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Op-Eds & Guest Contributors

Africa’s porous borders promote transnational crimes rather than deeper integration

For positive continental regimes to succeed, there must be both conscious and concerted efforts, as well as political will, from all states to help eliminate transnational crimes while fostering integration across the whole of Africa through trade.

Cambodia’s current government is the face of tropical Fascism

There is no hope that the authoritarianism that the world sees in places like Russia, China and Cambodia can ever be interpreted as a peaceful and benign phenomenon, or that it should be accepted by an implicit racist or discriminatory assumption that some cultures just don’t have a democratic tradition and aren’t quite capable of ever developing one.

Georgia has shown the world that a Kremlin project can be defeated

Over the past few days, the world’s attention was on Georgia. We saw massive protests fueled by anger, concerns and fear, and eventually, we...

Putin’s New START withdrawal has broad implications

Vladimir Putin continues to persuade Russians that the West provoked his imperialist war of aggression against Ukraine. His announcement that he would no longer...

Free Trade: The magic potion against economic decline

Despite rising internal and external nationalistic pressure, leaders on both sides of the Atlantic should remember that in a time of increasing hostilities from bad actors, retaliatory protectionism toward our allies will do nothing but ensure mutual decline.

Turkey’s seismic shift

This breakthrough in normalization between Armenia and Turkey comes amid a much wider context, well beyond the simple validation of earthquake diplomacy to elevate crisis response over conflict retention. 

Voluntary prisoners of history

By now it should have been clear to everyone that we are contemporaries of another - I would say, 'revolutionary' - transformation of humanity....

Sudan’s progress towards reform

Sudan's Forces of Freedom and Change, a wide coalition of civilian and rebel parties that opposes military rule in the country, is working with...

NE Global interviews Iran’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi

Iranians have tried every other possible way to work for change, for many years. Those who thought they could reform the regime have continually been disappointed. Now they know that they have no other solution.

What a difference one year makes

Ukraine’s steadfastness has shown Putin's dreams of a post-Soviet Russian Empire are pure fiction.

The world will plunge into chaos if we don’t tax windfall profits

Over half the world’s population lives under authoritarian regimes, and movements that clearly call individual and public freedoms into question and foster xenophobia persist at the ballot box.

Is “cable diplomacy” shaping energy policy in the Mediterranean & Middle East?

The transition towards a carbon neutral economy has become a priority for many governments around the world. Using the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals...

Sudan is unlawfully prolonging ex-president Al-Bashir’s trial

The 1989 coup in Sudan, known in the country as the National Salvation Revolution, is still awaiting a final decision from the Sudanese judiciary,...

Political prisoners in Iran do not bow to the absolute authority of the Supreme Leader

The legal system of the Islamic Republic is in no way compliant with the requirements of modern international laws or the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Iran’s influence peddling at the European Parliament

The Iranian dictatorship is able to use the services of agents disguised as “political advisors” to serve the interests of a foreign and hostile power that is out to undermine the very core of European democracy.

The end of Europe

The European Union is simply too big; it is composed of too many cultures and political perspectives; and, despite Brussels' claim that it values diversity over all other issues, this does not include a deviation from what it considers its own norms. As matters currently stand, the EU runs the risk of collapsing under its own weight.

Neutral but not neutered: Ireland’s security needs to be nurtured

The Irish people have been a beacon of light against darkness, hatred and genocide. But Ireland needs to do more to contribute to the dismantling of autocracies, the self-determination of peoples still shackled by remnant empires and the emancipation and empowerment of all underprivileged people. 

Has Armenia killed the South Caucasus peace process?

Despite the issuance elaborate diplomatic statements detailing the various policy spheres in which discussions were held, Armenia’s prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, publicly stated that “no concrete results” had been reached regarding a peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Ignored for too long, Europe should realize a democratic Iran is closer than ever

The unity of urban intellectuals and the more underprivileged sectors of Iranian society poses a unique challenge to the regime.

Poland is going its own way

The leader of Poland's ruling Law and Justice party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, continues to attack Germany, the main focus of his ire in Europe. Kaczynski...

Iran’s protests underscore the strength and viability of a democratic alternative

The mullahs are struggling to maintain their hold on power. Western nations should support the people’s will by further isolating the regime, closing Iranian embassies and halting diplomatic relations. The clerical regime may have once seemed an immovable fixture of the Middle East landscape, but this isn’t the case any longer.

Azerbaijan’s opening of an embassy in Israel is a major tectonic shift on the regional geopolitical map

With the regional geopolitical situation as it is, and amidst pressure and threats on multiple fronts, Azerbaijan has responded with a key decision to bolster relations with a key ally by formally opening an embassy in Israel.

How running on mainstream ideas won the day in the US midterm elections

The Democratic Party succeeded in winning the mainstream by backing candidates from the center-left and running on an agenda that made progress one of the priorities of American voters.

