Articles by: Dr Chandra Muzaffar

Lift sanctions against Syria to lessen sufferings of the people caused by the earthquake

Lift sanctions against Syria to lessen sufferings of the people caused by the earthquake

The International Movement for a Just World (JUST) urges the American, British, Australian, Canadian, Swiss and some  European Union and Arab League governments to lift the unjust, immoral sanctions against Syria in order to lessen the immense sufferings of the people caused by the massive earthquake of 6th February 2023. A number of local groups including the Syrian Red Crescent[Read More…]

by 13/02/2023 Comments are Disabled World
The UN General Assembly Drags Israel To The World Court

The UN General Assembly Drags Israel To The World Court

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted last week to refer Israel to the International Court of Justice (World Court) for its on-going violation of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination in the occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza and for adopting measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the holy city[Read More…]

by 05/01/2023 Comments are Disabled World
Looking Back On 2022: Ukraine And The Rest Of The Story

Looking Back On 2022: Ukraine And The Rest Of The Story

As 2022 draws to a close, the world bears the tragic burden of the war in Ukraine. The war began on the 24th of February of this year with the Russian invasion of its neighbour. It has been 10 months. There is nothing to indicate that it will end any time soon. Thousands have perished — soldiers on both sides[Read More…]

by 27/12/2022 Comments are Disabled World
Postpone Enforcement Of CPTPP

Postpone Enforcement Of CPTPP

Malaysia ratified the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) on 30th September 2022. It comes into force on 30th November 2022.One hopes that the new Malaysian government will postpone its enforcement until a thorough cost-benefit analysis of the CPTPP is done and the findings presented to Parliament for debate. A postponement is necessary because the agreement impinges upon[Read More…]

by 30/11/2022 Comments are Disabled World
Myanmar: Executing Dissent

Myanmar: Executing Dissent

The execution of four well-known democracy activists by the military junta in Myanmar in June 2022 has angered and incensed those who cherish freedom and justice all over the world.   The four , Phyo Zeyar Thaw, Kyaw Min Yu, Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw have become immortalised in the noble struggle of the Myanmar people for their dignity[Read More…]

by 01/08/2022 Comments are Disabled World
Ukraine: End War, Lift Sanctions

Ukraine: End War, Lift Sanctions

The war in Ukraine is dragging on. Today, the 11th    of July 2022 is the 138th day of an armed conflict that began on the 24th of February when Russian president, Vladimir Putin, declared that his country is launching a special military operation in Ukraine. As one should expect, a few thousands have been killed so far on both sides.[Read More…]

by 12/07/2022 Comments are Disabled World
Nakba-To strive for justice till liberation

Nakba-To strive for justice till liberation

Today is Nakba day—- the day that Palestinians throughout the world remember as the great catastrophe. For it was on the 14th of May 1948 that the illegitimate entity called Israel was formally established on Palestinian land. It was the beginning of the dispossession of the Palestinian people. It has continued for the last 74 years. Palestinians continue to be[Read More…]

by 15/05/2022 Comments are Disabled Palestine
Ukraine: Understanding The Concern Of The Other

Ukraine: Understanding The Concern Of The Other

The mainstream Western media is almost unanimous in demanding that Russia and Vladimir Putin stop their military operation in Ukraine immediately. This in their opinion is the only solution to the current conflict.   However, if one attempts to understand how the current conflict had evolved, one would ask not Russia but the US led Western alliance to bring down the[Read More…]

by 26/02/2022 Comments are Disabled World
Goading China To Go To War

Goading China To Go To War

A number of defence analysts are convinced that the United States of America, supported by Britain and Australia, is goading China to go to war over Taiwan. They point to constant statements by officials from the three countries pledging to come to Taiwan’s defence if it is attacked by China and the actual presence of US warships in the vicinity[Read More…]

by 29/11/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Humiliating Defeat In Afghanistan

Humiliating Defeat In Afghanistan

The mainstream Western media is full of news these days about people fleeing Kabul in the wake of the Taliban victory. Dramatic pictures of young and old scrambling to get on to jam-packed aeroplanes do make a huge impact. The message they convey is that a collective fear has gripped the Afghan people as they seek to escape the iron[Read More…]

by 28/08/2021 Comments are Disabled World
COVID19 Crisis In Malaysia: Questions And Motives

COVID19 Crisis In Malaysia: Questions And Motives

The significant increase in Covid 19 infections in our country in the last one week has prompted concerned Malaysians to ask the authorities to re-strategize their approach towards the fight against the spread of the virus. A total lockdown, some feel, where most movements are severely curbed is not the solution. They prefer a targeted lockdown which is focussed upon[Read More…]

by 16/07/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Our Humanity; Our Identity

