Global Geopolitics

Opinion: A Farewell to Arms that Fuel Atrocities is Within Our Grasp

By Marek Marczynski
The recent explosions that apparently destroyed a 2,000-year-old temple in the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria were yet another grim example of how the armed group calling itself the Islamic State (IS) uses conventional weapons to further its agenda.

Emerging Industrial Power Rises From Aid Beneficiary to Donor Nation

By Thalif Deen
Back in 1996, when South Korea voluntarily quit the 132-member Group of 77 (G77) – described as the largest single coalition of developing nations -- it joined the 34-member Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), long known as the “rich man’s club” based in Paris.

Call for Global Ban on Nuclear Weapons Testing

By Katsuhiro Asagiri and Ramesh Jaura
As the international community gears up to commemorate the 20th anniversary next year of the opening up of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) for signature, a group of eminent persons (GEM) has launched a concerted campaign for entry into force of a global ban on nuclear weapon testing.

Winning Women a Greater Say in Somaliland’s Policy-Making

By Katie Riordan
Bar Seed is the only female member in Somaliland’s 82-person Parliament, but activists hope upcoming national elections may end her isolation.

Deliberate Targeting of Water Sources Worsens Misery for Millions of Syrians

By Kanya D'Almeida
Imagine having to venture out into a conflict zone in search of water because rebel groups and government forces have targeted the pipelines. Imagine walking miles in the blazing summer heat, then waiting hours at a public tap to fill up your containers. Now imagine realizing the jugs are too heavy to carry back home.

U.N. Chief Warns of Growing Humanitarian Crisis in Northeastern Nigeria

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage
With over 1.5 million displaced, 800,000 of whom are children, and continuously escalating violence in northeastern Nigeria, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described the humanitarian situation as “particularly worrying” during a visit to the country.

Poverty and Slavery Often Go Hand-in-Hand for Africa’s Children

By Jeffrey Moyo
“Poverty has become part of me,” says 13-year-old Aminata Kabangele from the Democratic Republic of Congo. “I have learned to live with the reality that nobody cares for me.”

Majority of Child Casualties in Yemen Caused by Saudi-Led Airstrikes

By Kanya D'Almeida
Of the 402 children killed in Yemen since the escalation of hostilities in March 2015, 73 percent were victims of Saudi coalition-led airstrikes, a United Nations official said Monday.

U.N. Military Sanctions on Syria May Face Veto by Arms Supplier

By Thalif Deen
The staggering statistics emerging from the ongoing five-year-old military conflict in Syria – including over 220,000 killed, more than one million injured and about 7.6 million displaced – are prompting calls for a United Nations arms embargo on the beleaguered regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

U.N. Aid Agencies Launch Emergency Hotline for Displaced Iraqis

By Kanya D'Almeida
In the hopes of better responding to the needs of over three million displaced Iraqis, United Nations aid agencies today launched a national hotline to provide information on emergency humanitarian services like food distribution, healthcare and shelter.

Security Council, in Historic First, Discusses Gay, Lesbian Rights

By Thalif Deen
The U.N. Security Council (UNSC), whose primary mandate is the maintenance of international peace and security, has occasionally digressed to discuss global issues such as climate change and HIV/AIDS.

Opinion: Children of the World – We are Standing Watch for You

By Oscar Arias Sanchez
Twenty-eight years ago this month, an indigenous woman stood in the plaza in Guatemala City, watching as the presidents of Central America walked out into the street after signing the Peace Accords that would end the civil wars in our region. When I reached her, she took both my hands in hers and said, “Thank you, Mr. President, for my child who is in the mountains fighting, and for the child I carry in my womb.”

Breaking the Media Blackout in Western Sahara

By Karlos Zurutuza
Ahmed Ettanji is looking for a flat in downtown Laayoune, a city 1,100 km south of Rabat. He only wants it for one day but it must have a rooftop terrace overlooking the square that will host the next pro-Sahrawi demonstration.

Opinion: Brazil Poised on Verge of Unstable Equilibrium

By Fernando J. Cardim de Carvalho
As the political situation in Brazil appears to be reaching a state of unstable equilibrium, or more bluntly, as it is transformed from instability to impasse, the economy continues to deteriorate.

U.S. Provides Cover for Use of Banned Weapons in Yemen

By Thalif Deen
The United States is providing a thinly-veiled cover virtually legitimising the use of cluster bombs – banned by an international convention – by Saudi Arabia and its allies in their heavy fighting against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

UK, France Agree to New Measures to Tackle Migration Crisis

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage
In response to the rapidly growing numbers of refugees and asylum seekers flooding European shores, France and the UK have announced new measures to crack down on English Channel crossings.

U.N. Official Says Human Suffering in Yemen ‘Almost Incomprehensible’

By Kanya D'Almeida
With a staggering four in five Yemenis now in need of immediate humanitarian aid, 1.5 million people displaced and a death toll that has surpassed 4,000 in just five months, a United Nations official told the Security Council Wednesday that the scale of human suffering is “almost incomprehensible”.

Opinion: Misinformation Hides Real Dimension of Greek “Bailout”

By Roberto Savio
The long saga on Greece is apparently over – European institutions have given Athens a third bailout of 86 billion euros which, combined with the previous two, makes a grand total of 240 billion euros.

Islamic Declaration Turns Up Heat Ahead of Paris Climate Talks

By Kitty Stapp
Following in the footsteps of Pope Francis, who has taken a vocal stance on climate change, Muslim leaders and scholars from 20 countries issued a joint declaration Tuesday underlining the severity of the problem and urging governments to commit to 100 percent renewable energy or a zero emissions strategy.

Humanitarian Response in Afghanistan Falters in the Face of Intensifying Conflict

By Kanya D'Almeida
As the number of civilians impacted by the intensifying conflict in Afghanistan rises along with the fighting, humanitarian agencies are struggling to meet the needs of the wounded, hungry and displaced.

Iran Deal a ‘Net-Plus’ for Nuclear Non-Proliferation Worldwide

By S. Chandra
As the U.S. Congress prepares to vote next month on the landmark Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was agreed on July 14 between the world’s leading powers and Iran, and has been approved by the U.N. Security Council, eminent nuclear non-proliferation experts are mobilising international support for its immediate implementation.
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