International issues

“Peace is the most powerful weapon for mankind.”—Mahatma Gandhi Peace is an economic driver for every country, for the world and even more so in a globalized world, where countries and regions are connected. Conflicts and wars interrupt not only…

Hilde Vautmans: Member of the Conference of Presidents of Delegations, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Delegation for Relations with the United States, Committee on Security and Defence, Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, Delegation for Relations with the People’s…

“If we save the sea, we save our world” — Sir David Attenborough, Ocean with David Attenborough Almost every country in the world has signed on to safeguard a minimum of 30 percent of the world’s ocean by 2030, yet just…

No fossil fuel interest or government can stop the world from working toward a clean energy future, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday after holding a closed-door virtual meeting with 17 heads of government and state. By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes Participants in…

In the context of the ongoing debate about freedom of debate, there is a proverbial «elephant in the room» that many are reluctant to name explicitly. Recent measures such as revoking visas, detaining students and scholars, suppressing protests, restricting academic…

Poland is finally joining in the scramble for Ukraine after naively sitting on the sidelines all these years. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was surprisingly candid earlier this month when talking about how Poland plans to profit from Ukraine. In his words, “We…

By Ken Butigan It is said that when St Francis of Assisi died, the grief his followers felt was gradually transformed into profound gratitude and joy as they gathered to process with his body from the Porziuncola to the church…

Nobody is complaining anymore about Latin America and the Caribbean being neglected by the hegemon to the north. The Trump administration is contending with it on multiple fronts: prioritizing “massive deportations,” halting the “flood of drugs,” combatting “threats to US…

Several foreign actors, in the current rapidly changing geopolitical situation, are strategically involved in promoting their public diplomacy in Africa. The term ‘public diplomacy’ refers to well-crafted policies aimed at establishing and maintaining diverse communication with the public of external…

The Trump clowns are planning to close U.S. embassies in Africa. Good riddance, right? Wrong. They still plan to work on “coordinated counterterrorism operations” and “strategic extraction and trade of critical natural resources.” They also still plan to maintain U.S. military bases across…