Global Geopolitics

The U.N. at 70: A Glass Half Full

By Dr. Palitha Kohona
As the U.N. enters its 70th year, it is legitimate to ask whether it has been a success so far. Over the years, the media, in particular the Western media, has tended to highlight the U.N.'s failures.

Accusations of ‘Apartheid’ Cause Israelis to Backpedal

By Mel Frykberg
A  decision by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to segregate buses in the occupied West Bank has backfired after causing an uproar in Israel’s Knesset, or parliament, and political damage on the international stage.

Failure of Review Conference Brings World Close to Nuclear Cataclysm, Warn Activists

By Thalif Deen
After nearly four weeks of negotiations, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference ended in a predictable outcome: a text overwhelmingly reflecting the views and interests of the nuclear-armed states and some of their nuclear-dependent allies.

A Chimera in Growing Cooperation Between China and Brazil

By Mario Osava
A total of 35 agreements and contracts were signed during Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang’s visit to Brazil, as part of the growing ties between the two countries. But there is one project that drew all the attention: the Transcontinental Railway.

Germany’s Asylum Seekers – You Can’t Evict a Movement

By Francesca Dziadek
In a move to take their message of solidarity to refugees across the country and calling for their voices to be heard in Europe’s ongoing debate on migration, Germany's asylum seekers have taken their nationwide protest movement for change on the road under the slogan: “You Can't Evict a Movement!”.

Opinion: New World Information Order, Internet and the Global South – Part I

By Branislav Gosovic *
More than four decades ago, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) launched the concept of a New International Information Order (NIIO).

The U.N. at 70: The Past and Future of U.N. Peacekeeping

By Jean-Marie Guéhenno
When the Cold War ended in 1991, there was hope the U.N. Security Council would be able to take decisive action to create a more peaceful world. Early blue helmet successes in Cambodia, Namibia, Mozambique, and El Salvador seemed to vindicate that assessment.

Opinion: Universalisation and Strengthening Nuke Treaty Review Need to be Qualitative

By Ambassador A. L. A. Azeez
"Strengthening the Review Process" and "Universalisation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty" (NPT) are distinctly substantive issues, that require consideration with their specificities in view.

Opinion: The Crisis of the Left and the Decline of Europe and the United States

By Roberto Savio
The victory of the Conservative Party and the debacle of the Labour Party in the recent British general elections is yet another sign of the crisis facing left-wing forces today, leaving aside the question of how, under the British electoral system, the Labour Party actually increased the number of votes it won but saw a reduction in the number of seats it now holds in Parliament (24 seats less than the previous 256).

Boatloads of Migrants Could Soon Be ‘Floating Graveyard’ on Southeast Asian Waters

By Kanya D'Almeida
On Thursday, May 14, a group of journalists rented a boat from Ko Lipe, a small island in Thailand’s southwest Satun Province, and headed out into the Andaman Sea – a water body in the northeastern Indian Ocean bounded by Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Strait of Malacca.

U.S. Hosts Arms Bazaar at White House Arab Summit

By Thalif Deen
When the United States sells billions of dollars in sophisticated arms to Arab nations, they are conditioned on two key factors: no weapons with a qualitative military edge over Israel will ever be sold to the Arabs, nor will they receive any weapons that are not an integral part of the U.S. arsenal.

The U.N. at 70: Is It Still Fit for the Purpose?

By Julia Rainer
Events are being organised around the world to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, but a recent seminar held in the Austrian capital was not held to applaud the body’s past contributions.

Q&A: Nuclear Disarmament a Non-Starter, “But I Would Love to Be Proven Wrong”

By Thalif Deen
Albert Einstein, the internationally-renowned physicist who developed the theory of relativity, once famously remarked: “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”

Migrants Between Scylla and Charybdis

By Silvia Giannelli
Not even a month has passed since over 700 hundred migrants lost their lives in their attempt to reaching the shores of Italy and the media spotlights have already faded on the island of Sicily, Italy’s southern region and main gateway to Europe.

Analysis: Global Politics at a Turning Point – Part 2

By Prem Shankar Jha
In the following months, reports of the use of chemical weapons by Syrian forces multiplied. The most serious was an allegation that the Syrian army had used sarin gas on Mar. 19, 2013 at Khan al Assal, north of Aleppo, and in a suburb of Damascus against its opponents. This was followed by two more allegations of small attacks in April.

Analysis: Global Politics at a Turning Point – Part 1

By Prem Shankar Jha
President Barack Obama’s Nowroz greeting to the Iranian people earlier this year was the first clear indication to the world that the United States and Iran were very close to agreement on the contents of the nuclear agreement they had been working towards for the previous 16 months.

Opinion: South-South Cooperation Vital for Sustainable Development

By Dr. Palitha Kohona
Sustainable development is central to a range of key discussions at the United Nations and elsewhere at the moment.

Faith-Based Organisations Warn of Impending Nuclear Disaster

By Thalif Deen
As the month-long review conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) continued into its second week, a coalition of some 50 faith-based organisations (FBOs), anti-nuclear peace activists and civil society organisations (CSOs) was assigned an unenviable task: a brief three-minute presentation warning the world of the disastrous humanitarian consequences of a nuclear attack.

EU Calls for Paradigm Shift in Development Cooperation

By Ramesh Jaura
In the run-up to the international Conference on Financing for Development from Jul. 13 to 16 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the European Union has called for a “true paradigm shift” in global development cooperation.

Israel Slammed Over Treatment of Palestinian Children in Detention

By Mel Frykberg
Palestine’s ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, has sent a letter to the U.N. Security Council demanding that action be taken against Israel over the abuse of Palestinian children after they have been arrested by Israeli security forces.

Opinion: The West and Its Self-Assumed Right to Intervene

By Roberto Savio
The ‘West’ is a concept that flourished during the Cold War. Then it was West against East in the form of the Soviet empire. The East was evil against which all democratic countries – read West – were called on to fight.
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