Global Geopolitics

Goodbye to 2017, a Trump-dominated Year

By Martin Khor
In 2017, Donald Trump dominated the year by using US clout to change many aspects of global relations, and not for the better.

Arming Poor Countries Enriches Rich Countries

By Anis Chowdhury and Jomo Kwame Sundaram
Although the Cold War came to an end over a quarter century ago, international arms sales only declined temporarily at the end of the last century. Instead, the United States under President Trump is extending its arms superiority over the rest of the world.

Should Foxes Rule the Chicken Coop? Reflections on Security Council Reform

By James A. Paul
Since the end of the Cold War, the UN Security Council has dramatically increased its activity and authority. Though the Council has exercised unprecedented global power, it has remained a very insular, secretive and undemocratic body, dominated by its five Permanent Members, armed with their notorious vetoes and benefiting from perpetuity in office.

Trump-Mideast: Much More than a ‘Kiss of Death’ to Palestinians

By Baher Kamal
US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital does not represent only a ‘kiss of death’ to the two-State solution, but also a strong blow in the face of 57 Muslim countries, let alone igniting fire in this easily inflammable region, providing more false arguments to criminal terrorist groups to escalate their brutal attacks, in addition to taking a step further in Washington’s new conflict with Iran and the ‘restructuring’ of the Middle East.

Post-Nuclear Nightmares Still Linger Over Pacific Islands

By Thalif Deen
The Pacific islands have long remained victims of nuclear crimes – but the perpetrators, three of the world’s major powers with permanent seats in the UN Security Council, never paid for their deadly sins.

First Use of Nuclear Weapons Would be Counterproductive

By Daryl G. Kimball
Over the past year, cavalier and reckless statements from President Donald Trump about nuclear weapons and his threat to unleash “fire and fury” against North Korea have heightened fears about Cold War-era policies and procedures that put the authority to launch nuclear weapons in his hands alone.

Cuban Immigration in the Eye of the Storm

By Patricia Grogg
Cuban migration to the United States is the great loser under Donald Trump's hostile policy toward Cuba, and creates additional difficulties for citizens of this Caribbean island nation who were accustomed to benefits that their neighbors in the rest of Latin America never enjoyed.

Russian & US Vetoes Protect Client States

By Thalif Deen
The vote on the latest American-sponsored resolution in the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Syria was predictable: of the five big powers, China abstained and Russia vetoed, while the US, UK and France voted for it.

Austrian Elections: The Crisis of Europe Continues

By Roberto Savio
The Austrian elections show clearly that media have given up on contextualising events. To do that, calls for a warning about Europe’s future, as a vehicle of European values is required. Europe has been weakened by all the recent elections, with the notable exception of France. Common to all, France included, were some clear trends, that we will hastily, and therefore maybe imperfectly, examine.

Trump, Korea, the Ban, & Where Hope Lies

By Joseph Gerson
There is much to celebrate in the Nobel Peace Prize Committee’s decision to award this year’s prize to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).

Will EU & US Part Ways on Iran Nuclear Deal?

By Tarja Cronber and Tytti Erästö
The Iran nuclear deal has demonstrated that diplomacy can triumph in nuclear non-proliferation: dialogue, rather than military action, can convince states to forgo pursuing nuclear weapons. The European Union has long played an instrumental role in the multilateral diplomacy that produced the historic deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Merkel’s Defeat Confirms Dismal Trend for Europe

By Roberto Savio
Generally, media have failed to analyse why the result of German elections is the worst possible. Merkel is not a winner, but a leader now in a very fragile position, who will have to make many compromises and pay now for her mistakes. Let us make at least the most important four points of analysis.

Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty a Significant Milestone

By Jonathan Granoff
Presently, the entire world is hostage to a nuclear crisis expressed in the language of war and destruction by the leaders of North Korea and the United States We can look over the abyss and the reality of the consequence of the uses of nuclear weapons strikes fear and terror in the hearts of any sane person.

Trump’s Threat of Total Destruction Is Unlawful & Extremely Dangerous

By Andrew Lichterman and John Burroughs
President Trump’s threat of total destruction of North Korea is utterly unacceptable. Also deplorable is the response of North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on 23 September at the United Nations.

G77 a Key Partner in Reform of the UN System

By Miroslav Lajčák
When the Charter of Algiers was adopted 50 years ago, it marked the unity of the Group of 77. This unity has not wavered since then.

Sixth North Korean Nuclear Test Creates New, More Dangerous Phase in Nuclear Crisis

By Daryl G. Kimball
North Korea’s 5.9 to 6.3 magnitude nuclear test explosion September 3 marks a new and more dangerous era in East Asia.

Why New US Cold War with Russia Now

By Vladimir Popov
Even before the imposition of new sanctions on Russia by Donald Trump and the ongoing fuss over Russian hackers undermining US democracy, Russian-American relations had deteriorated to a level not seen since the 1950s. Why?

Donald Trump & Kim Jong-Un Need To Find A Diplomatic Off-Ramp

By Daryl G. Kimball
Just six months into the administration of President Donald Trump, the war of words and nuclear threats between the United States and North Korea have escalated, and a peaceful resolution to the escalating crisis is more difficult than ever to achieve.

Sinking Island Seeks Seat in Security Council

By Thalif Deen
The Maldives, one of the world’s low-lying, small island developing states (SIDS) -- threatened with extinction because of a sea-level rise-- is shoring up its coastal defences in anticipation of the impending calamity.

In the New World Order, Asia Is Rising, Says Pakistan’s UN Envoy

By Barbara Crossette
When Maleeha Lodhi arrived at the United Nations in 2015 as Pakistan’s ambassador, she brought with her a broad background in academia, journalism and diplomacy: a Ph.D. in political science from the London School of Economics, where she later taught political sociology; the first woman to edit major newspapers in Pakistan; ambassador to the United States twice and once as Pakistan’s high commissioner in London.

Not Just Numbers: Migrants Tell Their Stories

By Baher Kamal
Every single day, print and online media and TV broadcasters show images and footage of migrants and refugees adrift, salvage teams rescuing their corpses--alive or dead, from fragile boats that are often deliberately sunk by human traffickers near the coasts of a given country. Their dramas are counted –and told-- quasi exclusively in cold figures.
« Previous Page — Next Page »
*#*