EU & Europe

Photo: Ukrainian soldiers take positions in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, February 25, 2022. Credit: Emilio Morenatti/AP. Source: Stars and Stripes

The Ukrainians & Their President Have Shown the World the True Meaning of Heroism & Valour

Viewpoint by Alon Ben-Meir

Dr Alon Ben-Meir is a retired professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at New York University (NYU). He taught courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies for over 20 years.

NEW YORK (IDN) — The mounting resistance of Ukrainian men, women, and teenagers to repel the brutal Russian invasion of their country have demonstrated to the whole world the true meaning of courage and determination in the face of a savage aggressor waging an unprovoked war on a peaceful neighbour, for which Russia will pay dearly.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 05 March 2022

Photo: Thousands of Ukrainians seek safety in neighbouring Poland. © WFP/Marco Frattini

Help Immediately Stop the Russian War in Ukraine, Mr Secretary-General

Viewpoint by Inge Kaul, Senior Fellow, Hertie School

BERLIN (IDN) — The majority of the world wants peace. This is clear by now. Just consider the many large-scale anti-war demonstrations taking place around the world; and the outpour of solidarity and support for the people in Ukraine and the more than one million Ukrainians who fled from their country.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 04 March 2022

Photo: African soldiers fought against the German Wehrmacht in the Libyan desert. Source: Deutsche Welle

What Russian Invasion of Ukraine Means for Africa

Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene

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

ABUJA (IDN) — War is messy and never fails to spread responsive misery. When Adolf Hitler asked for safe passage to East Prussia through the Polish corridor and for the occupied port of Danzig, not many could have imagined that it would spiral into a World War that would cost 85 million lives and leave an unspeakable trail of devastation in its wake.

: Africa & ME Editor; THE WORLD; Africa; 04 March 2022

Image: Africa and Europe: a joint vision for 2030. Source: European Council.

AU-EU Summit: Five Ways to Turn the Rhetoric of an ‘Equal Partnership’ Into Practice

Viewpoint by Inge Kaul, Senior Fellow, Hertie School

This article was issued by The Conversation and is being republished under Creative Commons licence.

BERLIN (IDN) — Like several prior summits, one of the proclaimed goals of the recent gathering in Brussels was to “lay the foundations for a renewed and deeper partnership” between the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU).

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 03 March 2022

Russia Battles Its Own Weapon Systems in Ukraine — As US Provides Over A $Billion in Arms

By Thalif Deen

UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — Perhaps one of the biggest ironies of the current military conflict is that Ukraine may be using mostly Soviet-era weapons against the Russians, including combat helicopters, T-64 battle tanks and AT-6 anti-tank missiles acquired from the former USSR.

But that military scenario is expected to change significantly with increased security assistance and fresh arms supplies both from Europe, and most importantly, from the US, amounting to over a staggering $1.0 billion dollars.

: Thalif Deen; SUSTAINABILITY; Peace & Justice; 03 March 2022

Ukraine: South Africa Slates European Nations at UN Over Treatment of Fleeing Africans

By Jonisayi Maromo, Independent Online (IOL)

PRETORIA (IDN) — The South African government has thrown its weight behind the statement of the African Union (AU), which expressed concern over the treatment of Africans fleeing the war in Ukraine.

Ambassador Mathu Joyini, South Africa’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations delivered a statement at an emergency sitting of the UN's General Assembly on Tuesday (March 1) night, calling on the European countries to resolve the situation, where African nationals have reportedly been barred from leaving the war-torn nation.

: UN Bureau; THE WORLD; EU & Europe; 02 March 2022

Photo: Soldiers with the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard, fire weapons over a trench during a live-fire exercise at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California, July 24, 2021. Credit: Emily White/Oklahoma Army National Guard

Ukraine: Abolishing War Should Remain the Primary Goal

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN) — Frederick the Great of Prussia was a friend of Voltaire and enjoyed ribald evenings with the philosopher discussing the intricacies of life’s dos and don’ts. Before becoming king, he was persuaded by Voltaire to become a pacifist. But on ascending to the throne, he became the most ferocious and successful of Europe’s warrior leaders. He said of himself that he was “doomed to make war just as an ox must plough, a nightingale sing and a dolphin swim in the sea.”

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 02 March 2022

Photo: Africans fleeing from Ukraine are seen after crossing Ukrainian-Polish border due to Russian military attack on Ukraine. Medyka, Poland on February 28, 2022. Credit: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via AP

African Students in The Ukraine Plead for Help as Poland Says ‘Ukrainians First’

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — Thousands of African students are among the tens of thousands of Ukrainians seeking shelter from a barrage of Russian airstrikes against its southern neighbour in what has been called an unprovoked and unjustified effort to remove and replace the Ukrainian government by the President of Russia.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Russia; 01 March 2022

The Invasion of Ukraine: Call for Peace

Viewpoint by Kevin P. Clements

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

TOKYO (IDN) — As a peace researcher for over 40 years, it appals me that in 2022 we are trying to make sense of an outmoded 20th century invasion aimed at changing borders and seizing sovereignty. This war is the most blatant act of cross border aggression that I have seen since the Second World War and a major contravention of the UN Charter.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 01 March 2022

ASEAN’s 'Feeble and Overly Diplomatic Response' to Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Viewpoint by Tim Newton

The writer Tim Newton has lived in Thailand since 2011. An Australian, he has worked in the media, principally radio and TV, for 42 years. This article was issued by Thaiger.

BANGKOK (IDN) — Issuing its first cautious statement over the invasion of Ukraine, ASEAN calls on… “all parties concerned to exercise maximum restraint, to pursue dialogue through all channels, including diplomatic means to contain the situation, to prevent it from further escalation and to see peaceful resolution in accordance with international law and the UN Charter.”