Our Humanity; Our Identity

Identity politics has been on the ascendancy in many parts of the world in the last few decades. Its relationship to ethnicity, culture and religion is what concerns us at this point. To understand this relationship one has to consider the context. We should also try to explain the impact of identity politics upon religion itself. The United States of[Read More…]

by 02/05/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Ramsey Clark: One of the Greatest

Ramsey Clark: One of the Greatest

On the 9th of April 2021, Ramsey Clark passed away in the States. He was ninety four. The former US Attorney-General had spent decades in the struggle for human rights both when he was in government and after he ceased to be Attorney-General. He had been in the forefront of so many human rights causes that it will not be[Read More…]

by 14/04/2021 Comments are Disabled Life/Philosophy
Syria: The Price Of Resistance

Syria: The Price Of Resistance

Few nations in recent decades have been targeted by a superpower the way the United States of America has subjected Syria to various forms of attack. Apart from military assaults and acts of political subversion aimed at overthrowing the government in Damascus, the US has also imposed crippling economic sanctions upon Syria, sometimes regarded as the crucible of human civilisation.[Read More…]

by 21/03/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Winning Votes Through Identity Politics

Winning Votes Through Identity Politics

According to official estimates, Donald J. Trump obtained a little more than 74 million votes in the November 2020 presidential election losing to Joseph Biden who secured a little more than 81 million votes. Biden won by a comfortable margin but Trump also performed remarkably well. What explains his performance? Analysis of his performance may reveal the growing influence of[Read More…]

by 04/02/2021 Comments are Disabled World
RCEP Augurs Hope

RCEP Augurs Hope

In the mist of the gloom generated by the twin health and economic crises, the birth of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a ray of light auguring hope. More than a million lives have been lost world-wide as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, there is massive unemployment and entire societies have been devastated. For the 10 ASEAN[Read More…]

by 18/11/2020 Comments are Disabled World
Déjà Vu In France: Change Attitudes

Déjà Vu In France: Change Attitudes

As events unfold in France centring around Islamophobia, there is a feeling of déjà vu. We have witnessed a few times before this sequence of events.  There is some provocation or other targeting the Prophet Muhammad initiated by a non-Muslim group or institution. Predictably, Muslims react.  In the midst of demonstrations and rallies, an act of violence occurs perpetrated by[Read More…]

by 01/11/2020 Comments are Disabled World
Malaysia: A Clear Direction For The Present

Malaysia: A Clear Direction For The Present

Malaysians at this moment are concerned about two different types of numbers. The overwhelming majority are worried about the recent spike in Covid 19 infections and the increase in the number of related deaths. There is a much smaller segment of the population that is focussed upon the number of members of Parliament that the leader of the Opposition Anwar[Read More…]

by 11/10/2020 Comments are Disabled World
Swami Agnivesh: A Tribute

Swami Agnivesh: A Tribute

Swami Agnivesh has left us. And yet he is still with us. He was undoubtedly one of the most courageous fighters against religious fanaticism and religious bigotry of our time. He spoke out without hesitation against fanatical Hindus who distorted religious teachings to justify exclusive interpretations of the faith. Chauvinistic trends within the community that have been gaining currency in[Read More…]

by 16/09/2020 Comments are Disabled Life/Philosophy
China And The Decline Of US Power

China And The Decline Of US Power

Constant attacks by some US elites on China will, according to some observers, diminish and disappear once the US presidential election is over in November 2020. This is unlikely to happen for at least two reasons. One, the issues that underscore the targeting of China are fundamental in nature and go beyond elections and personalities. Two, at the root of[Read More…]

by 23/08/2020 1 comment World
Beirut Blast

Beirut Blast

Four days after the Beirut Blast of 4th August 2020, the Lebanese president, Michel Aoun, has attempted to explain what caused the largest explosion since the end of the Second World War. He attributes it to either the accidental ignition of 2750 tons of Ammonium Nitrate ( AN) stored in a warehouse at Beirut port or a planned attack by[Read More…]

by 09/08/2020 Comments are Disabled World
A Superpower In Chaos

A Superpower In Chaos

Minneapolis could not have happened at a worse time for the US elites. While violence perpetrated against African Americans by White police officers has happened a number of times before, its occurrence right in the midst of a huge health emergency that has already claimed more than a 100,000 lives and a related massive economic disaster that has robbed 30[Read More…]

by 02/06/2020 Comments are Disabled World
An Invasion In The Midst Of A Pandemic

An Invasion In The Midst Of A Pandemic

In the midst of a massive global pandemic that has killed tens of thousands of people and wrecked economies all over the world leaving millions jobless, some terrorists and mercenaries allegedly backed by certain governments had on 3rd May 2020 attempted to invade the independent, sovereign state of Venezuela. Organised and trained in neighbouring Colombia, they had landed on the[Read More…]

by 08/05/2020 Comments are Disabled Imperialism
The Coronavirus Crisis: A Plea To Pause And Power

