Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN) — Through the fog of war, it is difficult to see blue sky. So it is with Ukraine. Pessimists and poets who have long argued that we humans are unfit for purpose have more grist for their mill. But let’s step back from the Ukrainian conflict.
From Moscow to Washington, the Barbarism and Hypocrisy Don’t Justify Each Other
Viewpoint by Norman Solomon* SAN FRANCISCO, USA (IDN) — Russia’s war in Ukraine—like the USA’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq—should be understood as barbaric mass slaughter. For all their mutual hostility, the Kremlin and the White House are willing to rely on similar precepts: Might makes right. International law is what you extol when you […]
Putin’s War in Ukraine: How To Get Out of the Catch-22 Situation?
Viewpoint by Herbert Wulf This article was issued by the Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission. BONN (IDN) — War is back in Europe. What a shock. At the beginning of the year we asked ourselves: Are we back in the Cold War? Now it’s a hot war. It’s not the […]
African Leaders Crack Down on The Press
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Retaliating against media reports of civilian deaths at the hands of the Malian Armed Forces, authorities there have ordered French public broadcasters RFI and its sister TV station France 24 off the air. News reports of military abuses were without merit, the ruling junta charged. […]
The Ultimate Winners in Ukraine are the World’s Arms Merchants
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — The war in Ukraine may not be a head-on conflict between Russia and the United States but it is certainly a battle between the heavily-stocked military arsenals of two of the world’s major military and nuclear powers. At a press briefing March 22, UN Secretary-General António Guterres was […]
Major Book Fair in South Africa Returns After 2 Year Covid Absence
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — The Open Book Festival 2022 returns to Cape Town, South Africa, from March 26-27 after an absence of two years as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Open Book is a literary festival with a focus on South African literature in an international context. The […]
Growing Number of Corporations Against Investing in Nuclear Weapons
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA (IDN) — “The nuclear weapons narrative is changing. The implicit permission to make weapons of mass destruction is getting revoked by governments, parliamentarians, cities and the financial sector,” says a new report, released ahead of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which marks a turning point in post-Cold War history. Significantly, the Russian […]
Ukraine: UN Official Calls in Security Council for Full Investigation of Civilian Death Toll
By UN News UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — The magnitude of civilian casualties and destruction of civilian infrastructure in Ukraine cannot be denied, the UN political chief told the Security Council on March 17, demanding a thorough investigation and accountability. “Civilians are entitled to protection against the dangers arising from military operations,” insisted Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary […]
Should Sri Lanka De-Dollarize? Beyond Bananas, Beaches, Bases and Dependent Development
Viewpoint by Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake The writer, Dr Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake, is a Sociocultural and Medical Anthropologist based in Colombo. Her latest publication is ‘Multi-religiosity on Contemporary Sri Lanka: Innovation, Shared Spaces, Contestation”.(Routledge 2022) COLOMBO (IDN) — Necessity is the mother of invention: Protests are mounting by people from all walks of life in all parts of […]
Ukraine-Russia Crisis: Africa Concerned About Consequences for the Continent’s Economy
By Kester Kenn Klomegah* MOSCOW | RABAT (IDN) — In an emailed interview with IDN’s Kester Kenn Klomegah, Dr Mohamed Chtatou, a senior professor of Middle Eastern politics at the International University of Rabat (IUR) and Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco, discusses Africa’s position on Russia-Ukraine crisis, its effects on Africa as well as […]