SYNDICATION

Photo: Rep. John Lewis, Washington DC, January 31, 2017. Credit: Flickr/Lorie Shaull. CC BY-SA 2.0

Warfare or Community-Building: Which Way Forward?

Viewpoint by Michael Edwards*

This article was originally published on openDemocracy. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of IDN-InDepth News

NEW YORK (IDN) – "Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself.”

I cried my eyes out reading the final words of the great John Lewis that were published in the New York Times the day after he died, their quiet magnificence landing a powerful punch to my solar plexus. If you haven’t read them, please do.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 04 August 2020

Photo: WHO Headquarters in Geneva, North and West sides. CC BY-SA 3.0

Trump's Withdrawal From WHO: A Cover-Up for His Abject Failure on COVID-19

Viewpoint by Prabir Purkayastha

The writer is the founding editor of Newsclick.in, a digital media platform. He is an activist for science and the free software movement. This article was produced in partnership by Newsclick and Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute.

NEW DELHI (IDN) – Microbes do not recognize borders. We are all safe only when everybody is safe. In a pandemic, to attack the only body we have for global cooperation endangers everyone. That is why the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) is dangerous not only for the United States, but for all of the world.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 02 August 2020

Every Step the EU Takes Toward Financial Unity Sows New Seeds of Its Potential Collapse

Viewpoint by Marshall Auerback

The writer is a market analyst and commentator. This article was produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute.

NEW YORK (IDN) – Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” is a play featuring two characters waiting for a character, Godot, who never arrives. As such, it is a useful metaphor for the goings-on of the European Union (EU). Observers of the EU’s evolution in the capital of Brussels have witnessed a Godot-like experience of the promised arrival of the long-awaited resolution of the group’s dysfunction and economic malaise that never happens.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 02 August 2020

Photo: A demonstration in El Alto, Bolivia against the 2019 Bolivian coup d'etat. CC BY-SA 4.0

‘We Will Coup Whoever We Want’: Elon Musk and the Overthrow of Democracy in Bolivia

Viewpoint by Vijay Prashad and Alejandro Bejarano *

This article was produced by Globetrotter, project of the Independent Media Institute.

NORTHAMPTON, Massachusetts (IDN) – On July 24, 2020, Tesla’s Elon Musk wrote on Twitter that a second U.S. “government stimulus package is not in the best interests of the people.” Someone responded to Musk soon after, “You know what wasn’t in the best interest of people? The U.S. government organizing a coup against Evo Morales in Bolivia so you could obtain the lithium there.” Musk then wrote: “We will coup whoever we want! Deal with it.”

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 01 August 2020

Image source: Talent & Organization Blog for Financial Services

A New Social Class of Voluntary Workers of Social Networks

Viewpoint by Glauco Benigni*

ROME (IDN) – The hierarchical and exploitative structure of the feudal era seems to have reappeared today on the Internet of the digital era. Regardless of any constitution and workers' statute, neither politics nor trade unions are intervening. It is accepted that globalisation rhymes with ‘glebalisation’.

The scene can be described as follows.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 31 July 2020

Image source: Midas FinServe Private Limited

Even If Joe Biden Wins in a Blowout, the 'Global Economy' Is Not Coming Back

New economic imperatives are forcing nations to make a choice.

Viewpoint by Marshall Auerback

The writer is a market analyst and commentator. This article was produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute.

NEW YORK (IDN) – COVID-19 has not only presented the global economy with its greatest public health challenge in over a century, but also likely killed off the notion of America’s “unipolar moment” for good. That doesn’t mean full-on autarky or isolationism but, rather, enlightened selfishness, which allows for some limited cooperation. Donald Trump’s ongoing threats to impose additional tariffs on a range of EU exports are exacerbating this trend as the old post-World War II ties between the two regions continue to fray.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 31 July 2020

Photo: Apollo 11 backup crew members Fred Haise (left) and Jim Lovell prepare to enter the Lunar Module for an altitude test. Credit: NASA.

Apollo to Apple Store: The American Dream

Viewpoint by Jayasri Priyalal *

SINGAPORE (IDN) – On July 24, 1969, Apollo 11 lunar mission completed landing on the moon and the safe return of the three astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. The famous Neil Armstrong's words after landing on the moon, "That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" echoed around the world. The whole world was thrilled over the great achievement that happened nearly fifty years ago.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 25 July 2020

Photo: Protests in Portland against Trump's federal troops. Source: Intenet

Deployment of Federal Troops to Democratic-Run Cities Is Extreme Even for Trump

Viewpoint by Sonali Kolhatkar

This article was produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute. Sonali Kolhatkar is the founder, host and executive producer of “Rising Up With Sonali,” a television and radio show that airs on Free Speech TV and Pacifica stations.

LOS ANGELES (IDN) – President Donald Trump’s recent re-election campaign advertisement is straight out of the plot of a horror movie. Just days after he deployed federal officers to the streets of Portland, Oregon, his campaign released a 30-second television spot featuring an elderly white woman watching on her television the news of activists demanding a de- funding of police.

: Opinion Editor; THE WORLD; USA and Canada; 24 July 2020

Photo: Protests in Tripoli, opposing foreign support of General Haftar. (Photo: YouTube Screenshot)

Time Is Not on Our Side in Libya

A "Demilitarization Zone" Would Divide the War-Torn Country into Two Parts

Viewpoint by Vijay Prashad*

This article was originally produced by Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute.

NORTHAMPTON, Massachusetts (IDN) – Ahmed, who lives in Tripoli, Libya, texts me that the city is quieter than before. The army of General Khalifa Haftar—who controls large parts of eastern Libya—has withdrawn from the southern part of the capital and is now holding fast in the city of Sirte and at the airbase of Jufra. Most of Libya’s population lives along the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea, which is where the cities of Tripoli, Sirte, Benghazi, and Tobruk are located.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 22 July 2020

Collage of the images of Van Guard, BlackRock and State Street Global Advisors.

The Spectre of the Big Three

Viewpoint by Glauco Benigni*

This article was originally published by Other News and is reproduced with permission.

ROME (IDN) – They are called Vanguard, BlackRock and State Street Global Advisors and they are the world's 3 largest mutual funds. They are also known as asset managers or investment funds, operated by professional experts who collect "fresh" money from an immense and varied number of investors and savers. With this "fresh money" they buy securities in the various stock exchanges of the planet and redistribute profits (when things go well) to those who have entrusted them with the surplus of their capital and/or savings. Investors can be of a commercial or institutional nature, but also simple private individuals who access the various investment plans attributable to and controlled by the Big 3.