By Norman Solomon* SAN FRANCISCO, USA | 26 August 2025 (IDN) — This week will go down in history as a time when the governing body of the Democratic Party had a chance to oppose the U.S. government’s arming of Israel. But with the first Democratic National Committee meeting in seven months getting underway on […]
The Imperative for Nuclear Disarmament — Is Putin the Puppet-Master?
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 26 August 2025 (IDN) — Everything gets said, nothing gets done. When President Donald Trump met with President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, we were promised all sorts of goodies — progress in reconciliation in Ukraine and Syria, and, not least, nuclear disarmament. If there is progress behind the scenes, […]
“Software on the Front Line”: How Palantir Is Aiding Ukraine in Its War with Russia
Impact on the Future of Security Guarantees By Ramesh Jaura This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com/ BERLIN | 24 August 2025 (IDN) — On a grey October morning, in a nondescript office tucked behind sandbagged checkpoints, Ukrainian officers clustered around a wall of screens, recalls a colleague in Kyiv. Drones drifted above a treeline […]
Crackdown in Quatit: Arrests and Isolation Deepen Tensions in Southern Eritrea
By Daniel Tesfa and Mirjam van Reisen 22 August 2025 (IDN) — A new wave of arrests in Quatit has heightened unease in Eritrea’s southern region, with locals reporting that dozens of residents have been detained in recent weeks. Among those arrested is the father of Shishay Tesfalem, the owner of the YouTube-based media outlet […]
Putin Is Trump’s Medicine
By Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP and the author of the new book Writing for Media and Monetising It. ABUJA, Nigeria | 22 August 2025 (IDN) — European leaders often portray Russian President Vladimir Putin as a tyrant, a land grabber, and a modern-day Russian bear. And following the outbreak of […]
Pashinyan Apologies For Insulting The Armenian Apostolic Church
By Benoit Lannoo* YEREVAN, Armenia | ANTWERP, Belgium | 21 August 2025 (IDN) — There is little chance that the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will congratulate the Armenian Apostolic Catholicos on his birthday today. This is a U-turn from five or six years ago, when a praising press release was issued every year by […]
Situation Report Horn of Africa: Shire in Tigray hub for smuggled gold
Situation in Sudan (per 21 August) Armed individuals clashed within the Zalengei hospital in Central Darfur after two different patients were brought in with gunshot wounds on 16 August. A grenade attack left one person dead and five injured. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) decided to suspend its activities at the hospital and evacuate its staff following […]
UN80 Early Separation Agreements – Legal Objections & Breach of Principles
By Nadine Kaddoura* An Open Letter to Mr. Guy Ryder, Under-Secretary-General (USG) for Policy and Head of the UN80 Taskforce. LEUSDEN, Netherlands | 21 August 2025 (IDN) — I write to register a formal objection to the UN80 Task Force’s deployment of “early separation” agreements containing waiver clauses of sweeping breadth. Such provisions are inconsistent with […]
Sérgio Vieira de Mello: Achievements in Post-Conflict State-Building and Lessons for UN at 80
By Chimdi Chukwukere* ABUJA, Nigeria | 21 August 2025 (IDN) — August 19 marked both World Humanitarian Day and the 22nd anniversary of the death of Sérgio Vieira de Mello, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General, who was killed in a bomb blast while on duty in Baghdad, Iraq. This piece honors his transformative achievements, […]
Haiti Situation Report: Three-month state of emergency declared
Situation in Haiti Haiti declared a three-month state of emergency on 9 August in the West, Artibonite, and Center departments to counter escalating gang violence and its impact on food production. Two Haitian National Police (PNH) officers were killed in Kenscoff when their armored vehicle got stuck in a ditch dug by gangs and were […]