By Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury* DHAKA, Bangladesh. 20 August 2023 (IDN) — In a series of swift and ill-conceived diplomatic moves, US President Joe Biden has plunged into catastrophic decision-making, most notably concerning Afghanistan. Biden’s first significant move involved the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, a decision that has had dire repercussions. His statement […]
UN Security Council Warned of Weapon Transfers to Ukraine War
By J Nastranis NEW YORK. 19 August 2023 (IDN) — Briefing the UN Security Council, United States journalist Danny Haiphong has claimed that many of the weapons transferred to Ukraine have landed on the black market, to drug cartels, criminal organizations, and “neo-Nazi and fascist elements, many of which now make up parts of the […]
IPPNW Seeks Ban on Military Attacks on Nuclear Power Plants
By Aurora Weiss VIENNA. 18 August 2023 (IDN) — The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) has called on member states of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to condemn any attacks on nuclear facilities, including reactors unequivocally, spent fuel storage facilities and other critical infrastructure or personnel. Nuclear power plants should not […]
USAID Launches Pacific Mission to Assist in Achieving SDGs
By Kalinga Seneviratne SUVA, Fiji. 18 August 2023 (IDN) — The United States government’s overseas development aid arm US Agency for International Development (USAID) opened two new offices in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Fiji on 15 August, pledging to assist Pacific island countries in addressing the sustainable development goals (SDGs). The last USAID office […]
It’s Time to End the ‘Nonsense’ in Niger
By Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA. 17 August 2023 (IDN) — Almost everyone, including me, seems opposed to Nigeria leading the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to war in Niger. In one of the most telling anti-war metaphors, a Nigerian columnist and […]
NATO Enlargement Enthusiasts Look to the Indo-Pacific
By Ramesh Thakur* This article was issued by the Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission. CANBERRA, Australia. 16 August 2023 (IDN) — Lord Ismay, NATO’s first secretary-general (SG), famously said the purpose of NATO was to “keep the Americans in, the Russians out, and the Germans down”. The end of the […]
Prize-Winning Documentary Spotlights the People’s President
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK. 15 August 2023 (IDN) — “I’m president already. I’m president of the ghetto!” exults the subject of “Bobi Wine: The People’s President” midway through the documentary. That’s not exactly how it worked out, but directors Christopher Sharp and Moses Bwayo’s account of Wine’s 2021 campaign for president […]
Hiroshima Was Not Necessary or Inevitable
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden. 15 August 2023 (IDN) — 78 years ago, the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima on August 6 and on Nagasaki on August 9 was premeditated mass murder. President Harry Truman had a workable alternative to using the atom bomb- to cooperate with Stalin, as Roosevelt and Churchill had done on the […]
UN Aims to Decolonize 17 Territories Still Dependent on Colonial Powers
By Thalif Deen* UNITED NATIONS. 14 August 2023 (IDN) — The military coups in three former French colonies in West Africa—Burkina Faso, Mali, and most recently Niger—have turned the spotlight to one of the UN’s lesser-known mandates: the decolonization of “non-self-governing territories” (NSGTs). Last May, a United Nations forum on decolonization, which took place in […]
Cold War Hawk Takes Over US Response to Expanding Niger Crisis
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK. 14 August 2023 (IDN) — Less than a year ago, U.S. Ambassador Johnnie Carson was the object of fulsome praises on his appointment as special representative to the U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit. “There is no better qualified person to serve in this important, new role,” declared Ambassador George […]