Armed Conflicts

Hiroshima and Nagasaki Mayors Plead for a Nuclear Weapons Free World

By Ramesh Jaura
Seventy years after the brutal and militarily unwarranted atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and 9, a nuclear weapons free world is far from within reach.

Head of State Who Keeps U.N. Guessing in Annual Ritual

By Thalif Deen
As part of a politically-amusing annual ritual, the guessing game is on at the United Nations: will he, or will he not, address the General Assembly, along with more than 150 heads of state who are due in New York next month?

Opinion: Look at Nuclear Weapons in a New Way

By Jan Oberg
It’s absolutely necessary to remember what happened 70 years ago in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, see the movies from then, listen to the survivors, the hibakusa. But it isn’t enough for us to rid the world of these crimes-against-humanity weapons. And that we must.

Amnesty Wants International Criminal Court to Intervene in Libya

By Cornelius Boudewijn
Calling for an end to “an epidemic of kidnapping blighting” Libya, Amnesty International has faulted the International Criminal Court (ICC) for failing to undertake any investigations into crimes under international law committed by armed groups in the last four years.

No More Hiroshimas, No More Nagasakis, Vows U.N. Chief

By Thalif Deen
Speaking at a commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Japan, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a vociferous advocate of nuclear disarmament, echoed the rallying cry worldwide: “No more Hiroshimas, No more Nagasakis.”

Iran Nuclear Deal Could Boost Diplomacy with North Korea, Diplomat Says

By Aruna Dutt
The recent agreement between Iran and six nations on nuclear non-proliferation will likely have a “positive impact” on North Korea, according to a senior South Korean diplomat.

Pakistan One of the World’s First Safe Havens for Refugees

By Thalif Deen
The United Nations has declared that 2015 is already “the deadliest year” for millions of migrants and asylum seekers fleeing war and persecution in their countries.

Churches Seek to Amplify Echo of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

By Gustavo Capdevila
The accounts of survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki will serve as inspiration for leaders of Christian churches grouped in the World Council of Churches (WCC), which advocates the elimination of nuclear weapons.

Partnerships Critical to the SDGs, Reducing Inequality

By Aruna Dutt
Last week, South Korea's Permanent Representative Oh Joon was inaugurated as the new president of the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). As such, he will have a key role in setting the course for implementing the ambitious Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that will be adopted at the summit of world leaders in September.

Opinion: Security Council Resolution on Airlines Disaster Debases U.N. Charter

By Somar Wijayadasa
On July 29 Russia vetoed a draft U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolution on the establishment of an international tribunal to investigate the downing of Malaysia Airlines MH17 flight over eastern Ukraine last year - killing all 298 people on board.

Nigeria to Balance GHG Emission Cuts with Development Peculiarities

By Ini Ekott
Nigeria seems in no haste to unveil its climate pledge with just four months to go before the U.N. Climate Conference scheduled for December in Paris.

U.N. Panel Spotlights Plight of Refugees

By Nora Happel
“Let us remember that behind every story, every figure, every number, there is a person - a girl, a boy, a parent, a family,” Anne Christine Eriksson, Acting Director of the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said at a panel discussion at the U.N. on Thursday.

‘Ambassadors of Freedom’ – Palestine’s Resistance Babies

By Silvia Boarini
Thirteen-year-old Hula Khadoura sits on a large sofa in her grandfather’s home in the neighbourhood of Tuffah, Gaza City, her one-year-old twin brothers Karam and Adam on her lap. “I am so happy they arrived,” she beams, holding the babies’ feeding bottles in her hands.

Women, Peace and Security Agenda Still Hitting Glass Ceiling

By Nora Happel
This October will mark the 15th anniversary of the adoption of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325. The landmark resolution on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) recognises not only the disproportionate impact armed conflict has on women, but also the lack of women’s involvement in conflict resolution and peace-making.

Obama Seeks August Deadline for End to South Sudan War

By a Global Information Network correspondent
U.S. President Barack Obama, in a meeting with regional African leaders, threatened new sanctions for the warring factions in South Sudan if a peace deal is not be reached by Aug. 17.

U.N. Leads Youth Battling Intolerance, Racism and Extremism

By Thalif Deen
When the 21-year-old Crown Prince of Jordan, Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, presided over a Security Council meeting last April, he was described as the youngest ever to chair one of the U.N.’s most powerful political bodies armed with powers to wage wars and declare peace.

Clean Water Another Victim of Syria’s War

By Kanya D'Almeida
Caught in the grips of a summer heat-wave, in a season that is seeing record-high temperatures worldwide, residents of the war-torn city of Aleppo in northern Syria are facing off against yet another enemy: thirst.

Mideast Arms Build-up Negative Fallout from Iran Nuclear Deal

By Thalif Deen
The nuclear agreement concluded last week between Iran and six big powers, the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany, is threatening to trigger a new Middle East military build-up – not with nuclear weapons but with conventional arms, including fighter planes, combat helicopters, warships, missiles, battle tanks and heavy artillery.

Despite ISIS Ascendancy, U.S. Public Wary of War

By Kitty Stapp
As the Islamic State, known variously as ISIS, ISIL and Daesh, consolidates its hold over parts of Iraq and Syria to the degree that it has in many ways become a functioning state, the U.S. public remains divided over any intervention involving ground troops, a new survey shows.

Security Council Defies U.S. Lawmakers by Voting on Iran Nuke Deal

By Thalif Deen
When all 15 members of the Security Council raised their collective hands to unanimously vote in favour of the recently-concluded nuclear agreement with Iran, they were also defying a cabal of right-wing conservative U.S. politicians who wanted the United Nations to defer its vote until the U.S. Congress makes its own decision on the pact.

Opinion: Iran Deal Has Far-Reaching Potential to Remake International Relations

By Arul Louis
The Vienna agreement between Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council acting in concert with Germany has the potential to remake international relations beyond the immediate goal of stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
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