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Viewpoint by John Scales Avery*
COPENHAGEN (IDN) — The mainstream media, including the BBC, do not tell us the true story of how Afghanistan was invaded by the United States and its allies. Here is a link to an article by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J.S. Davies about the invasion of Afghanistan:
Viewpoint by Shastri Ramachandaran
NEW DELHI (IDN) — In the wake of the US retreat from Afghanistan, as the world’s leading nations engage with the Taliban in Kabul, India appears to have shot itself in the foot and gone into a sulk. When New Delhi does break its sullen silence, it only serves to remind the world of its seething animus against Pakistan.
As the regional superpower with unique civilisational connections and people-to-people ties with Afghanistan, India ought to have been a prominent player at this juncture of historic transition.
By Kester Kenn Klomegah
MOSCOW (IDN) — United States investors are looking forward to exploring several opportunities in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), a policy signed by African countries to make the continent a single market.
Speaking at the 13th US-Africa Business Summit from July 27 to July 29, organised by the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA), a leading reputable American business association, the investors said there are ways the continent can benefit from them, including in sectors like pharmaceuticals, automobiles, agro-processing and financial technology.
Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene
The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria.
ABUJA (IDN) — In journalism proverb, Afghanistan is a convenient shelter, the writer’s fantasy island from topical issues at home. In the current deluge of news from that country, however, that proverb appears to have lost its meaning.
There’s no need for escape to Afghanistan; the traffic is the other way, while Afghanistan’s mythical status is being supplanted by lies, damned lies.
By Yossef Ben-Meir
Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir is President of the High Atlas Foundation and Chief of Party of the USAID Religious and Ethnic Minorities Activity Program in Morocco.
MARRAKESCH (IDN) — Twenty-seven years ago, I lived in a village called Amsouzerte in the Tifnoute Valley, the south side of the High Atlas Mountains, closeby to the burial location of the Moroccan-Hebrew saint David-Ou-Mouche. The Tifnoute community and its region long desired for the building of a fruit tree nursery so that they could move away from subsistence agriculture. They struggled with the risk of giving over portions of their farmlands to the venture.
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power
LUND, Sweden (IDN) — The Soviet Army invaded Afghanistan in December, 1979 and withdrew, exhausted and demoralized, 10 years later. In Moscow a joke had long circulated: “Why are we still in Afghanistan?” Answer: “We are still looking for the people who invited us.”
The same is true for the Americans and NATO who are now moving through the exit door. They came to obliterate Al Qaeda after 9/11, 2001.
By Kelsey Davenport, Julia Masterson, and Sang-Min Kim
While Kelsey Davenport is director for nonproliferation policy, Julia Masterson is research associate, and Sang-Min Kim is Scoville Fellow at the Arms Control Association. This article first appeared in Arms Control Now of the Association on August 11, 2021.
WAHINGTON, DC (IDN) — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi pledged to pursue “smart engagement” in order to lift sanctions on Iran during his Aug. 5 inauguration speech.
By Thalif Deen
NEW YORK (IDN) — As the US pulls out of Afghanistan after a 20-year occupation, the Afghans have once again ousted one of their ruling powers, first the Brits, then the Soviets, both in a bygone era, and now the Americans.
The triple debacle may well be reflected in an old adage attributed to Afghans: "You have the watches, we have the time."
But the ultimate victims are Afghan civilians who have been caught in cross-fires for decades under military forces unleashed by three permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power*
LUND, Sweden (IDN) — Let me appear to be cynical for once. I’m constantly arguing that war can be avoided and even pre-empted if would-be war criminals are arrested and stopped in their tracks. But what if the way to end a war is not to intervene, not to help, but to encourage the likely winner to get on with it and get the job done?
By Mike Brown*
OMAHA, Nebraska, USA (IDN) — Around the world, paid maternity leave is the norm. According to data from the International Labour Organization, African nations including Algeria, Benin, Cameroon, Senegal, Mali, and many more provide 14 weeks of paid maternity leave where 100% of wages are replaced.
In the Americas, Barbados, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador and others offer 12 weeks of paid maternity leave where 100% of wages are replaced.
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