Global Geopolitics

OPINION: Contras and Drugs, Three Decades Later

By Carmelo Ruiz-Marrero
In late 1986, Washington was rocked by revelations that the Ronald Reagan administration had illegally aided a stateless army known as the contras in Central America.

Kazakhstan’s Nazarbayev Signals U-Turn on Alternative Energy

By Paolo Sorbello
From small villages to big cities, wherever you go in Kazakhstan these days, billboards offer reminders that Astana is gearing up to host Expo 2017, the next World’s Fair. Kazakhstan helped secure the right to host the event with a pledge to emphasise green energy alternatives. But now it appears that Kazakhstan is red-lighting its own green transition.

OPINION: The Group of 77 & IPS at 50

By Mourad Ahmia
When the Group of 77 commemorated its 50th anniversary recently, Inter Press Service (IPS) news agency was not far behind.

U.S. Destroys Its Own Weapons in Enemy Hands

By Thalif Deen
When the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) captured a treasure trove of U.S. weapons from fleeing Iraqi soldiers last month, one of the rebel leaders with a morbid sense of humour was quoted as saying rather sarcastically: "We hope the Americans would honour their agreements and service our helicopters."

OPINION: Europe is Positioning Itself Outside the International Race

By Roberto Savio
The new European Commission looks more like an experiment in balancing opposite forces than an institution that is run by some kind of governance. It will probably end up being paralysed by internal conflicts, which is the last thing it needs.

We Must Think of “Security” in New Ways

By Zafar Adeel
Recent events in the Arab world and elsewhere have underscored the point that traditional notions of security being dependent solely on military and related apparatus are outmoded.

OPINION: Al Baghdadi and the Doctrine Behind the Name

By Farhang Jahanpour
When Ibrahim al-Badri al-Samarrai adopted the name of Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi al-Husseini al-Quraishi and revealed himself to the world as the Amir al-Mu’minin (the Commander of the Faithful) Caliph Ibrahim of the self-proclaimed Islamic State, the whole world had to sit up and take notice of him. 

U.S. Airdrops to Kobani Kurds Mark New Stage in ISIL Conflict

By Jim Lobe
The U.S. air drop Sunday of new weapons and supplies to Kurdish fighters in the besieged border town of Kobani marks an important escalation in Washington’s efforts to “degrade and destroy” the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

OPINION: Iraq’s Minorities Battling for Survival

By Mark Lattimer and Mahmoud Swed
Through all of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s campaigns of ‘Arabization’, they survived. The diverse Iraqi communities inhabiting the Nineveh plains – Yezidis, Turkmen, Assyrians and Shabak, as well as Kurds – held on to their unique identities and most of their historic lands.

History of Key Document in IAEA Probe Suggests Israeli Forgery

By Gareth Porter
Western diplomats have reportedly faulted Iran in recent weeks for failing to provide the International Atomic Energy Agency with information on experiments on high explosives intended to produce a nuclear weapon, according to an intelligence document the IAEA is investigating.

Despite Public’s War Weariness, U.S. Defence Budget May Rise

By Jim Lobe
Despite the public’s persistent war weariness, the U.S. defence budget – the world’s biggest by far – may be set to rise again, according to a new study released here this week by the Center for International Policy (CIP).

OPINION: The U.S. and a Crumbling Levant

By Emile Nakhleh
As the international media is mesmerised by the Islamic State’s advance on Kobani or ‘Ayn al-Arab on the Syrian-Turkish border, Arab states and the United States would need to look beyond Kobani’s fate and the Islamic State’s territorial successes and defeats.

Regional Trade Agreements Cannot Substitute the Multilateral System

By Roberto Azevêdo
Regional trade agreements have grown very rapidly in recent years, and today the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has been notified that 253 are in force.

Uruguay’s Decision Could Come Too Late for Gitmo Detainees

By Diana Cariboni
Uruguayan President José Mujica bought time for his plan to host six prisoners of Guantánamo, handing over the decision to the winner of the incoming elections. But time is a scarce resource for the inmates of this United States military prison on Cuban soil.

Cycle of Death, Destruction and Rebuilding Continues in Gaza

By Thalif Deen
When the international pledging conference to rebuild a devastated Gaza ended in Cairo over the weekend - the third such conference in less than six years - the lingering question among donors was: is this the last of it or are there more assaults to come?

OPINION: The Disturbing Expansion of the Military-Industrial Complex

By Mairead Maguire
How can we explain that in the 2lst century we are still training millions of men and women in our armed forces and sending them to war? 

ANALYSIS: Europe’s Migrant Graveyard

By Matt Carr
Since the end of the Cold War, the Mediterranean has become the most lethal of Europe’s barriers against irregular migration, having claimed nearly 20,000 migrant lives in the last two decades.  

2015 a Make-or-Break Year for Nuclear Disarmament

By Thalif Deen
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last month singled out what he described as "one of the greatest ironies of modern science": while humans are searching for life on other planets, the world's nuclear powers are retaining and modernising their weapons to destroy life on planet earth.

Brazil’s Two-Party System Leaves Amazon Activist Behind

By Mario Osava
The dream of electing Brazil’s first black president, an environmental activist from the Amazon jungle, lasted only 40 days and was frustrated in Sunday’s elections. In the end, it is the two parties that have dominated Brazilian politics for the last 20 years that will face off in the second round of voting on Oct. 26.

U.S. Anti-ISIL Strategy Drawing Growing Scepticism

By Jim Lobe
Hopes that the strategy announced by President Barack Obama a month ago against the Islamic State of Syria and the Levant (ISIL) might yield a relatively quick victory have disappeared amidst growing fears that the U.S.-led air campaign has at most only slowed the radical group’s advance.

OPINION: Planet Racing Towards Catastrophe and Politics Just Looking On

By Roberto Savio
If ever there was a need to prove that we are faced with a total lack of global governance, the U.N. Climate Summit, extraordinarily called by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sep. 23, makes a very good case.
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