By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 29 July 2024 (IDN) — U.S. Secretary of State James Baker’s famous “not one inch eastward” assurance about NATO expansion in his meeting with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on February 9, 1990, was part of a cascade of assurances about Soviet security given by Western leaders to Gorbachev and […]
Free Speech on Campuses Needs to be Protected, not Attacked, say UN Human Rights Experts
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 29 July 2024 (IDN) — When the Israeli-Hamas conflict kept escalating in Gaza, so did the largely non-violent protests and demonstrations in American campuses—both with pro-Israeli but mostly pro-Palestinian protestors. But one of the biggest and long-drawn-out demonstrations was at Columbia University in New York—a prestigious Ivy League University—which […]
Labyrinth of Propaganda: Manipulating Political Ideologies
Decoding the intentional confusion in modern extremism, left-right polarization, and global narratives By Boaventura De Sousa Santos* This article is being republished courtesy of Meer where it was originally published. COIMBRA, Portugal | 28 July 2024 (IDN) — In periods of great social and political polarization, names, concepts and ideologies are subject to great semantic […]
UNHCR Chief Hails Refugee Athletes as A Beacon of Hope and Peace
By Jaya Ramachandran PARIS | 27 July 2024 (IDN) — The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, has urged the world to follow the example of the refugee teams that are competing, as they promote peaceful co-existence and mutual respect. “Sport is a symbol of hope and of peace, which are sadly in […]
Chinese University Leads with Innovative SDG Summer School
By Viliame Tawanakoro* WUHAN, China | 27 July 2024. (IDN | Wansolwara) — An innovative summer school program by China’s Wuhan University focusing on reporting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) concluded on 26 July with its coordinator Professor Ji Li declaring “this will be the first of many more to come”. The Luojlia Global Summer School […]
U.S. Defense Secretary Embarks on His Eleventh Trip to Indo-Pacific
By Joseph Clark, DOD News U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III embarked on his 11th trip to the Indo-Pacific on 26 July amid what officials said is a landmark period for U.S. ties throughout the region. WASHINGTON D C | 27 July 2024 (IDN) — The 10-day series of engagements will include stops […]
Bangladesh Student Protests: More Than an Anti-Discrimination Movement
By Tajul Islam DHAKA, Bangladesh | 27 July 2024 (IDN) — The student protests in Bangladesh began as a legitimate and peaceful movement aimed at addressing inequalities within the educational system and government job reservations. Students were particularly concerned with the country’s quota system in government jobs, which reserved a significant portion of these positions […]
Sudan Descends into Hell: Betrayed and Ignored by the International Community
By Daniel Haile* KILLEEN, Texas, USA | 26 July 2024 (IDN) — The global indifference to one of the deadliest civil and proxy wars is fueling the conflict in Sudan—and the shameful abandonment should ignite condemnation and anger within the international community. The departure of Omar Al-Bashir, the strongman of Nubia, has plunged Sudan into […]
Does The Value of The Olympics Still Justify the Cost?
By Tim Harcourt* SYDNEY | 26 July 2024 (IDN) — A country doesn’t host the Olympic Games to make a profit. So why do they bother? South Korea held the Seoul Olympics in 1988 to show off its economic miracle. Beijing used 2008 to show the world its enormous economic advancement. At Sochi in 2014, […]
Government Crackdown Sparks Bloodshed and Fury Across Bangladesh
By Shahidul Alam* This article was originally published in The Wire and is being republished with the author’s permission. DHAKA, Bangladesh | 25 July 2024 (IDN) — The televised murder of Abu Sayeed, an unarmed student of Begum Rokeya University, is an indictment of a rogue government that has long lost its right to rule. […]