By Thalif Deen* UNITED NATIONS | 18 October 2023 (IDN) —The ongoing battle between Israel and Hamas is overwhelmingly one-sided—the most powerful military in the Middle East, armed with some of most sophisticated and state-of-the-art American weapons systems vs a ragtag guerrilla force armed largely with shoulder-borne rocket launchers, mortars, drones and small arms. Adding […]
Why the Ugly American?
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 17 October 2023 (IDN) — American foreign policymakers often wonder aloud why much of the world has such an anti-American reflex. Why the “Ugly American”? Graham Greene would never have written a novel entitled “Ugly Russian” or even “Ugly German”. Not just Iran considers the US the “Great Satan.” […]
Australia Referendum Exposes Flaws of Democracy Architecture
Analysis by Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY | 17 October 2023 (IDN) — The resounding defeat suffered by the Australian Labour Government on the 14 October referendum to amend the constitution to recognize the “First Australians” (indigenous people) exposes the flaws in the Australian democratic architecture, especially the role of social media and concentration of media ownership […]
Devastating Destruction in Ghana After Akosombo Dam Overflows
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | ACCRA | 16 October 2023 (IDN) — Widespread spillage from Ghana’s Akosombo Dam on the Volta River has forced over 4,000 people to abandon their homes due to flooding. The Volta River Authority (VRA) initiated controlled spillage of the Akosombo and Kpong Dams on 15 September […]
UN Peacekeepers in The DRC Suspended Over Misconduct Charges
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 16 October 2023 (IDN) — South Africa’s military has ordered home a group of soldiers accused of operating a system of mass prostitution in front of their base in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Some nine South Africans, part of a UN peacekeeping mission, were […]
New Museum Head Concerned About Human Remains Taken from Graves
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 16 October 2023 (IDN) — Sean M. Decatur, recently appointed to head the American Museum of Natural History, is well aware of the obstacles that could await him in his new job. It’s clear from an essay he wrote for the Chronicle of Higher Education titled […]
NATO Secretary General Will Tell You Who Started the Ukraine War
By Benjamin Abelow* MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY, USA | 15 October 2023 (IDN | Independent Media Institute) — There are two competing narratives about the origins of the Ukraine War. According to one narrative, Vladimir Putin is a Hitler-like aggressor. He wants to reestablish the Soviet empire by swallowing Ukraine and threatening the Baltic countries, Poland, […]
Water is life. Nourishing Humanity from the Ancient Past to the Future
A Feature by The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) BERLIN | ROME | 15 October 2023 (FAO) — Water is finite but an infinitely valuable natural resource. Without it, there would be no food and no life. Centuries ago, the inventive nature of humankind spurred farmers to discover ways to irrigate crops, […]
Continued Buildup of Massive US Nuclear Arsenal Dangerous
By Daryl G. Kimball The writer is the Executive Director of the Arms Control Association (ACA). Following is the preliminary Assessment of the Report of the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States, ACA issued on 12 October. WASHINGTON, D.C. 15 October 2023 (IDN) — Following more than a decade of deteriorating […]
No Blind Support for Israel in Asia
By Kalinga Seneviratne SINGAPORE. 14 October 2023 (IDN) — In the aftermath of Palestinian group Hamas’s terror attack inside Israel on 7 October and the Israeli state’s equally terrifying attacks on Palestinian settlements in Gaza, the media across many parts of Asia tend to take a more neutral stand to that of their western counterparts, […]