The Coronavirus Crisis: A Plea To Pause And Power

Dr Chandra Muzaffar, President of the International Movement for a Just World (JUST), Malaysia makes a presentation on COVID-19 pandemic SIGN UP FOR COUNTERCURRENTS DAILY NEWS LETTER  

by 04/05/2020 Comments are Disabled World
Coronavirus:Sanctions And Suffering

Coronavirus:Sanctions And Suffering

In the midst of the most horrendous crisis to confront the entire human family in recent decades, the Unite States elite, it appears, is hell-bent on perpetuating massive sanctions against certain states and affecting regime change in some of them. Sanctions cause much pain and suffering and even death on a wide scale.  One would have thought that given what[Read More…]

by 07/04/2020 1 comment World
Curbing The Coronavirus – While Targetting China

Curbing The Coronavirus – While Targetting China

We are inundated with an avalanche of information on the novel coronavirus infection. Within this avalanche, there is a lot of “news” that is clearly false. Those responsible for such news can be classified into two categories at least. The first comprises mischief-makers who derive some cheap thrill by generating and disseminating fake news that creates fear and causes panic[Read More…]

by 05/02/2020 Comments are Disabled World
Ahmed, a Rohingya refugee man cries as he holds his 40-day-old son, who died as a boat capsized in the shore of Shah Porir Dwip while crossing ...

The International Court Of Justice (ICJ) And The Rohingyas

The International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) Order to the Government of the Republic of Myanmar to adopt various provisional measures to protect the Rohingya community from “physical destruction” and to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of Article 11 of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide including killing members of the group and imposing[Read More…]

by 26/01/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
On The Brink Of War?

On The Brink Of War?

Are we on the brink of a Third World War? There are signs that demand that we ask this question. Three clusters of signs compel us to probe a question that could well determine the future of our civilisation. One, the nature of the event itself — the reckless assassination of the Iranian general, Qassem Sulaimani, on the orders of[Read More…]

by 07/01/2020 Comments are Disabled World
The Coup That Ousted Morales

The Coup That Ousted Morales

Any human being who values justice and freedom would condemn the coup that ousted the Bolivian president Evo Morales on the 10th of November 2019. Morales obtained 47.08 % of the vote to secure a fourth term as president in the election held on the 20th of October. Since his vote was more than 10% of what his closest rival[Read More…]

by 18/11/2019 1 comment World
Kashmir: Self-Determination Is The Solution

Kashmir: Self-Determination Is The Solution

It is a pity that some groups and individuals are urging palm oil importers in India to refrain from buying the commodity from Malaysia. The Solvent Extractors Association of India, India’s top vegetable oil trade body is one such outfit. Apparently, this boycott is a sort of “punishment” for Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’sremarks on Kashmir at the United Nations[Read More…]

by 26/10/2019 1 comment India
Iran: Neither Military Action Nor Economic Sanctions

Iran: Neither Military Action Nor Economic Sanctions

It would be utterly immoral of the United States to launch a military attack upon Iran if it is true that one of the missiles that destroyed an oil refinery in Saudi Arabia on the 14th of September 2019 had a casing bearing a number that suggested that the weapon was manufactured for NATO forces. The alphabets preceding the number[Read More…]

by 21/09/2019 Comments are Disabled World
Concealing The Truth

Concealing The Truth

  Concealing the truth from the people is not unusual in politics. It is perhaps more pronounced in global politics partly because it is more difficult to hold powerful global actors accountable. That might is right is an adage that rings true at the international level more than in the domestic arena. There are currently a number of international issues[Read More…]

by 04/09/2019 Comments are Disabled World
Paul Findley: A Man of Courage

Paul Findley: A Man of Courage

Paul Findley one of the most remarkable Congressmen that the US House of Representatives had produced since the Second World War passed away on the 9th of August 2019. He was 98 years old. He was first elected to Congress in 1960 from a district in Illinois once represented by Abraham Lincoln, his immortal hero.  Findley was elected 11 times[Read More…]

