‘reporting from the United Nations’.

No Comment is told through a series of news stories, interviews, anecdotes, and personal recollections. This compelling page-turner is held together by flashes of surprising humour and an overarching third world focus and point of view.

: UN Bureau; OPINION; 08 February 2021

Photo: Memorial to the Victims of the Holocaust, Rio de Janeiro credit: UN Academic Impact

Taking Action to Repair Our World

By Ramu Damodaran

The writer is Chief, United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) hosted in the Department of Global Communications. This OpEd first appeared in the #WhyWeCare, @ImpactUN on February 5.

NEW YORK (IDN | UNAI) – “Nostalgia for the present“ is a phrase I once heard (or think I have), and it came to mind when reading a response received to last week’s (January 29) column and its looking back on CTAUN’s quarter-century of affirmation and affection. The question asked was straightforward; had CTAUN (Committee on Teaching) been able to “convene” over the past year? The answer, which I missed noting in my nostalgia for the past, is yes…three times actually.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 07 February 2021

Image: Are we really all in this together? ‘Vaccine nationalism’ must be addressed to ensure equitable distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine. Credit: Pixabay.

Even the IMF Is Being Forced to Rethink Its Callousness to the Global South

It could cost as much as $5 trillion if rich countries don’t help vaccinate the rest of the world.

Viewpoint by Prabir Purkayastha*

NEW DELHI (IDN) – The world seems to have turned topsy-turvy when the undisputed voices of global capital start talking about the virtues of “cooperation” among nations and “universal distribution of vaccines” to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 07 February 2021

Handfuls of the Wealthiest Could Fix Awful Inequality in the USA

Viewpoint by Sonali Kolhatkar

There is no better time than now to address the ridiculous levels of wealth and income inequality in the United States. It can be done with ease through aggressive taxation of the wealthiest handfuls of individuals, writes Sonali Kolhatkar. She is the founder, host and executive producer of “Rising Up With Sonali,” a television and radio show that airs on Free Speech TV and Pacifica stations. This article was produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 06 February 2021

Photo: The youth everywhere in Africa want change. The collage of pictures shows (left) Uganda textile workers at Nytil a local factory that produces textiles for the local market and for export taken in December 2020 and (right) Uganda students (from Wikimedia Commons) taken in January 2018.

Bobi Wine and The Old African Brew

Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene

The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Interview magazine based in Abuja, Nigeria.

ABUJA (IDN) – After the presidential election in Uganda, it dawned on me that there are two people in the country who don’t fear President Yoweri Museveni: one is his tailor, and the other is his political rival, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, famously called Bobi Wine.

Museveni’s tailor makes his suits in complete disregard of tailoring measurements. It would appear that either the president doesn’t care anymore, or he has given up on the person who dresses him.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 03 February 2021

Photo: A Russian missile. Source: Russian Defence Ministry.

A Silver Lining on The Nuclear Weapons Front

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power*

LUND, Sweden (IDN) – Last week Presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden had a phone call. But many say, so what? They are so wrong. A lot was there if you read between the lines. Importantly, they reaffirmed that the New START Treaty, cutting long-range nuclear-tipped missiles by one third, (that’s a lot, on its own), would now be renewed in a matter of days, a decision that President Donald Trump refused to take.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 02 February 2021

Photo: The Tunisian National Army restored order in absence of police services. The picture shows a civilian who was stopped because of a weapon in his car. 15 January 2011. CC BY-SA 3.0

Activists Fear Return of Police State in Tunisia

Viewpoint by Asma Abidi*

BERLIN (IDN) – Ten years after the revolution that sparked the Arab Spring, Tunisia, often hailed as its only success story, has yet to deliver the promised freedom, jobs and prosperity to its people.

Civil unrest erupted on January 14 across the country when the authorities announced a four-day strict lockdown, ordered by Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, supposedly to combat the spread of COVID-19.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 01 February 2021

Photo: AFRICOM commander, U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, conducts engagements in Somalia and a visit to the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island, operating off the coast of Somalia, January 16-18.

Biden Administration Has an Opportunity to Emerge as A Reliable Partner with African Countries

Viewpoint by Daniel Haile*

COLLEGE STATION, Texas | USA (IDN) – The lack of engagement with African countries economically, politically, and militarily could haunt the United States in the coming decades. Washington needs to forget the trauma of the infamous "Black Hawk Down" incident in Somalia and draft a new policy for mutually beneficial cooperation with African states. China, the European Union (EU), and Russia have been engaging with a great number of African countries while the United States watches from the sidelines.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 30 January 2021

Image: World with nuclear weapons/ World free of nuclear weapons, Michael P., Poland, Art for Peace. Credit: Portside

UN Treaty Paves the Way for a Nuclear-Weapons-Free World

Viewpoint by Sergio Duarte

The writer is President of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. Former United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.

NEW YORK (IDN) – The entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) on January 22 prompted many comments from different quarters on the importance and significance of this new addition to positive international law. In accordance with its Article 15.1 the Treaty entered into force 90 days after the deposit of the 50th instrument of ratification. So far, 86 states signed and 52 have already ratified it.