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 […]
The Choice of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as WTO Head Makes History
Can This ‘Grandmother’ Save The World Ruled by Gender and Racial Bias? Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Interview magazine based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA (IDN) — As the World Trade Organization (WTO) formally announced the appointment of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as Director-General on February 15, a Swiss newspaper […]
World’s Largest Free Trade Area Opens for Business in Africa
By Kester Kenn Klomegah* MOSCOW (IDN) — The opening of the world’s largest free trade area in Africa on January 1, 2021, is of great interest to Russia. It comes more than one year after the first Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi on the Black Sea. As Russian President Vladimir Putin then said: “The event really […]