Pakistan’s heavily anticipated general election took place on Feb. 8, 2024, with citizens of the South Asian country hoping that it might prove a step toward ending the nation’s political uncertainty. But several days later, it remains unclear what the result of the vote will yield. Both of the leading contenders
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Yangon – A junta-ruled bubble in a fragmenting Myanmar
Landing in Rangoon nearly 100 years ago, a young Chilean poet described “a city of blood, dreams, and gold” with “leprous streets”. The flourishing capital of then British-ruled Burma and its major port were a must-see staging post on an Asian tour. Pablo Neruda’s poem from 1927 rings true today. The
Israel-Gaza war: Why did the ceasefire negotiations collapse?
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken looked exhausted at his media conference in Israel this week as he tried to remain optimistic about prospects for a truce in the Gaza war. Despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu comprehensively rejecting Hamas’s ceasefire counter-proposal, Blinken said it “creates space for an agreement to
Trump was not king and can be prosecuted for crimes committed as president
In a 57-page opinion issued on Feb. 6, 2024, a federal appeals court ruled against former President Donald Trump, deciding that presidents are not immune from criminal prosecution for actions they took while in office. The decision allows the federal prosecution of Trump for attempting to undermine the 2020 election to
Israel isn’t complying with the ICJ ruling – what’s next?
More than a week has passed since the International Court of Justice (ICJ) mandated provisional measures against Israel following South Africa’s accusation of genocide. The court’s demands were clear: Israel must take immediate steps to prevent genocidal actions in Gaza; prevent and punish incitement to genocide; allow access to humanitarian aid;
The spectre of migration: A conversation with Hammoud Gallego
Karl Marx’s Manifesto of the Communist Party begins with the now worn-out phrase: “A spectre is haunting Europe – the spectre of communism. All the powers of old Europe have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre”. Nowadays the word “communism” could easily be substituted by “migration”. All
White House still denies Mideast turmoil linked to Gaza
The Biden administration continues to deny any connections between the war in Gaza and the ongoing conflicts involving U.S. forces in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. The White House’s position that these are all unrelated conflicts that are just cropping up at the same time can’t be squared with the evidence showing
Road to COP29: Highest climate ambitions needed to decarbonize world
Should Donald Trump be disqualified from state ballots in presidential poll?
The US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this week in former President Donald Trump’s appeal against the decision to exclude him from the ballot in the Colorado Republican primary for this year’s presidential election. The Colorado Supreme Court ruled in December that Trump was disqualified from holding the office of
Neocolonial ISDS abused, biased, costly, and grossly unfair
Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions in international trade and investment agreements – long abused by opportunists with means – are slowly being rejected by cautious governments. Developing country governments need to be much more wary of ISDS and its implications, and should urgently withdraw from existing commitments. They should expunge ISDS