Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – Traditionally old men have sent young men to fight the wars they have started. Today it may be somewhat different. Old men may be shying away from war while young men are still beholden to it.

The world, as never before, is becoming demographically lopsided, with older people concentrated in rich countries and the young in not-so-rich countries. These older societies are becoming less warlike, as the influence of the experienced and the wise filters down into the body politic.…

By Kalinga Seneviratne

AT-BASHY, Kyrgyzstan (IDN) – Separated by mountain ranges from the rest of the country, Naryn province in southeastern Kyrgyzstan lies at an altitude of between 1300 to 3000 meters. Sheep and cattle, raised on the extensive grasslands and alpine pastures, are the mainstay of the economy. While horses play an important role in transport, they also do so in shepherding the herds, especially in summer.…

By Ronald Joshua

GENEVA (IDN) – Experts with first-hand experience in the migrant and refugee crisis have underlined problems during their work on the ground, in coordinating rescue operations and aid distribution, or documenting and raising awareness of the situation caused by the current massive displacement of people worldwide turning into a politicized crisis of solidarity, with closed border policies and the rise of xenophobic, populist trends.…

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

MOSCOW (IDN) – Over the years, African Union officials have repeatedly urged African leaders to prioritise Africa’s Agenda 2063 – a strategic framework for delivering on Africa’s goal for inclusive and sustainable development – and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The 15-member UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution welcoming AU initiatives for infrastructure development and pledging support for “African solutions to African problems” in an attempt to achieve the SDGs.…

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – Let’s make America great again! Or as the prime minister of France said: Let’s make France great again. Or, as President Donald Trump conceded, let every nation in the world announce that they are going to be great again. But what makes for greatness? Over that there is a big dispute.

Strategists say that power has to be measured carefully because “the balance of power is the motor of world politics, playing a role as central as the role of energy in physics and money in economics”, as writes Professor Michael Beckley of Tufts University.…