by 14/08/2019 Comments are Disabled World
White Supremacy

White Supremacy

A number of commentators have linked the killing of 20 people at a Walmart store in El Paso in the United States of America on Saturday 3rd August 2019 to the rising tide of White Supremacism. White Supremacism is a belief that whites are superior to others and therefore have a right to dominate them. There were elements of such[Read More…]

by 06/08/2019 Comments are Disabled World
Stifling The Amman Message

Stifling The Amman Message

In any civilised society no one will resort to violence, or the threat of violence, to stifle the voices that one does not want to hear.  Unfortunately, this is what happened in Malaysia a few days ago when some bigots managed to force the cancellation of a public seminar on ‘The Amman Message’ organised by certain civil society groups scheduled[Read More…]

by 15/07/2019 Comments are Disabled World
Investigate Morsi’s Death

Investigate Morsi’s Death

Immediately after Dr Mohammed Morsi’s death on the 17th of June 2019, a number of organisations and individuals had called for a thorough, independent investigation into the cause of his death while on trial in a Cairo court for espionage charges. The United Nations was one of the organisations that demanded an independent investigation. There is no indication that any[Read More…]

by 27/06/2019 Comments are Disabled World
MH 17: Charging Individuals on the basis of a deeply flawed Investigation

MH 17: Charging Individuals on the basis of a deeply flawed Investigation

Co-Written by Dr. Chandra Muzaffar & Tan Sri Norian Mai The International Movement for a Just World (JUST) and the Perdana Global Peace Foundation (PGPF) share Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s skepticism about  Russia’s culpability in the shooting down of MH17 on the 17th of July 2014. The Dutch-led joint investigation team (JIT) has not produced any solid evidence[Read More…]

by 22/06/2019 Comments are Disabled World
Tightening The Noose On Cuba

Tightening The Noose On Cuba

On the 2nd of May 2019, the Trump Administration decided to enforce Title 111 of the Helms-Burton Act. Title 111 authorises US nationals with claims to confiscated properties in Cuba to file suits in US courts against persons that may be “trafficking “in that property. Title 111 of the Helms-Burton Act has not been enforced before though the Act was[Read More…]

by 08/06/2019 Comments are Disabled World
Targeting Iran 

Targeting Iran 

      A dangerous flashpoint has emerged in world politics at the moment. There is widespread fear that the United States and its allies might launch a military operation against Iran at any time. A US aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers are already deployed in the region. The alleged sabotage of four oil tankers, two of them Saudi, and[Read More…]

by 18/05/2019 Comments are Disabled World
OBOR – Towards A Just World? | Chandra Muzaffar        

OBOR – Towards A Just World? | Chandra Muzaffar        

The Belt Road Initiative (BRI) also known as the One Belt One Road ( OBOR) project could well emerge as the obor ( the flame in Indonesian or Malay) that will blaze the trail in the evolution of a new epoch in history. Chinese President Xi Jinping must have sensed its historical significance when he announced OBOR in 2013. Essentially[Read More…]

by 01/05/2019 Comments are Disabled World
NEGOMBO, SRI LANKA - APRIL 23: Coffins are carried to a grave during a mass funeral at St Sebastian Church on April 23, 2019 in Negombo, Sri Lanka. At least 311 people were killed with hundreds more injured after coordinated attacks on churches and hotels on Easter Sunday rocked three churches and three luxury hotels in and around Colombo as well as at Batticaloa in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan authorities declared a state of emergency on Monday as police arrested 24 people so far in connection with the suicide bombs, which injured at least 500 people as the blasts took place at churches in Colombo city as well as neighboring towns and hotels, including the Shangri-La, Kingsbury and Cinnamon Grand. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

Chandra Muzaffar: Sri Lanka And New Zealand: The Real Link

The carnage in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday has been condemned by people everywhere. Individuals and groups from different faith traditions have not ceased to emphasise that the mass slaughter of at least 321 persons in churches attending Easter services and in hotels on 21st April is a heinous crime in the eyes of any religion. It is important to[Read More…]

by 25/04/2019 3 comments World
A Morally Right Decision

A Morally Right Decision

The decision of the Malaysian government not to allow Israelis to enter the country to participate in the World Para Swimming Championships in Sarawak in July-August 2019 is both politically correct and morally right. TunDr. Mahathir Mohamad’s firm stand on this issue has been endorsed by PKR president, Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Deputy Sports Minister, SimHee Kyung. A coalition[Read More…]

