By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — The country that drew worldwide attention over a now-debunked U.S. theory linking Saddam Hussein with the purchase of “yellowcake” uranium powder is in the spotlight again. On February 21, unidentified attackers set off a landmine that exploded under a car full of election commissioners in […]
The Ascendency and Mainstay of Participatory Development
Viewpoint by Dr Yossef Ben-Meir The writer is President of the High Atlas Foundation, which is an implementer of the USAID Farmer-to-Farmer Program in Morocco. MARRAKECH (IDN) — Participatory community movements found a contemporary impetus in post-World War II reconstruction of Europe and decolonization, primarily in Africa. The approach of locally managed change, however, was […]
Europe Slow in Recognising Global Impact of Colonialism
Viewpoint by Michael McEachrane* LUND (IDN) – Centuries of European colonialism have had a tremendous impact on shaping inequities within and among countries, many of which are yet to be effectively addressed. This may seem like a trivial statement, but it is only recently being recognised by EU countries. In 2019, the European Parliament passed […]
Tanzania President Acknowledges the Menace of COVID-19
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — For months, Tanzanian President John Magufuli stuck to a controversial stand that COVID-19 would only be defeated by prayer. This Sunday (February 21), the President amended his position. He urged citizens to wear masks — only locally made ones — and take other preventive measures […]
An Inclusive Energy System Key to COVID-19 Recovery
Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). BANGKOK (IDN) — The past year is one that few of us will forget. While the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have played out […]
UN’s ECOSOC Chief Calls for Backing Up World’s Poor Fight COVID-19
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | NEW YORK (IDN) — UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) President Munir Akram has called for a ‘Coalition of the Willing’ to promote agreement at the global level, on a specific set of early actions to provide fiscal space and supplementary liquidity to developing countries suffering the disastrous impact of […]
Time to Redouble Efforts for Economic Diversification in East Africa
By Devendra Kamarajan NAIROBI (IDN) — When the COVID-19 pandemic crisis started, most people were extremely pessimistic. They thought that the region would drown in terms of trade declining catastrophically. But a new report reveals that the East Africa Community economies — Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda — have, by global standards, […]
Why the U.S. Should Build A New Base in Eritrea
Viewpoint by Daniel Haile* COLLEGE STATION, Texas | USA (IDN) — The United States should abandon its base in Djibouti and build a new military base in Eritrea after the Communist regime in Asmara falls from power. daniel_haile.jpg The communist regime of 78-year-old dictator Isaias Afwerki has an expiration date. When the current government in […]
Bolsonaro May Well Emerge Unscathed from Brazil’s Disaster
Viewpoint by Robert Muggah* RIO DE JANEIRO (IDN) — It was once fashionable to describe Brazil as the country of the future. What a difference half a decade makes. In recent years, a democratically elected president was stripped of power and ultimately replaced by an authoritarian strongman. Today, Latin America’s largest country is suffering from […]
Looking Forward to A Pluralistic and Rebalanced World
Viewpoint by S. Jaishankar A return to normalcy in 2021 will mean safer travel, better health, economic revival and digitally-driven services. They will be expressed in new conversations and fresh understandings, writes Dr S. Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs of India and author of “The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World.” The views […]