Global Geopolitics

OPINION: Central America, Still Caught Up in the Arms Race

By Lina Barrantes Castegnaro
The recent announcement of the Nicaraguan government’s 80-million-dollar purchase of 50 Russian tanks caught the attention of the press in Latin America and caused alarm in the international community.

Is it in Europe’s Interest to Push Russia into China’s Arms?

By Roberto Savio
No mention in the media of the dangerous increase in the tension between Europe and Russia and yet Nato has just made operational in Romania a missile system, the ABM, which the United States has declared will protect it from “rogue” states, like Iran.

When Emergencies Last for Decades

By Lyndal Rowlands
For the millions of people whose lives have been uprooted by conflict and natural disasters the average amount of time before they can return home is now 17 years.

Will Canada Recognise Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Developing Countries Too?

By Aruna Dutt
While Canada’s long-awaited support for the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples brought hope and celebration last week, it's not yet clear whether the rights of Indigenous people in developing countries harmed by Canadian mining companies will also be included.

A Refugee Crisis with No End in Sight

By Silvia Boarini
"We don't want charity, we want a long-term solution."

Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council: Assessment & Way Forward

By Idriss Jazairy
In my personal capacity as an academic from the Global South and a retired international civil servant, I undertook a study for the Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue which was published in November 2014. This was at a time when I had no idea that I would later become a member of this elite group of Special Procedures Mandate Holder. The study is entitled “In Defence of Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council: An alternative narrative from the South”.

Progress of The World’s Least Developed Countries to be Reviewed

By Aruna Dutt
The United Nations will undertake a major review of progress made in the world’s 48 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) later this month.

Why Set Up a Shell Company in Panama?

By Robert J. Burrowes
A previously little-known law firm called Mossack Fonseca, based in Panama, has recently been exposed as one of the world’s major creators of ‘shell companies’, that is, corporate structures that can be used to hide the ownership of assets. This can be done legally but shell companies of this nature are widely used for illegal purposes such as tax evasion and money laundering of proceeds from criminal activity.

Mass Migration, EU, European Nationalisms

By Johan Galtung
We are dealing with mass migration, basically into EU, and European nationalisms, many in favor of exits from the EU. Why this mass migration, maybe to the point of Völkerwanderung, mainly into EU–but then what kind of EU–and why the European nationalisms now found one way or the other in many member states?

Kenyan Refugee Camp Closures will have Disastrous Consequences

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage
The Kenyan government's decision to close its refugee camps will have disastrous consequences and must be reconsidered, international organisations have stated.

UN Releases Plan to Increase Refugee Responsibility Sharing

By Lyndal Rowlands
The UN wants to create a new Global Compact to encourage countries to share the responsibility for hosting the 19 million refugees who have fled their home countries.

Is the System Broke or Broken?

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage
Though the upcoming World Humanitarian Summit may seem timely, a debate ensues on an important question: is the world humanitarian system broke or broken?

Odd Situation in the “Paradise” of Press Freedom

By Milla Sundström
A strange situation has emerged in Finland where some people feel that the press freedom is currently jeopardised. The small Nordic country is a press freedom celebrity leading the index kept by Reporters Without Borders since 2009 and hosting the UNESCO World Press Freedom Day on May 3.

Democratic Corruption

By Sakib Sherani
`Chaste to her husband, frank to all beside / A teeming mistress, but a barren bride` - Alexander Pope From Brazil to Malaysia, democracy around the world is under threat. Not from the march of army columns, but from the greed and corruption of a rapaclous global political elite. While nation-destroying corruption of leaders such as Ferdinand Marcos, Mobutu Sese Seko, Sani Abacha, Alberto Fujimori, or Robert Mugabe was the accepted `norm` till the 1990s for a select band of unfortunate Third World countries whose people had been made destitute by their leaders` insatiable greed, the latest wave of democracy was thought to have brought in a newer, and lesstainted, leadership.

Free Press a Casualty of Pakistan’s Terror War

By Ashfaq Yusufzai
Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) is widely viewed as one of the world's most dangerous places to be a journalist, with at least 14 killed since 2005 and a dozen of those cases still unsolved, according to local and international groups.

Why we need to stand united against governments cracking down on dissent

By Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah
Last month, after receiving threats for opposing a hydroelectric project, Berta Caceres, a Honduran indigenous and environmental rights campaigner, was murdered. A former winner of the Goldman Environmental Prize for her opposition to one of Central America’s biggest hydropower projects, Berta was shot dead in her own home.

Playing Ping Pong with Disability

By Silvia Boarini
Despite formally adopting progressive laws, such as Law Number 4, and ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disability, Palestinian authorities still struggle to get beyond rhetoric when it comes to supporting the 7 to 11 per cent of the population that is affected by disability.

G-77 Should Adopt South-South Climate Change Program of Action: Ambassador Djoghlaf

By Lyndal Rowlands
The 134 members of the Group of 77 and China (G-77) made their mark on the Paris Climate Change Agreement and should now adopt a program of action to implement it, Ambassador Ahmed Djoghlaf told IPS in a recent interview.

Eastern Europe’s Claims for UN Chief Questioned

By Thalif Deen
As the campaign for a new UN Secretary-General (UNSG) gathers momentum, there is one lingering question that remains unanswered: does the now-defunct Eastern European political alliance have a legitimate claim for the job on the basis of geographical rotation?

Developing Countries Take Lead at Climate Change Agreement Signing

By Lyndal Rowlands
An unprecedented 175 countries signed the Paris Climate Change Agreement here Friday, with 15 developing countries taking the lead by also ratifying the treaty.

Deep Discord at United Nations over Global Drug Policy

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage
International drug conventions ultimately aim to ensure the health and welfare of humankind, UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said here Tuesday at the opening of a special three-day session on drugs known as UNGASS.
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