by 23/01/2019 3 comments World
The Uighur Question: A Civil Society Solution

The Uighur Question: A Civil Society Solution

In the last few months, the International Movement for a Just World (JUST) like so many other civil society groups in various parts of the world has been inundated with videos and articles from different sources alleging  cruel persecution and harsh oppression of the Uighur Muslim minority in Xinjiang province in the Western part of China. It is alleged that[Read More…]

by 04/01/2019 3 comments Human Rights
Trump Pulling Out

Trump Pulling Out

It is significant that US President Donald Trump has decided to withdraw his troops from Syria. The 14th December decision was followed immediately by another announcement by the President to pull out a sizeable number of soldiers from Afghanistan where the US has been involved in a war for the last 17 years — the longest war in its history.[Read More…]

by 25/12/2018 Comments are Disabled Imperialism
The Significance of Human Duties and Responsibilities

The Significance of Human Duties and Responsibilities

As we observe the 70th anniversary of the adoption and proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the UN General Assembly on the 10th of December 1948, it is imperative that we remind ourselves of the vital importance of Human Duties and Responsibilities in the life of a society. In fact there is a profound link between[Read More…]

by 09/12/2018 1 comment Human Rights
ASEAN: Trade Wars And ZOPFAN

ASEAN: Trade Wars And ZOPFAN

At the close of the 13th ASEAN Summit in Singapore on the 15th of November 2018, the Prime Minister of the island Republic, Lee HsienLoong, warned that the trade war between the United States of America and China may create circumstances “where ASEAN will have to choose one or the other.” He added, “I hope it does not happen soon.”[Read More…]

by 20/11/2018 1 comment World
China, A New Imperial Power?     

China, A New Imperial Power?     

                        Is China a new imperial power threatening some of the developing economies in Asia and Africa? This is a perception that is being promoted through the media by certain China watchers in universities and think-tanks mainly in the West, various politicians and by a segment of the global[Read More…]

by 22/10/2018 2 comments World
Syria: A False Flag Operation Thwarted?

Syria: A False Flag Operation Thwarted?

An organised expose by the Syrian and Russian governments over a 3 day period starting 27th August may have thwarted a British backed plan to stage a “false flag” chemical weapons attack in Idlib province that would have forced the US to launch a missile and air assault on Syria. According to Russian Defence Ministry spokesperson, Igor Konashenkov, a militant[Read More…]

by 01/09/2018 1 comment Imperialism
KUALA LUMPUR 30 JULAI 2018. Sebuah kapal yang dalam misi kemanusiaan ke Palestin bersama 22 aktivis dipercayai dirampas Israel, ketika ia menghampiri Gaza. Kapal Al-Awda terputus hubungan komunikasi dengan pihak media Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) dan dalam laporan terakhir radio kapal, ketua kapal menyatakan mereka melihat 4 kapal perang Israel sedang menghampiri kapal itu. EMAIL.

Israel’s Criminal Behaviour

The violent assault upon a number of unarmed passengers on board Al Awda, a ship bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza has exposed yet again the hideous face of Israeli occupation. Reports suggest that some of the victims of the 31st July attack had sustained injuries —- one of them being the renowned Penang-born Palestinian activist, Dr.Ang Swee Chai. An eye-witness[Read More…]

Israel: An American-Russian Protectorate?

Israel: An American-Russian Protectorate?

It is partly because the mainstream Western media persists with its hysteria on Trump’s failure to stand up to Putin on  alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US Presidential Election that  other aspects of the meeting between the two men in Helsinki have yet to come to the fore. One of them is about the position that the two adopted[Read More…]

by 20/07/2018 2 comments World
The Assualt on Agnivesh

The Assualt on Agnivesh

The International Movement for a Just World (JUST) is shocked to learn that the prominent Indian social activist, Swami Agnivesh, was assaulted on the 17th of July 2018 in the Pakur area of Jharkhand State while leaving a hotel where he had participated in an event. The assassins are allegedly from the youth wing of the BJP, the ruling party.[Read More…]

by 18/07/2018 3 comments Human Rights
The Trust Deficit And The BN Defeat In Malaysia

