There is a growing consensus among many notable political scientists and historians that America is at a perilous crossroads; Trump has chosen the road that leads to disastrous authoritarianism. The question is what it would take to stop Trump from destroying our democracy and replacing it with a dictatorship For nearly 250 years, despite its…
It is hard to imagine that there is not a single adult in Trump’s orbit to tell him that withdrawing from the many UN agencies that provide critical humanitarian services undermine rather than advance the US’ national interest and global standing Alon Ben-Meir · Trump's Assault on the UN is Self-Defeating There is no other…
The ceasefire agreement and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners is only the first step on the long and treacherous road that could end the calamitous, decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In my recent article, “A Rare Alignment: The World Stands Ready, Are the Palestinians?” I tackled what the Palestinians must do to realize their…
The international community has rallied behind the Palestinians in support of their aspiration for statehood. The question is, will the Palestinians seize this rare opportunity and adopt a new strategy critical to realizing their national goal? I do not recall a period since the 1967 Six-Day War when the international community has expressed such overwhelming…
Over 80 percent of Yemenis now rely on humanitarian aid. After a decade of war, famine, and economic collapse, Yemen is on the brink of becoming the poorest country in the world, the World Bank warns. “Ten years of conflict have devastated livelihoods, displaced millions, and eroded basic services, pushing the country into a state of chronic crisis.” Inflation, a collapsed banking system, and disrupted public services drive millions deeper into despair. These are not just numbers; they are lives at risk. Without urgent peace efforts, institutional reform, and sustained international support, Yemen will fall into total destitution. The world must not look away.
#Yemen #Poverty #Famine #HumanRights
Pakistan’s decision to arbitrarily place 32 people, including peaceful Baloch activists, on a terrorist watchlist is a dangerous assault on human rights. Targeted under Section 11-EE of the Anti-Terrorism Act, these individuals face restrictions on liberty, privacy, and freedom of movement without any chance to challenge the decision. As Amnesty International’s Babu Ram Pant warns: “The arbitrary manner in which these individuals, including peaceful Baloch activists, have been put on a terrorist watchlist without being given an opportunity to challenge the decision is an affront to due process and their rights.” This law has become a weapon to silence dissent. Pakistan must remove these activists from the list and end its crackdown on critical voices.
#Pakistan #FreeSpeech
Russian drones are striking Ukrainian civilians every day—killing, injuring, and burning homes, ambulances, and fire brigades. According to a UN investigation, these attacks are systematic, coordinated, and designed to terrorize and drive people from their homes across Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv. Investigators confirmed two crimes against humanity, “murder and forcible transfer of civilians” and “deportations and transfers of civilians” from Russian-occupied areas, some tortured and stripped of their belongings. Survivors describe life under drones as “unbearable,” with attacks hitting at any hour of morning, evening, or night, often striking the same vehicles and buildings repeatedly to spread fear. These are deliberate war crimes. It is time for governments to impose tougher sanctions, provide Ukraine with stronger air defenses, and ensure Russian leaders face prosecution for crimes against humanity.
#Ukraine #Russia #HumanRights
Trump’s cruelty knows no bounds. The federal government is shifting billions of dollars to pay ICE agents and other law enforcement troops during the government shutdown, who continue their deplorable attacks on citizens and immigrants alike. It refuses, however, to release any funds to continue SNAP payments, including emergency reserves specifically set aside for the nutrition program. By refusing to transfer existing funds to SNAP, the government is deliberately letting the most vulnerable among us starve, including children, who make up about 39 percent of SNAP recipients. There are sufficient funds in reserve to extend benefits through November – $5 billion in an emergency reserve specifically for SNAP, and $16.8 billion in leftover funds for nutrition programs, which the administration just tapped into to fund WIC during the shutdown. The Trump administration’s refusal to utilize these available funds clearly demonstrates its willingness to weaponize food assistance against the country’s poorest families. This is just another act of inhumanity that characterizes Trump’s heartlessness and carelessness.
#Trump #UnitedStates #SNAP #hunger
One in five children in the world is now living in an active war zone. That’s 520 million children in 2024, the highest number ever recorded, according to Save the Children. Last year, the world saw 61 armed conflicts, more than any year since 1946. Verified attacks against children rose 30%, including killing and maiming, abductions, recruitment by armed groups, sexual violence, and attacks on schools and hospitals. More than half of these violations occurred in Gaza, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, and Somalia. Africa is now the global epicenter, with 218 million children affected. Save the Children’s message is clear: this is not inevitable, it is a political choice. If we care about security, we must protect children first.
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UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has condemned US military airstrikes on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific allegedly carrying illegal drugs, calling them “unacceptable” and a violation of international law. His office demanded an investigation into what it described as extrajudicial killings of people aboard these vessels. “These attacks and their mounting human cost are unacceptable. The US must halt such attacks,” said Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for Türk’s office. Trump defended the strikes as part of his anti-drug campaign, but no policy can justify killing people at sea without due process. When justice is replaced by jungle law, human beings become easy prey.
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There could be nothing more obvious than the fact that these are extrajudicial executions. Murder … in public …
In Sierra Leone, women giving birth are left to die on hospital beds, not because help isn’t there, but because they can’t pay. A new Human Rights Watch report, “No Money, No Care,” exposes the horror inside public hospitals: mothers bleeding alone, babies dying in their arms, doctors turning away the poor. “Women giving birth in some government hospitals face shame, long waits, untreated pain, and suffering, and even risk losing their or their newborn’s lives,” said Skye Wheeler, senior women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch interviewed over 50 mothers and health workers. Many said women, and even more newborns, die or suffer because care is delayed or denied when families can’t pay. To abandon a woman in labor for lack of money is inhuman beyond measure.
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Who cares, fix our problems first.
Sounds like a them problem. Not to become our problem.
Just think for a moment, here we have the President of the United States, during his visits to South Korea, displaying in full view of the whole world his delusional desire to be a King. Just like a clown in a circus, he cheerfully accepted an elongated crown placed on his shrinking head. Although on the surface, the Koreans wanted to demonstrate a respectful gesture of hospitality, in reality, the South Korean government wanted to play into his hollow ego, which he so eagerly wanted to grasp. Trump has not only inflicted self-ridicule but also made a charade of the office of the Presidency. Trump is known to be driven by ego rather than purpose, and cannot distinguish between honor and humiliation. When he parades around like a monarch with an oversized crown on his head, he reduces the presidency of the United States to a circus act for all the spectators to see and laugh at. Like a child with a new toy, dazzled by the glitter, but blind, it reveals a man with no pride, no principles and no probity.
#NoKings #Trump #clown
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And no brains.
