OPINION

Image: Geneva Conventions of August 12, 1949 and the Protocol Additional adopted in 1977. Source: history.com

Upholding International Humanitarian Law in Times of Armed Violence

Viewpoint by Rene Wadlow, President, Association of World Citizens

GENEVA (IDN) – The entry of Turkish troops into what they call a "safe zone" on the frontier of Turkey and northeast Syria and especially the actions of Turkish-backed Syrian militias has raised in a dramatic way the issue of respect of international humanitarian law. Regular military personnel of all countries are theoretically informed of the rules of the Geneva Conventions of August 12, 1949 and the Protocol Additional adopted in 1977.

: Rene Wadlow; OPINION; 05 November 2019

Photo: Secretary-General António Guterres speaks to the press after addressing the ASEAN Summit in Bangkok, Thailand. (3 November 2019). Credit: UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

UN Chief Lauds ‘Quantum Leap’ on Multiple Issues in ASEAN-UN Relations

Secretary-General António Guterres’ Press Encounter

Following are extensive extracts from UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ press encounter on 3 November 2019 following the ASEAN-UN Summit.

BANGKOK (IDN-INPS) – I am extremely happy with the UN ASEAN summit. Two years ago, I asked for a quantum leap in relations between ASEAN and the UN and we can, today, verify that that a quantum leap happened.

: UN Bureau; OPINION; 04 November 2019

Do Everything Possible to Avert ‘Great Fracture’

Viewpoint by António Guterres

Following are extensive extracts from UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ opening remarks for the 10th ASEAN-UN summit in Bangkok on 3 November 2019. ASEAN is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations comprising ten countries in Southeast Asia – Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Thailand is the Chair of ASEAN for 2019 and the theme of its ASEAN Chairmanship is “Advancing Partnership for Sustainability”.

BANGKOK (IDN) – I thank you for your focus at this Summit on ‘Advancing partnership for sustainability’.

: UN Bureau; OPINION; 04 November 2019

Opportunity Beckons as Asia Reemerges as the World’s Dominant Economic Power

Viewpoint by Dr Palitha Kohona

The writer is former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, and former Foreign Secretary.

It has been said that in the 19th century, the world was Europeanized. In the 20th century, it was Americanized. Now, it is being Asianized. Sri Lanka has another opportunity, through the astute management of its policies, both internal and external, to be part of the blossoming Asian success story.

: Dr. Palitha Kohona; OPINION; 03 November 2019

Photo: Mother in shreds of clothing with child begging on the streets of Calcutta during the Bengal famine of 1943 (left), and a family on the sidewalk in Calcutta during the Bengal famine of 1943 (right). Source: Wikipedia

How Reparations Can Help Eradicate Poverty and Secure SDGs

Viewpoint by Manish Uprety F.R.A.S. and Jainendra Karn *

NEW DELHI (IDN) – Dealing with numbers can take a toll and might make one seek fulfillment in other spheres. No wonder the most influential poet of the last Century penned The Waste Land in 1922 when he was dutifully employed with the foreign transactions department of Lloyd’s, an austere English bank in London.

Another case that one can think of is of Peter Bone, an accountant by training and Conservative party Member of Parliament in England from Wellingborough and Rushden who in November 2018 found glee when he made no bones about how and where the Republic of India should spend its resources. The latter reminds one of the famous aphorism Par Updesh Kushal Bahutere.

: Asia Editor; OPINION; 02 November 2019

Bring Women at the Peace Table, Build from the Grassroots to the Tree Tops

“Some people change when they see the light; others when they feel the heat”. – Caroline Schoeder, former U.S. Congress member

Viewpoint by Rene Wadlow, President, Association of World Citizens

GENEVA (IDN) – The UN Security Council Resolution 1325 of 2000 is a commitment to work resolutely toward greater protection of women and girls in conflict zones, to appoint more women in UN peacekeeping operations and ensuring that women would increasingly become more active participants in decision-making processes, especially at “peace table” negotiations.

: Rene Wadlow; OPINION; 30 October 2019

Photo: Women of Afghanistan stand outside the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. Credit: Eric Draper | The White House.

The Afghans Have to Find Their Own Way

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – It’s the most repeated maxim in all the reportage on the war in Afghanistan: “The Americans have the watches, we, the Taliban, have the time.”

“Play it again, Sam” was said in “Casablanca”. It should be played, said and listened to in Kabul and Washington today. This is America’s longest war ever – 18 years and counting. It has cost over one trillion dollars and taken 2,500 American lives. President Barack Obama, blind-sided by the generals, he confided later, pumped up the numbers of troops to 100,000.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 29 October 2019

Image: A 1791 British caricature of an attempted mediation between Catherine (on the right, supported by Austria and France) and Turkey. Source: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-USZC4-6756.

Ample Reasons Why the West’s Break with Russia Must End

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – It’s time overdue for the West to make up with Russia. The contretemps over Ukraine, now played out over five years, is too long. As the world goes it doesn’t deserve so much attention. Ukraine in land mass may be a big country but its population is only 44 million and its national income per head a quarter of Russia’s.

The Ukrainian puppy’s tail has been wagging the West’s dog. It’s part of the West’s human rights commitment to stand up for the little man, but the Ukraine government’s behaviour at the time of its great upheavals didn’t deserve the large amount of support it was given.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 22 October 2019

The Sochi Summit and the Pride of Africa

Viewpoint by Kester Kenn Klomegah

MOSCOW (IDN) – After nearly three decades of extremely low political, economic and cultural engagement, Russia is indeed returning to Africa. For obvious reasons, Russia's relations with Africa turned extremely worse as some diplomatic representations were unexpectedly cut, all cultural centers closed, and many projects were suspended. Of course, relations with many foreign countries have faded into the background compared with the challenges the country had to deal with in order to preserve its statehood.

: Kester Kenn Klomegah; OPINION; 20 October 2019

Individuals with Disabilities Need U.S. Lawmakers’ Attention

Viewpoint by J W Jackie

RENO, Nevada, USA (IDN) – Nearly 12.8 percent of the U.S. population are living with disabilities, according to the latest report by the American Community Survey (ACS). Over the years, American lawmakers recognized the immediate need to provide the members of this community with their basic needs of employment, health, and accessible housing options. At the moment, there is a series of progressive legislative proposals existing for the cause.