The Trust Deficit And The BN Defeat In Malaysia

   The significance of the fourteenth General Election goes beyond Malaysian shores. 9th May will be remembered as the day when the multi-ethnic population of a country ousted the world’s longest ruling coalition through the ballot-box in a peaceful atmosphere without a drop of blood. This is unique in emerging democracies in the Global South. It makes one proud to[Read More…]

by 17/05/2018 Comments are Disabled World
Striking Syria: The Real Reasons

Striking Syria: The Real Reasons

  The United States government has once again shamelessly violated international law. There was no legal or moral justification for launching more than a 100 missile strikes against so-called chemical weapons’ sites in Syria on the 14th of April 2018. Unlike the last strike targeting a single airfield in April 2017 which was also in retaliation for President Bashar Assad’s[Read More…]

by 16/04/2018 Comments are Disabled Imperialism
The Geopolitics of Targetting  Russia

The Geopolitics of Targetting  Russia

The escalation of tensions between the United States, Britain and France, on the one hand, and Russia, on the other, should not surprise anyone. In the last few years, the US leadership and mainstream British media have presented Russia as a major threat to global peace and the international order. Russian president Vladimir Putin in particular has been demonised as[Read More…]

by 20/03/2018 Comments are Disabled Imperialism
West Asia In Flux: Connecting The Dots

West Asia In Flux: Connecting The Dots

  A series of events linked to West Asia in the last nine months has brought to the surface the under-currents and cross-currents in the region’s perennial struggle between occupation and hegemony, on the one hand, and resistance and liberation, on the other. It is crucial to understand how these events are related to one another, to connect the dots,[Read More…]

by 18/02/2018 2 comments World
The Incarceration of Tariq Ramadan: A Travesty of Justice

The Incarceration of Tariq Ramadan: A Travesty of Justice

The unjust incarceration of Dr Tariq Ramadan, Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford University, demeans and disgraces the French legal system. Tariq has been detained in a solitary cell in the high security wing of Paris’s Fleury-Merogis prison since the 2nd of February 2018. It is alleged that he raped two women in Lyon and Paris in 2009 and[Read More…]

by 16/02/2018 1 comment World
The Jerusalem Vote And The US-Israel Link

The Jerusalem Vote And The US-Israel Link

  One hopes that the overwhelming rejection of the Trump Administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on the 21st of December 2017 will compel Washington DC to rescind its decision. Given Trump’s track record so far —- on the Climate Change Accord and UNESCO —it is very unlikely. The most we[Read More…]

by 26/12/2017 Comments are Disabled World
Why The Istanbul Declaration Must Succeed

Why The Istanbul Declaration Must Succeed

  The Istanbul Declaration adopted at an Extraordinary Islamic Summit Conference in Istanbul on the 13th of December 2017 invites “the whole world to recognise East Jerusalem as the occupied capital of the State of Palestine.” It further pledges to ‘mobilize support in the name of entire humanity to strengthen the State of Palestine and its institutions in every field.”[Read More…]

by 18/12/2017 1 comment Palestine
Rawda And Combating Terrorism

Rawda And Combating Terrorism

The barbaric attack that killed 305 worshippers including 27 children during Friday prayers ( 24 November 2017) at the Rawda mosque in North Sinai, Egypt is a tragic reminder to the entire human family that the threat of terrorism is as deadly as ever. Though no one has formally claimed responsibility, it is reported that some of the terrorists carriedDaesh[Read More…]

by 28/11/2017 1 comment World
(FILES) This file photo taken on May 02, 2017 shows a malnourished Yemeni child receiving treatment at a hospital in the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah.  / AFP PHOTO / STRSTR/AFP/Getty Images

Yemen: End Blockade, Avert Famine

  The threat of mass famine in Yemen is as real as ever — in spite of the reopening of the port of Aden and the Wadea land crossing on the Saudi-Yemen border. This is not enough, according to the UN Office of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA). The blockade of all ports especially Hodeida should be lifted immediately. Most humanitarian aid[Read More…]

by 13/11/2017 Comments are Disabled World
The Assertion Of Identity

The Assertion Of Identity

  News reports about communities and regions asserting their identity are capturing media headlines everywhere. While the media gives a lot of coverage to an event or action connected with the phenomenon — a referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan or a vote in the Catalonian parliament — the reasons that explain the assertion of identity are seldom analysed in depth. The[Read More…]

by 31/10/2017 1 comment World
Rohingyas: Jihadists?

Rohingyas: Jihadists?

