By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 27 August 2024 (IDN) — In 1995 in a little remembered event Li Ruthuan, a member of the Chinese Politburo (containing the top seven in the government), made a speech likening the Chinese take-over of Hong Kong to the case of a lady who had agreed to sell a […]
Why Are Liberal Zionists Cheering as Harris Echoes Biden on Gaza?
By Abba A. Solomon* SEATTLE, Washington | 27 August 2024 (IDN) — Hours after Kamala Harris gave her acceptance speech at the Democratic convention, the president of the “pro-Israel, pro-peace” organization J Street took a victory lap in an effusive e-mail to supporters. “Wow,” Jeremy Ben-Ami wrote. “What a week! As J Streeters leave the […]
Ukraine Blackmails Hungary and Slovakia
By Peter G. Feher* WASHINGTON, D.C. | 26 August 2024 (IDN) — Ukraine blackmails Hungary and Slovakia in a vile way. The quarrel between Hungary and Slovakia, as well as Ukraine, has been going on for more than two months. Indeed, on June 24, without any prior warning, Kyiv prohibited the privately owned Russian oil […]
New Approaches to Tackling Child Labour in Nepal
By Simone Galimberti* KATHMANDU, Nepal | 26 August 2024 (IDN) — Child labour remains one of the most pressing issues of our times. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), child labour remains a pervasive and persistent issue, 160 million children – 63 million girls and 97 million boys—are in child labour, accounting for almost […]
Achieving Peace in The New Multipolar Age Is Possible
By Jeffrey D. Sachs* This article was published in The Manila Times and is being republished with the author’s permission. NEW YORK | 25 August 2024 (IDN) — With the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991, the United States assumed that it would dominate the world as the unrivaled hegemon. Yet the US “unipolar” […]
World’s Largest Regional Security Organization Launches New Initiative
By Jane Kinninmont and Maria Branea* LONDON | 24 August 2024 (IDN) — The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world’s largest regional security organization, with 57 participating states in Europe, Asia, and North America. This year, the OSCE launched a new initiative—The Expert Networks on the Organization for Security and […]
Genocide is Genocide is Genocide
By James E. Jennings* ATLANTA | 24 August 2024 (IDN) — There’s an ongoing dispute about the meaning of Genocide, which is important because the case against Israel’s war in Gaza is scheduled to be decided soon by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). It’s actually not that complicated. Confucius allegedly said, “The naming of […]
Muhammad Yunus Faces a Herculean Task in Bangladesh
By Ishrat Hossain* BERLIN | 24 August 2024 (IDN) — Bangladesh’s new leader is facing a difficult task. He needs to rebuild a country that has been in democratic decline for decades, suffering from systematic corruption and a shattered relationship between state and society. Just 72 hours after the resignation of the authoritarian Prime Minister […]
Mount Kilimanjaro Porters Decry Sabotage as Local Tour Companies Struggle
By Kizito Makoye MOSHI, Tanzania | 23 August 2024 (IDN) — Juma Abdallah, a 34-year-old porter from Kiraracha village on the southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, trudges along the steep, rocky trails of the mountain, his breath visible in the thin, chilly air. The weight of the load on his back—a cumbersome mix of tents, […]
Iran: Neutralizing Nuclear Threat Without Force or Sanctions
By Dr Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK 22 August 2024 (IDN)— All past efforts to block Iran’s march toward becoming a nuclear power have failed. It is time for the US and Israel to develop a new strategy that factors in the possibility that Iran will become a nuclear power but renders it futile without using […]