Peace & Justice

Foreign Policy Options for a New Administration in Sri Lanka

Viewpoint by Dr Palitha Kohona

The writer is former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, and former Foreign Secretary.The following is based on a presentation made at the Annual Convention of the Organisation of Professional Associations. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of any agency.

COLOMBO (IDN) – Winston Churchill once said that "Her Majesty's government has no permanent friends and no permanent enemies. Only permanent interests".

Applicable universally, this would be a good starting point when examining Sri Lanka's foreign policy options as the presidential candidates (realistically, only two have a credible opportunity of success) and their advisors mull their choices once anointed with the sinecure (the 19th amendment to the Constitution has sharply reduced presidential powers) top post.

: Dr. Palitha Kohona; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 12 October 2019

Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin in an address to the international forum of parliamentarians early July 2019 emphasized that “the modern world needs an open and free exchange of views, confidence building and search for mutual understanding”. Credit: The Kremlin.

Russia and Africa Need to Know More About Each Other

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

MOSCOW (IDN) – After several years of consistently constructive criticisms, Russian authorities have finally put on the agenda the topic of media cooperation for further panel discussions during the first Russia-Africa Summit on October 23-24 in Sochi, southern coastal city of Russia.

The Russia-Africa Summit programme, released last month, explicitly notes that Russian-African relations are lending an additional dimension to developments, especially with the boost provided by rapidly expanding links across a vast range of areas. The media can and indeed must be a decisive factor in building effective ties.

: Kester Kenn Klomegah; THE WORLD; Russia; 11 October 2019

Photo: Ambassador Chowdhury speaking on 2 October 2019 at the Soka University of America (SUA). Credit: Courtesy of SUA photographers.

The Culture of Peace Begins with Each One of Us

Viewpoint by Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury *

The writer is the founder of The Global Movement for The Culture of Peace (GMCoP), former Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations.

ALISO VIEJO, California, USA (IDN-INPS) – My life’s experience has taught me to value peace and equality as the essential components of our existence. They unleash the positive forces of good that are so needed for human progress. Peace is integral to human existence — in everything we do, in everything we say, and in every thought, we have, there is a place for peace. We should not isolate peace as something separate. It is important to realize that the absence of peace takes away the opportunities that we need to better ourselves, to prepare ourselves, to empower ourselves to face the challenges of our lives, individually and collectively.

: Ramesh Jaura; OPINION; 10 October 2019

Image credit: Screenshot of Ethiopia Thanksgiving from CGTN Africa.

Ethiopian ‘Thanksgiving’ Returns as A Joyous Affair

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW York (IDN) – For the first time in 150 years, Ethiopia’s Oromo people celebrated “Thanksgiving” in “Finfinee” – generally known as Addis Ababa.

The country’s largest ethnic group turned up in the hundreds of thousands to mark “Ireecha” – a public outdoors event. People gathered around water bodies, holding tufts of grass to thank Waqqaa (God) and ask for Nagaa (Peace), Finnaa (the development of mind and body), Walooma (togetherness or harmony), and Araaraa (Reconciliation).

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 10 October 2019

Photo: Kazakh President Tokayev addresses Parliament and Government on 2 September 2019. Source: Kazakh Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.

New Kazakh President Envisions Gradual ‘Transformation’

By Ramesh Jaura

BERLIN | NUR-SULTAN (IDN) – The Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has accentuated the need of “constructive public dialogue” which he defines as “the basis of stability and prosperity” of the country and elaborated wide-ranging plans engulfing all sectors: political, social and economic. In his first major speech nearly three months after bagging about 71 percent of the vote in June elections – contested by seven candidates – he declared: “We are approaching the important part in the newest history of our country”.

: Ramesh Jaura; THE WORLD; Central Asia; 09 October 2019

Collage: Photos of Nixon and Trump from Internet. IDN-INPS.

Nixon and Trump: The Politics of Impeachment

By George Friedman* | Geopolitical Futures

NEW YORK (IDN) – The evolution of the American political system inevitably has an impact on the global system. If the United States shifts direction in even minor matters, there are regional consequences. Political events are difficult to predict, but the key variables of the process can be identified by comparing the current evolution to a roughly similar prior event. My intent is to benchmark the current impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump to the one that forced Richard Nixon to resign. It is an attempt to define what matters and what doesn’t within the impeachment process, rather than the potential global outcome triggered by hypothetical events.

: Opinion Editor; THE WORLD; USA and Canada; 08 October 2019

Photo: Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of The People’s Republic of China, speaking at the General Debate of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on 27 September 2019. UN Photo | Loey Felipe

"China Today Is a Proud Member of the Global Community"

Viewpoint by Wang Yi

The following is the statement of Wang Yi, State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of The People’s Republic of China, at the General Debate of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on 27 September 2019

NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. In 1945, the United Nations was born in response to the call of the times. Four years later, the People’s Republic of China was founded, and the Chinese nation reemerged before the eyes of the world as a completely reborn nation.

: UN Bureau; OPINION; 07 October 2019

Photo: The guards of honor formation takes part in a military parade during the celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) at the Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2019. (Xinhua/Cao Can)

China Rises to an Indomitable Superpower

Viewpoint by Somar Wijayadasa*

NEW YORK (IDN) – On October 1, China’s President, Xi Jinping, celebrated 70 years of Communist party rule, and its rise to superpower status, at Tiananmen Square in Beijing that consisted of a military parade and hundreds of thousands of people participating in the event ending with a grand pageant.

The main attraction was the unprecedented military parade of around 15,000 military personnel, 580 pieces of military equipment and 160 aircraft including new hypersonic drones, and the Dongfeng-41 missile capable of striking the United States in 30 minutes with 10 nuclear warheads at once, each with a different target - irrefutably, a display of China’s military might.

: Somar Wijayadasa; OPINION; 07 October 2019

Photo: Prime Minister of Portugal António Costa addressing a full house in the Kirsch Auditorium at the Stata Center, which included many students in the MIT Portugal Program. Credit: Allegra Boverman | MIT News.

Portugal an Oasis of Social Democracy

Viewpoint by Reinhard Naumann

LISBON (IDN-INPS) – Until recently, polls indicated a clear victory for the Socialist Party (PS) in parliamentary elections in Portugal on October 6. Even the absolute majority seemed within reach for the PS under the leadership of current Prime Minister António Costa.

At the same time, the liberal-conservative parties, the PSD and CDS, were heading for historic lows. They had to fear that their total share of votes would fall below the 30 per cent mark and, in this way, lose their blocking minority against constitutional amendments by the left. A horror scenario for the conservative camp.

: Europe Editor; THE WORLD; EU & Europe; 04 October 2019

ACP Can Become a Political Force to Encourage Multilateralism

By Reinhard Jacobsen

BRUSSELS (IDN | ACP) – Ambassadors of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States held on October 4 a Special Session of the ACP Committee of Ambassors (CoA) at ACP House in honour of the visit of Mr Christophe Joseph Marie Dabire. During the Session, the Prime Minister reminded the CoA that “The latest developments on the international scene with the attempts to challenge the question of multilateralism and the tendency towards nationalism…, indicate that if we want to survive on our own, it is in our interest to strongly defend a multipolar world where our states, small or large, will have a voice.”