  The Rohingyas — or at least some Rohingyas — are now being projected as terrorists, as “Jihadists” out to kill Myanmar soldiers and civilians. Myanmar leaders including Aung San SuuKyi have spoken along these lines. This view of the Rohingyas is being propagated by the Myanmar government with greater zeal since a small armed group called the ArakanRohingya Salvation[Read More…]

by 01/09/2017 2 comments Human Rights
The Bilateral Relationship That Matters

The Bilateral Relationship That Matters

  Which is the most important bilateral relationship in the international arena today?  Many analysts would argue that it is the relationship between the United States of America and China that has the greatest significance for the world. Some see it as the relationship between an established power and a rising power which has often led to war in the[Read More…]

by 24/07/2017 1 comment World
Saudi King Salman presents President Donald Trump with The Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud Medal at the Royal Court Palace, Saturday, May 20, 2017, in Riyadh. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump, Israel And Saudi Arabia: Targeting Iran

  In the wake of President Donald Trump’s visit to West Asia, is there even a faint glimmer of hope for peace in the most conflict-ridden region of the world? Or, has his visit to Saudi Arabia and Israel from the 20th to the 23rd of May 2017 only strained the region’s undercurrentsof friction and tension?  Some reflections on areas[Read More…]

by 29/05/2017 2 comments World
Fasting For Palestinian Justice And Dignity

Fasting For Palestinian Justice And Dignity

  Today is the first day of Ramadan. Muslims in many parts of the world begin their month-long fast today. Most of them are not aware that 1500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are on a hunger strike that began almost six weeks ago. These prisoners have undertaken a hunger strike to protest the denial of their basic human rights[Read More…]

by 27/05/2017 1 comment Palestine
Korea: Leading To War?

Korea: Leading To War?

  The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is deeply concerned that escalating tensions between North Korea and the United States of America could lead to war. This view was expressed at the end of the 30th ASEAN Leaders’ Summit in Manila on the 29th of April 2017. Given the gravity of the situation, ASEAN could perhaps have been a[Read More…]

by 01/05/2017 1 comment World
Trump, Public Imagination, And Islamophobia

Trump, Public Imagination, And Islamophobia

  Donald Trump’s crafty manipulation of Islamophobia, we are told, was one of the factors that propelled him to the presidency of the United States of America. He was very much aware of the prevalence of negative sentiments towards Islam and Muslims within segments of the American electorate. Because Islamophobia was part of the public imagination, he had no scruples[Read More…]

by 26/04/2017 1 comment World
A Syrian man collects samples from the site of a suspected toxic gas attack in Khan Sheikhun, in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, on April 5, 2017.
International outrage is mounting over a suspected chemical attack that killed scores of civilians in Khan Sheikhun on April 4, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Omar haj kadour

 The Gassing Game In Syria: Regime Change And Beyond

  The use of chemical weapons in Sheikhun, in the Idlib province of Syria on 4th April 2017 was a heinous act. The world has rightly condemned it. Because it was so cruel and callous, it is vital that the truth about the attack is established as soon as possible.  The United States of America and a number of its[Read More…]

by 11/04/2017 1 comment World
Apartheid Israel

Apartheid Israel

If anyone doubts that Israel is guilty of the crime of apartheid, he should read the report “Israeli Practices towards the Palestinian People and the Question of Apartheid” commissioned by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). The report released on the 15th March 2017 and posted on the ESCWA website has now been removed on[Read More…]

by 21/03/2017 3 comments World
Malaysia And The Question Of North Korea

Malaysia And The Question Of North Korea

                        The Malaysian government has done the right thing in keeping the channels of communication with the North Korean Government open. It wants an amicable resolution of the friction arising from the murder of Kim Jong-Nam, the elder brother of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Un, at KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) 2 on the 13th of February 2017. Prime[Read More…]

by 13/03/2017 1 comment World
Trump’s Entry Ban: Linked To The Neo-Con Agenda?

Trump’s Entry Ban: Linked To The Neo-Con Agenda?

President Donald Trump’s ban on nationals from 7 Muslim majority countries in West Asia and North Africa (WANA) entering the United States of America for a period of 90 days has brought to the fore the role and influence of some of the forces that shape US foreign policy in the region. With the exception of one country, the Trump[Read More…]

by 31/01/2017 1 comment World
Worsening Inequalities: The Courage To Face The Challenge

Worsening Inequalities: The Courage To Face The Challenge

It is not surprising that the Davos Forum held in the middle of January 2017 chose not to examine the obscene, grotesque, ever widening economic inequalities in the world brought to its attention  by Oxfam, the global aid and development confederation. Oxfam revealed on the 15th of January that “the richest eight tycoons on the planet are worth as much[Read More…]

by 29/01/2017 1 comment World
Fidel: The Truth About His Struggle

Fidel: The Truth About His Struggle

  Over the last 17 days since the death of Fidel Castro on the 25th of November 2016, I have been trying to assess how far sections of the mainstream media (MSM) would go in their vicious campaign to denigrate and demean a leader who had defied the world’s sole military superpower just 145 kilometres from his small island –state.[Read More…]

by 13/12/2016 2 comments World
The Rohingyas: Act Now To Stop The Genocide!

