[Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra] While the intervening powers have palpably shown enough resolve in removing despotic regimes like the Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam of Iraq or in keeping Assad Regime in Syria, they failed to provide any stable alternatives which could bring about normalcy and political and social stability.
Category: OpEd Articles
Instead of Blaming Neighbors, Afghans should Fix the Problems at Home
[Manish Rai] The ethnic and sectarian imbalance within the Afghan national military creates misunderstanding and mistrust among different ethnic and sectarian groups towards the army, making it look like a foreign force.
America: the ‘Shining City on a Hill’ or the ‘Dark Village in a Valley’?
[Michael Curtin] In the 18 months of the Trump presidency, the bedrock principles – upon which the US democracy was founded – have been torn asunder. The dual mantras of "America First" and "Make America Great Again" are simply code names for isolationism. The dismantling of the liberal international order – which has served the US's interests quite well for the better part of the past 70 years – is being witnessed in real time.
Cooperation between Assad and Kurds in Syria
[Manish Rai] The Damascus negotiations [between Assad and Kurds] are more realistically an attempt to test the waters and we should not have any high hopes from these initial talks. The negotiations will be long and arduous process, as the Assad regime is very centralized. keeping the country united and stable requires decentralization by way of delegating the powers at the local level. In multi-ethnic countries like Nigeria and India, this kind of model has arguably helped to hold these countries together.
Inside Putin’s Head
[Cynthia M. Lardner] Russian President Vladimir Putin tries to legitimize his disregard of the 'rule of law' by claiming that all former territories dating back to the Byzantine Era and native Russian speakers must be protected by “Mother Russia”. However, the reality is: these territories give Russia access to warm water ports necessary to ship its oil and weapons.
World Humanitarian Day: Honoring Aid Workers and Civilians Trapped in Global Hotspots
[Michael Curtin] To those who closely follow the United Nations, the World Humanitarian Day is a day of special remembrance for the loyal UN aid workers who travel to the world’s most dangerous hotspots assisting civilians caught in the crosshairs of conflict and global health emergencies.
Mexico’s New Government: Best in North America
[David Swanson] Mexico now has the best national government in North America. Atleast that’s the hope of those who elected Andrés Manuel López Obrador, aka AMLO, aka Peje, on a platform of sweeping out the corruption — a platform promoted in Obrador’s book.
Russia is America’s Friend
[David Swanson] “Russia is our friend.” It’s a case that could fill volumes. I don’t make this case suffering under some delusion of the perfect saintliness of the Russian government, neither now nor at any time in history.
Anarcho-Populism, A New Ideology?
[Fotini Mastroianni] Failure to understand the new ideological framework will be the cause of the collapse of many political parties and coalitions that exist today.
Time to Re-Examine the Atlantic Alliance
[Conn M. Hallinan] The NATO was a child of the Cold War, when the West believed that the Soviets were a threat. But Russia today is not the Soviet Union, and there is no way Moscow would be stupid enough to attack a superior military force. It's time the NATO went the way of the Warsaw Pact and recognize that the old ways of thinking are not only outdated but also dangerous.
Whither Regional Cooperation in South Asia?
[Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra] Putting sensitive bilateral issues out of the SAARC mandate has not yielded any positive results. Instead, the forum has been held hostage to bilateral disputes [largely between India and Pakistan]. The requirement of consensus has prevented SAARC from making any headway on desirable proposals on regional integration.
Low oil price and the renewable industry
[Robin Limb] The oil giants have never truly engaged with the concept of renewable energy, mainly because it is tiresome, high cost, and fraught with issues surrounding government support and legislation. To this day, it remains more expeditious and economic to simply keep pumping the 'black stuff' [read oil] out of the ground. The whole oil supply chain is geared to fossil fuels, and although it is technically possible to include bio-fuels such as ethanol and diesel at low levels, the economics are unexciting and uncertain.