Election deniers still don’t know how democracy works

Trump Republicans, whose candidates lost, claim the results are inaccurate and illegitimate. Their criticism and demands, including calls for new elections, are based on misperceptions of how ballots are obtained, cast, and counted.

We are fighting for the freedom of all Iranians. Where does Europe stand?

Western governments should recognize the Iranian people’s right to defend themselves, and they should isolate the regime completely.

Human pre-history experienced transformative changes that fundamentally altered our evolution

We live in a fast-moving, technology-dominated era. Happiness is fleeting, and everything is replaceable or disposable. It is understandable that people are drawn to...

Mozambique can become a major energy partner for Europe in return for governance & security support

The government of Mozambique recently hosted the 42nd Joint Parliamentary Assembly, a collection of African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, along with the EU, as...

Unexpected migration woes

Brussels has, in the case of the migrant problem, proven that the EU's feckless bureaucrats are persuasive only when they carry a big stick against those that openly mock them.

Ethiopia’s peace deal is critical for Africa on many levels

Ethiopia is one of the few countries in Africa with the food production potential to help meet the shortfall in the continent’s imports of cereal crops from Ukraine.

How the US midterm elections could impact Ukraine

Ukrainians understand that only they can win the war. The country does not need foreign intervention to defeat Putin. But to win, they need the help of the US.

One rule for life & what maps mean: Keep Jordan Peterson away from Ukraine

For Peterson to refer to Russia's invasion as an ‘incursion’ is nothing more than insulting. The word does not make allowances for the wholesale destruction of cities, the occupation of territory and the murder of the inhabitants.

The most expensive World Cup in history – 6,500 deaths and $220 bln

Widespread stories of human rights violations have dogged Qatar's authorities since the Gulf nation was awarded the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Helping women lead across the Mediterranean

Female unemployment rate remains well below the global average. More than half of working women are employed informally, with low-wage jobs and fewer rights than men.

Nine months is enough

Getting Russian civil society to converge on peaceful alternatives and a different narrative than the Kremlin’s is the key to de-concentrating political power.

Cryptocurrencies: The new age of terror financing

The misuse of cryptocurrencies by violent extremist groups and individuals has emerged as a new and additional financing technology. 

Musk plans to profit from Twitter, not create a town square for global democracy

As a privately owned company, Twitter will now only answer to Musk and his underlings, not to shareholders.

The regulation of crypto-assets is not enough to prevent the risks facing investors

Europe is on the verge of regulating the cryptocurrency industry, a long overdue and necessary step that will offer greater protection to investors, while...

Ukraine and the establishment of a new European order

Once beholden to various empires throughout its history, Ukraine has morally discredited the notion of empire-building in Europe.

Full speed ahead speed towards digital & green transition in Lisbon

Transport plays a key role in reaching a global carbon-neutral economy, with climate change progressing faster than expected and countries struggling to meet the...

The Iranian people have committed to a revolution, so where is the West?

Huge changes have occurred in Iran's political landscape since the start of the protests two months ago. Western governments, however, need to unequivocally and immediately back the movement instead of playing lip-service to vague notions of solidarity and outrage.

Late Red Bull tycoon left an indelible mark on Austrian society & politics

He was described as the “most famous unknown” in Austria, Dieter Mateschitz was one of the richest people in the country – according...

The West’s past foreign policy mistakes have extended the Iranian regime’s lifespan

Middle Eastern misadventures have affected the West’s political psyche. With thousands dead and trillions wasted, any protracted military campaign abroad will be considered doomed to fail before it has even begun.

Democracy in the Republic of the Internet is backsliding

The internet has become a powerful enemy of any authoritarian regime; one that these regimes have increasingly fought to weaken.

Election deniers and defenders poised for next phase in voting wars

There is little doubt that pro-Trump Republicans are going to challenge voters and contest results that they do not like in 2022’s general election....

Human rights abuses are becoming commonplace in Sudan

The Sudanese government has introduced some reforms but nothing to improve the existing legal base with regard to compliance with international human rights. 

Could there be dark days ahead for buyers of solar panels?

A landmark ruling is casting a shadow over Europe’s booming solar industry with manufacturers and buyers of solar panels facing a potential stand-off over...

Time to listen to the voice of freelancers

It is of utmost importance that politicians do not create a legislative framework which forces all workers into an outdated 9 to 5 model.

The South Caucasus peace process should address war crimes issues

The EU must do more to ensure peace in the South Caucasus.

How Maasai women are resisting land grabs

In Mwanza, Tanzania, Nairukoki Leyian-Naisinyai tells me that here, “Corporations come with papers from the government claiming that they have the right to our...

Contemplating evil in Ukraine

According to the Geneva Conventions, Russia is perpetrating genocide against the Ukrainian people.

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