The Rohingyas: Act Now To Stop The Genocide!

There is increasing recognition of the fact that ‘ethnic cleansing’ of the Rohingyas, — A GENOCIDE  — is taking place in Rakhine, Myanmar. A number of groups and individuals are coming to terms with this grim reality especially after the “evidence of a new reign of terror and wholesale destruction of communities exercised by the Myanmar state against the Rohingya[Read More…]

by 29/11/2016 1 comment Human Rights
The Danger Of War From A Declining Hegemon

The Danger Of War From A Declining Hegemon

  Is a war in the making — a third world war? If there is much talk about such a possibility, it is mainly because of the tensions between the United States and Russia. Tensions between the two most powerful nuclear states in the world have never been this high since the end of the Cold War in 1989 and[Read More…]

by 31/10/2016 1 comment World
Cuba: Rejecting Sanctions, Sending A Message

Cuba: Rejecting Sanctions, Sending A Message

  President Barack Obama’s official visit to Cuba in March 2016 has deluded a lot of people into believing that relations between the United States and Cuba are now normal. They do not realise that the severe US economic sanctions against Cuba are still in force. Of course there have been slight improvements in the application of some of the[Read More…]

by 15/10/2016 2 comments Imperialism
Uri: Army personnel stand near the dead bodies of militants who attacked Mohura army camp, in Uri on Saturday. PTI Photo(

Kashmir: “We The People” Should Stand Up

  The armed conflict in Kashmir has reached a dangerous point. The killing of 17 Indian soldiers in the Uri camp, 6 kilometres from the Line of Control (LoC) that separates the two state protagonists, India and Pakistan, could lead to a further deterioration of a volatile situation that threatens to spiral into a much larger conflagration.  Indian authorities allege[Read More…]

by 21/09/2016 2 comments Kashmir
Children, The Media And Political Agendas

Children, The Media And Political Agendas

  The image of 5 year-old rescued from the rubble in the aftermath of a devastating airstrike in Aleppo on 17 August 2016 has reverberated around the globe. Every major media outlet— from the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal to the BBC and Al-Jazeera — has highlighted the picture. It shows a little boy “sitting in an ambulance[Read More…]

by 29/08/2016 1 comment World
1MDB Money-Laundering And A Tribunal

1MDB Money-Laundering And A Tribunal

The response of Malaysian government authorities to the civil suits filed by the US Department of Justice to seize more than US$ 1 billion (RM 4.02 billion) in assets allegedly linked to 1MDB has been a huge disappointment.   Faced with suits that allege massive embezzlement of funds and one of the worst  money laundering scams in history, Cabinet Ministers and[Read More…]

by 25/07/2016 1 comment World
South China Sea Verdict: A New Era In China ASEAN Cooperation?

South China Sea Verdict: A New Era In China ASEAN Cooperation?

The decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague on the China- Philippines territorial dispute announced on the 12th of July 2016 may well emerge as a turning-point in the long-standing wrangles over islands in the South China Sea. China expectedly has rejected the decision. It has reaffirmed its claim of territorial sovereignty and maritime rights over almost[Read More…]

by 13/07/2016 2 comments World
A portrait of Tarishi Jain, a victim of the attack on Dhaka's Holey Artisan Bakery, is laid out for people to pay respect during a memorial service before her cremation in Gurgaon on Monday. Express photo by Oinam Anand. 04 July 2016

Carnage In Istanbul, Dhaka And Baghdad

The month of Ramadan witnessed unspeakable carnage in three Muslim cities in three different countries. On 28 June 2016, 41 people, both locals and foreigners were killed in shootings and suicide bombings at the Istanbul Ataturk Airport. On 2nd July, 20 people taken hostage by militants in an upmarket restaurant in Dhaka, Bangladesh were shot andmurdered. On the 3rd of[Read More…]

by 05/07/2016 2 comments World
America Never Says Sorry

America Never Says Sorry

A hegemonic power never says sorry. Three recent episodes underscore this truism. When US President Barack Obama offered a floral wreath at the cenotaph of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on 27 May 2016, some peace advocates in the United States, in Japan and in other parts of the world hoped against hope that he would say “sorry” for the[Read More…]

by 20/06/2016 Comments are Disabled Imperialism