By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS 7 October 2023 (IDN) — A Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission led by Kenya –assigned to the politically troubled Caribbean nation of Haiti—has come under fire even before it could get off the ground. Amnesty International (AI) Kenya says there is a need to thoroughly assess Kenyan security forces’ human […]
About Class, Inequality, Respect and Dignity
By Jan Servaes* MIAMI, USA. 6 October 2023 (IDN) — “There are a lot of things very few people—even my friends—know about me. Things like, when I was a kid, we often didn’t have coins to feed the washing machine in our apartment building, meaning we couldn’t do laundry and my clothes smelled of cat […]
Religious Leaders Can Help Bring About World Peace
By Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ASTANA. 6 October 2023 (INPSJapan | IDN) — It is not a secret that the world is witnessing rising international tensions and erosion of the global order that has been in place since the establishment of the United Nations. Divisive blocs, which have not been seen since the Cold War, are making […]
The US Should Beware of Fuelling Hostility in Bangladesh
By Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury* DHAKA. 5 October 2023 (IDN) — On 24 May 2023, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a “visa policy” on Bangladesh, enacted on 22 September 2023. US Ambassador in Bangladesh Peter Haas has documented that this “visa policy” shall also apply to the media members in Bangladesh. Anyone knowing […]
UN Human Rights Council: Are Inmates Taking over the Asylum?
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS. 5 October 2023 (IDN) — When the 193-member General Assembly (GA) elected some of the so-called “repressive regimes” as members of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in a bygone era, US Congressman Dana Rohrabacher remarked: “The inmates have taken over the asylum”. And, as an after-thought, he added: “I […]
Small Island Nations Are at the Forefront of Our Global Crises
By Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. NEW YORK. 4 October 2023 (IDN) — Over the past six weeks, the United Nations has facilitated an intensive round of consultations and meetings in the three regions of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the world. What struck me while visiting Mauritius, St. Vincent […]
Elected Democrats Are Conformist Enablers of Biden for 2024
By Norman Solomon* SAN FRANCISCO. 4 October 2023 (IDN) — Recent news reports have been filled with results of one poll after another after another showing that President Biden continues to weaken as a candidate for re-election. With an overall approval rating now 21 points underwater, polling shows he has lost support among key demographics that made […]
Serbian and Kosovo Leaders Should Accept Realities
By Dr Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK. 4 October 2023 (IDN) — It’s time for the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo to come to their senses and accept certain realities that neither can change. They are stuck and should recognize that their conflict will end only through mutual understanding of each other’s aspirations and respect for […]
France Attempts to Pressure Australia to Stop Engaging with Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty
By ICAN GENEVA. 3 October 2023 (IDN) — Recent statements by a French diplomat to “the Australian” newspaper criticizing Australia’s decision to observe the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) reveal the panicked efforts by nuclear-armed states to undermine the treaty as support for the ban continues to grow. It also shows […]
UN Can Prevent 21st Century Becoming a Tragedy
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden. 3 October 2023 (IDN) — In Ukraine, there is war. The only place where it is happening on a significant scale in the Western hemisphere. Elsewhere in the Middle East, there are only two “live” wars—Syria and Yemen. In Latin America and the Caribbean, zero. In Asia, only in Myanmar. […]