Viewpoint by Alice Slater The writer serves on the Board of ‘World Beyond War’. NEW YORK (IDN) – The US mission to dominate and control the military use of space has been, historically and at present, a major obstacle to achieving nuclear disarmament and a peaceful path to preserve all life on earth. Reagan rejected […]
No Comment!… And Don’t Quote Me on That
Book Review by Roderic Grigson* NEW YORK | MELBOURNE (IDN) – It takes years to write a good book and in this insightful memoir, Thalif Deen, a former UN Bureau Chief and Regional Director at Inter Press Service news agency, recounts colourful and amusing stories from his 40-year career ‘reporting from the United Nations’. No […]
UN Development System Reform Far from Inclusive
By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK (IDN) – An independent survey prepared by the Global Policy Forum and Social Watch, comprising the Global Policy Watch, shows that civil society organizations (CSOs) have “a very high level of commitment to United Nations (UN) values and principles, much dissatisfaction with the actual operations at the country level and […]
Taking Action to Repair Our World
By Ramu Damodaran The writer is Chief, United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) hosted in the Department of Global Communications. This OpEd first appeared in the #WhyWeCare, @ImpactUN on February 5. NEW YORK (IDN | UNAI) – “Nostalgia for the present“ is a phrase I once heard (or think I have), and it came to mind […]
Rohingya Continue to Suffer Even After Escaping to Supposed Safe Land
By Bahauddin Foizee* DHAKA (IDN) – The horrible scenes of hungry, tired and almost lifeless Rohingya refugees entering Bangladesh shocked the world in 2017. Even today, many Rohingyas are attempting to make the journey from Myanmar to Bangladesh, believing that a foreign land (Bangladesh) would be safer than their homes (Myanmar). Although they aren’t migrating […]
Even the IMF Is Being Forced to Rethink Its Callousness to the Global South
It could cost as much as $5 trillion if rich countries don’t help vaccinate the rest of the world. Viewpoint by Prabir Purkayastha* NEW DELHI (IDN) – The world seems to have turned topsy-turvy when the undisputed voices of global capital start talking about the virtues of “cooperation” among nations and “universal distribution of vaccines” […]
‘Africa No Filter’ Encourages African Media to Abandon Clichéd Narratives
Interview by Kester Kenn Klomegah* MOSCOW (IDN) – Africa No Filter is a not-for-profit set up last year to help shift harmful and stereotypical narratives about Africa through research, advocacy and grant-making to storytellers. It is funded by the Ford Foundation, Bloomberg, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Luminate, Open Society Foundation, Comic Relief, the Hilton Foundation and […]
Handfuls of the Wealthiest Could Fix Awful Inequality in the USA
Viewpoint by Sonali Kolhatkar There is no better time than now to address the ridiculous levels of wealth and income inequality in the United States. It can be done with ease through aggressive taxation of the wealthiest handfuls of individuals, writes Sonali Kolhatkar. She is the founder, host and executive producer of “Rising Up With […]
The United States and Russia: Warmongers and Peacemakers
By Somar Wijayadasa* NEW YORK (IDN) – Just days after the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) that explicitly and unequivocally prohibits the use of nuclear weapons entered into force on January 22, 2021 – a remarkable victory for humanity – the United States and Russia extended their Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New […]
Myanmar Military Regime Can Rely on China, Russia and India
By Thalif Deen* NEW YORK (IDN) – When million-dollar arms sales knock on the door, human rights violations and war crimes fly out of the window. As the United Nations grapples for a reaction to the military coup in Myanmar, both China and Russia, two veto-wielding permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC), refused […]