By Jan Servaes* BRUSSELS, 2 April 2023 (IDN) — After the success of the ‘Assignment China’ TV-series, Columbia University Press. recently published the book with the same title: “Assignment China: An Oral History of American Journalists in the People’s Republic”. The themes already covered in the TV series have been updated and expanded to 25 […]
Sri Lanka: Bailed Out, Boxed In
By Neville de Silva* LONDON, 2 April 2023 (IDN) — That was irony surely. Last April Sri Lanka defaulted on its debt payments for the first time in 75 years and declared itself bankrupt. It was the ignominious result of accumulated loans taken by leaders of successive governments for their lavish spending on wasteful projects […]
Global Nuclear Freeze Could Avert New Arms Race
By Daryl G. Kimball The writer is the Executive Director of the Arms Control Association (ACA). The following text was published in the organization’s monthly journal, Arms Control Today. WASHINGTON, D.C., 1 April 2023 (IDN) — After more than a decade of deteriorating relations and dithering on disarmament, the three largest nuclear powers—Russia, the United […]
Viewpoint: Sri Lanka’s IMF “Bail Out” Suits US Geo-Political Interests
By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY, 1 April 2023 (IDN) — On March 21, when the International Monetary Fund (IMF) made a long-awaited official announcement that it has approved a $3 billion “bailout” for Sri Lanka, President Ranil Wickremasinghe’s supporters lighted firecrackers to welcome the news. But local sceptics doubt whether the IMF is really bailing out […]
Arms Flow to Ukraine Threatens to Undermine US Fire Power
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, 31 March 2023 (IDN) — The uninterrupted flow of US weapons to Ukraine—running into billions of dollars—may ultimately have a negative fallout on American military security and its fire power. So far, US economic and military aid to Ukraine, along with security assistance, is estimated at about 100 billion dollars. […]
Reverse the Slide to Violence Through Confidence Building
By René Wadlow, President, Association of World Citizens GENEVA, 31 March 2023 (IDN) — With U.S. and Chinese military engaged near Taiwan, a miscalculation could lead to armed violence. The armed conflict in Ukraine has heightened the debate on the possibility of armed conflict between China and Taiwan. Tensions between the two Korean states remain […]
Netanyahu’s Reality Check Is Overdue
By Dr Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK, 31 March 2023 (IDN) — The brief indirect exchange of statements between President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu, in connection with the latter’s blind determination to execute a de facto coup d’état under the guise of judicial reforms, demonstrates how dangerously delusional Netanyahu has become. For Netanyahu to forget […]
Japan Prepares to Sway Agenda Towards Green Development at G7 Summit
By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY | TOKYO, 31 March 2023 (IDN) — A one-day conference at Soka University in Tokyo on March 29 titled ‘Advancing Security and Sustainability at the G7 Hiroshima Summit’ discussed the complex problem of swaying the focus away from the Ukraine war towards green development and food and energy security at the […]
Africa: Why Does Afrobeat Superstar Rock More than Nigeria’s Elections?
By Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA, 30 March 2023 (IDN) — From Accra to Cape Town images of Nollywood, Nigeria’s popular movie footprint, are a common staple in homes across the continent as are the sights and sounds of its pop icons who are […]
Bolivia-Chile: Hopes for a ‘Sincere Dialogue’ on Sovereign Access to See
From the Peoples Dispatch | Globetrotter News Service BERLIN | NEW YORK, 30 March 2023 (IDN) — On March 23, Bolivia commemorated the Battle of Calama and the Day of the Sea. During an event commemorating the day in the capital La Paz, President Luis Arce declared he would intensify efforts to obtain Bolivia’s sovereign […]