THE WORLD

Photo: BlackRock Headquarters in Midtown Manhattan, New York City (cropped from top). CC BY-SA 3.0

Privatizing Sri Lanka ex-ante IMF Bailout of BlackRock

India's Adani Greenwash in Mannar and Pooneryn

Viewpoint by Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake

COLOMBO (IDN) — The Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, was rocked again by massive protests against austerity measures imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which have been taking place since July 2022. Structural reforms with austerity have resulted in soaring inflation, currency depreciation, poverty and inequality that is eroding Argentine society and economy while enabling bail-out of private lenders and vulture funds like BlackRock.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 26 August 2022

Photo: Late Prof. Hasbullah. Source: Colombo Telegraph

Being Abroad and Local: Late Prof. Shahul Hasbullah

By A. L A. Azeez

Former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva

COLOMBO (IDN) -- Most comments that have come out in public since the sad passing away of Prof. Hasbullah in August 2018 appear to give due credit to him for the work he has done to highlight the plight of the displaced community.

That work extends to an exploration of the complexities of the phenomenon of IDPs and other demographic and geographical issues. Empirical facts gathered through that very process have contributed to a global understanding of the multidimensionality of that phenomenon.

: A. L. A. Azeez; THE WORLD; South Asia; 26 August 2022

US Remains Restrained Over North Korea's Missile Tests & Nuclear Threats

By Thalif Deen

UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — The US response to North Korea's continued missile tests—and occasional nuclear threats—has been surprisingly restrained.

The reaction has been summed up in two words: dialogue and diplomacy.

On August 17, North Korea fired two cruise missiles toward the sea off its west coast. And, according to a report on Cable News Network (CNN), military officials from South Korea and the US have been analyzing the launch for "further details”.

: Thalif Deen; ARMAMENTS; Nuclear Weapons; 25 August 2022

Photo source: United States Institute of Peace

Electoral Epic Of “Hustler Vs. Dynasty” in Kenya

Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene

The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria.

ABUJA (IDN) — One of the ironies of politics is how easily fiction becomes reality, and reality, precedent. Before our eyes, the president-elect of Kenya, William Ruto, who has played all sides of Kenya’s politics for at least three decades, has just won an election by claiming to be an outsider.

Ruto’s electoral epic of “hustler vs. dynasty” appears to have wiped off all memory of his 30-year involvement in the good and bad of Kenya’s politics. This legend won him a razor-thin victory over Raila Odinga in the August 9 presidential election.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 25 August 2022

Image: Advocate of bitcoin proposes BTC as fix to US student loan crisis. Source: Coinscreed

We Can Do So Much More on Student Loan Forgiveness

Viewpoint by India Walton and Sam Rosenthal

SAN FRANCISCO, USA (IDN) — As a presidential candidate, Joe Biden was hardly bullish on student debt cancellation. He was cajoled by progressives and his presidential primary opponents into adopting a more forceful student debt cancellation stance, one which ultimately helped win him the support of young voters.

Now, after a series of tepid moves, President Biden’s grand statement in the student debt saga has arrived.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 25 August 2022

Photo: French President Emmanuel Macron. Source: Spiegel

Some European Leaders Warn of the End of Western Hegemony

By Shastri Ramachandaran

NEW DELHI (IDN) — Those who assert that western hegemony is no longer sustainable can take heart from the fact that movers and shakers on the world stage are also saying this. French President Emmanuel Macron has proclaimed that “Western hegemony is nearing its end”.

Perhaps, the most erudite among the heads of P-5 governments, Macron’s intellectual and diplomatic appeal extends beyond France and Europe, which explains his continued engagement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

: Europe Editor; THE WORLD; EU & Europe; 24 August 2022

Navigating Climate-Related Mobility and Human Security in the Pacific Islands

Viewpoint by Tim Westbury

This article was issued by the Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission.

BRISBANE, Australia (IDN) — The Pacific Islands security narrative is often dominated by voices and interests from outside of the region. At the recent Shangri-La Dialogue, among the hype surrounding geostrategic competition in the Pacific, Fiji’s Defence Minister Inia Seruiratu said that the “single greatest threat to our very existence is ... human-induced, devastating climate change.”

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 23 August 2022

UN Capable of Negotiating Peace in Russia's War with Ukraine

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN) — In late 2004 the U.S. was ignoring the UN despite it being obvious to the outside world that it was increasingly bogged down in Iraq following its misconceived war. On November 15, when the Coalition Provisional Authority and the Iraqi Governing Council signed an agreement that set up a transition plan, the UN was not even mentioned. But a short two months later Washington was on its knees before the UN, its transition plan in tatters.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 23 August 2022

Newly Elected Kenyan Leader Ends Voting by Tribe, Analysts Say

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — Is the two-party system a thing of the past? Low voter turnout in the US seems to reflect disenchantment with a single choice between Democrats and Republicans. Kenya is no different.

This month, Kenyans tossed the traditional toss-up between the Luo and Kikuyu ethnic groups to choose William Samoei Ruto, a Kalenjin. His party, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and its allies, took the political experts by surprise when he easily won all nine governorships of Mount Kenya—once considered a sure bet for a Luo.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 22 August 2022

Photo: Somalia's Al-Shabab. Source: Inside Arabia (Jan 23, 2019)

Militants Take Lives at Somali Hotel as US Special Ops Deploy in Somalia

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK | MOGADISHU (IDN) — Government forces say they have put down a siege at the popular Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu that began on August 19 and has reportedly left over 20 casualties. It is the largest siege in the country since Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was elected president in May.

The Hayat is an upscale hotel frequented by government officials, elders and people from the diaspora community. The director of Mogadishu’s main trauma hospital, Mohamed Abdirahman Jama, said the facility was treating at least 40 people wounded in the hotel attack and a separate mortar strike on another area of the capital.