Global Geopolitics

U.N. Reaches Dead End in Resolving Syrian Crisis

By Thalif Deen
The United Nations has reached a virtual dead end trying to resolve the civil war in Syria - primarily as a result of the stalemate in peace talks and the continued deadlock in the Security Council.

Looking Forward to the Foreign Policy of the Modi Government

By Shyam Saran
Even though there has been a broad political consensus over the major tenets of India’s foreign policy across successive governments in the past, the assumption on May 26 of a BJP-led government in India will have some visible impact on external relations, precisely because of the prospects of a strong government at the centre and a decisive and charismatic leader at its head.

Peaceful Transitions From The Nuclear To The Solar Age

By Hazel Henderson
Japanese Buddhist and president of Soka Gakkai International (SGI) Daisaku Ikeda’s Peace Proposal 2014 elevated my focus from the daily news to my longer term concerns for more peaceful, equitable and sustainable human societies to assure our common future. These broader concerns are now shared by millions of humans who have transcended purely personal, local and nationalistic goals and become prototypical global citizens.

Tracking the Democratic “Alternative from the South”

By Michelle Tullo
Democratic governance offers a viable option for developing countries to achieve economic growth and inclusion, yet this doesn’t need to follow the Western model, new research released here this week suggests.

Narendra Modi: More Continuity Than Change in Foreign Policy

By Rajan Menon
The Congress Party took a beating in India’s recent parliamentary election and has been now been sidelined by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (Indian People’s Party, or BJP).

Sanctioning Venezuela Unlikely to Defuse Tensions

By Jim Lobe

Pending legislation calling for U.S. President Barack Obama to impose sanctions against key Venezuelan officials is unlikely to defuse the ongoing crisis there and could prove counter-productive, according to both the administration and independent experts here.

Is the Sewol Tragedy South Korea’s Katrina?

By Geoffrey Fattig
In the weeks since the South Korean ferry Sewol sank—taking with it the lives of over 300 passengers, the vast majority of them high school students — the country continues to be wracked by a palpable mix of grief, guilt, and outrage.

Days After African Leaders Vow to Defeat Boko Haram, Bombings and Terror Continue

By Ini Ekott
Multiple car bombs killed dozens Tuesday in the central Nigerian city of Jos, Plateau state, days after a security summit in France where African leaders committed to a “war” on Nigeria’s Islamist rebels, Boko Haram.

Tibetans Divided Over Cult of Martyrs

By Robert Stefanicki
Nestled in the Kangra Valley in the shadow of the Dhauladhar Mountains in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, Dharamsala is beautiful to behold. But the scenic landscape belies a dark reality: the cult of martyrs that has developed in this town, home to the Tibetan government-in-exile since 1959.

Russian Manipulation of Reactor Fuel Belies U.S. Iran Argument

By Gareth Porter
In the stalemated talks between the six powers and Iran over the future of the latter’s nuclear programme, the central issue is not so much the technical aspects of the problem but the history of the Middle Eastern country’s relations with foreign suppliers – and especially with the Russians.

Syrian Kurds Ache For A Lifeline

By Karlos Zurutuza
“We all know that Ankara and Erbil have a joint plan to evacuate the entire region," Abdurrahman Hemo, head of the Kurdish Humanitarian Aid Committee tells IPS. "They want to choke the people here until they flee en masse."

Why Nigeria Couldn’t Keep Schoolgirls Safe and Why Paris Summit May Offer Hope

By Ini Ekott
Tomorrow Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan will meet other heads of state at a security summit in Paris, France to focus on ways of combatting Boko Haram, the Islamic extremist group which kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in April.

OP-ED: Militarised Humanitarianism in Africa

By Joeva Rock
As the world remains transfixed by the kidnapping of almost 300 Nigerian girls, there have been increasing calls for international intervention in the effort to rescue them. But what many people don’t know is that the U.S. military has been active in the region for years.

Inequality and Democracy

By Roberto Savio
Not a day goes by without news on the growing inequality that is the telling indicator of the kind of economic model in which we have put ourselves, following the neoliberal binge unleashed by the Washington Consensus. The idea that economic growth is “a rising tide lifting all boats”, as the late Margaret Thatcher declared when she announced war on the welfare state, and its twin “capital will trickle down to everybody”, are now totally discredited. Facts, as it has been said, are stubborn.

U.S. “Political” Breakout Demand Could Derail Nuclear Talks

By Gareth Porter
As diplomats began drafting a comprehensive agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme and Western sanctions in Vienna Tuesday, U.S. officials were poised to demand a drastic cut in Iran’s enrichment capabilities that is widely expected to deadlock the negotiations.

Is Putin’s Eurasian Vision Losing Steam?

By Joanna Lillis
Victory Day on May 9 was an occasion for Russians to indulge in patriotic flag waving in Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin used the previous day to muster a show of diplomatic support for his efforts to bring formerly Soviet states closer together.

Bulgaria, No Country For Syrian Refugees

By Claudia Ciobanu
Since November last year, Bulgaria has virtually closed its borders to an inflow of Syrian asylum seekers and other migrants trying to enter the country from Turkey, while EU institutions concerned appear to have acquiesced to this. 

Not Yet a Week and Another South Sudan Ceasefire Fails

By Andrew Green
It has not yet been a week, but South Sudan’s most recent ceasefire appears set to collapse, along with hopes that – after five months of fighting – the country might finally be on the path to recovery.

Breaking the Rules

By John Feffer
Small underdeveloped countries, unless they suddenly discover oil or gold, are at a distinct disadvantage in the global arena. If they play by the rules, they will remain underdeveloped. Over the last half-century, very few countries have managed to jump from the Third World to the club of richest nations.

Tough Road in Vienna to Iran Nuclear Deal

By Jasmin Ramsey
Iran and world powers will resume negotiating a final deal on Tehran's nuclear programme Tuesday in Vienna while experts warn the hardest work is about to begin.

Eyewitness to Nuke Explosion Challenges World Powers

By Thalif Deen
When the Foreign Minister of Marshall Islands Tony de Brum addressed a nuclear review Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) meeting at the United Nations last month, he asked whether anyone in the room had witnessed a nuclear explosion.
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