By Ken Baldwin* CANBERRA, Australia | 24 March 2025 (IDN) — Taxpayers have already paid a price for the political division over Australia’s energy future — and now the Coalition’s nuclear policy is effectively hitting their hip pocket even before voters get their say on whether it’s part of the nation’s energy transition. All Australians […]
Serbia’s Massive Protest — Challenges and Opportunities for Vučić
By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK 22 March 2025 (IDN) — For the first time in his long political career, President Aleksandar Vučić faces a serious public challenge to his leadership. However, his staying power remains strong. The EU has an opportunity to play a significant role in mitigating the unrest while luring Serbia out of […]
Our Divided World: Insights of a Former Diplomat
Jayantha Kottage* Reviews Somar Wijayadasa’s Memoirs CANBERRA, Australia | 22 March 2025 (IDN) — “History repeats itself, but in such a cunning disguise that we never detect the resemblance until the damage is done”, Sydney J Harris Somar Wijayadasa’s memoirs, “Our Divided World: My View from The United Nations” provide a reflective account of global […]
UN Chief Visits World’s Largest Refugee Camp with Bad News from Trump
By Jan Servaes BANGKOK, Thailand | 22 March 2025 (IDN) — UN Secretary-General António Guterres visited Bangladesh from March 13 to 16. His visit came at a critical time as Bangladesh grapples with both internal and external challenges aimed at thwarting the historic reforms introduced by the interim government of Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. […]
France Can’t Deploy New Air-Launched Nuclear-Tipped Missiles Before 2035
By Drago Bosnic The writer is an independent geopolitical and military analyst. This article was first published in InfoBRICS. LJUBLJANA, Slovenia | 21 March 2025 (IDN) — Earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron proposed his country take over America’s role as the “nuclear protector” of the “old continent”. The French nuclear umbrella would encompass the […]
Urgent Need to Avert Sinking into a Debt-Driven Development Crisis
By Rebeca Grynspan The writer is the Secretary-General of UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The following are extensive excerpts from her Statement to 14th session of the three-day International Debt Management Conference on 17 March 2025. GENEVA, Switzerland | 21 March 2025 (IDN) — The Romans had a god named Janus—the deity of thresholds, beginnings, […]
Bhutan’s Growing Migration Wave Demands Better Planning
By Namdu Lhamo, Jelle J P Wouters, Binaya Pasakhala* THIMPU, Bhutan | 20 March 2025 (IDN) — Sonam and Pema migrated a decade ago from eastern Bhutan to the south-west Pasakha Industrial Estate, located on the border with India. The married couple were farmers, but Bhutan’s climate change impacts and interwoven rural crises, including escalating human-wildlife […]
Global Trade in Flux: Navigating Policy Volatility and Structural Shifts
BY UN DESA NEW YORK | 20 March 2025 (IDN) — International trade is once again in the spotlight. A new Monthly Briefing from UN DESA examines the evolving dynamics, offering insights into both the risks and potential opportunities ahead. Structural shifts in global trade Global trade is undergoing profound changes, with globalization evolving along […]
Call for Debt Reforms to Prevent ‘Defaults on Development’
By J Nastranis NEW YORK | 19 March 2025 (IDN) — UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan has urged reforms to prevent the current debt crisis from derailing progress. “Behind us lies a system that needs reform; before us, the chance to build one that serves people and stability, long-term development, not recurring […]
Trump’s Betrayal of America’s Social Contract and Global Standing
By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 19 March 2025 (IDN) — Trump’s betrayal of the ideals and values that America has embraced and which made it an unrivaled nation is tragic. Every Republican with a conscience should rise and put America first, above a felon and a party, before it is too late From its […]