Viewpoint by Michele Nobile* This is the third of a five-part article looking at US foreign policy in historical context and its global implications under President Donald Trump. BERGAMO, Italy (IDN) – The development of capitalism is global but structurally unequal: its contradictions are also expressed through the hierarchy of the system of States. And, […]
Sri Lanka’s Extremists Find a New Enemy
Viewpoint by Dr Farah Mihlar* LONDON (IDN) – After fiercely quelling a three-decade armed conflict fought mainly on ethnic grounds, majoritarian politics in Sri Lanka has found a new enemy – the country’s nine percent Muslim community. In the worst outbreak of violence against Muslims in recent years, Sinhalese-Buddhist mobs were on the rampage earller […]
The Importance of Putin and Russia’s Presidential Election
By Somar Wijayadasa Somar Wijayadasa, a former UNESCO delegate to the UN General Assembly and Representative of UNAIDS at the United Nations, has been a frequent visitor to Russia since 1962 when the then Soviet Union “was a proud nation with a thriving economy, marvels of industrialization, advances in science, technology and medicine, escapades into […]
The Timing of ‘Communal’ Violence in Sri Lanka Raises Questions
By Kalinga Seneviratne This article is the 21st in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews, flagship of the International Press Syndicate. BANGKOK (IDN) – The damage has already been done. Buddhists are accused of Islamaphobic communal attacks in Sri Lanka and tourists are cancelling their trips to the country as the international media […]
Action Needed to Ratify the 1996 Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
By Dr Lassina Zerbo The author is Executive Secretary of CTBTO, Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization. The following is a slightly abridged and modified text of his address on 26 February to the High-level segment of the Conference on Disarmament, multilateral disarmament negotiating forum where the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in Geneva […]
Kazakhstan to Chair WTO Negotiations on Trade in Services
ASTANA (IDN | KazInform) – The General Council of the World Trade Organization (WTO) has on March 7 approved the candidacy of the Republic of Kazakhstan for the chairmanship of the Special Session of the WTO Council for Trade in Service, reports Kazinform International News Agency citing a press release of the the Kazakh Ministry […]
To Achieve Gender Equality, We Need Women Entrepreneurs
By Shamshad Akhtar Dr. Shamshad Akhtar is the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). BANGKOK (IDN) – In 2018, we have an opportunity to accelerate progress towards gender equality. Movements such as #MeToo have shone the spotlight on an unacceptable status quo […]
US Foreign Policy and Trump’s Contradictions – Part 2
Viewpoint by Michele Nobile* This is the second of a five-part article looking at US foreign policy in historical context and its global implications under President Donald Trump. BERGAMO, Italy (IDN) – With the arrival of the Trump administration, the threshold of potential use of the nuclear weapon has been lowered considerably, according to a […]
UN, EU, Experts Hail Outcome of Inter-Korean Talks, Call For Availing of Peace Opportunities
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN (IDN) – The United Nations and the European Union as well as independent arms control experts have welcomed the results of latest talks between South and North Korea, and called for seizing the opportunities opening up for peace in the region and for reducing international tensions. The significance of emerging prospects […]
Mixed Reactions To Inter-Korean Accord
By Yonhap News Agency This report was carried by the South Korean news agency on March 6 (local time: 23.38) and is being reproduced to give a glimpse into how the current development on the Korean peninsula is viewed in the Republic of Korea. – The Editor SEOUL (IDN-INPS) – South Korean political parties on […]