Articles by Robin
We found 169 results.
When Israel Burned Refugees Alive, Establishment Media Called It a ‘Tragic Accident’
Robin Andersen | FAIR Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting - TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Jun 2024
10 Jun 2024 – As the world watched on social media and responded in outrage, US corporate media, once again, provided cover for the perpetrators of Israel’s genocide.
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Gaza Destroyed, Aid Workers Murdered: A Deliberate Israeli Strategy?
Robin Edward Poulton, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
15 Apr 2024
8 Apr 2024 – The missile attack on WCK was a war crime; a crime against humanity and part of a genocidal Likud plan to eliminate Gazans from the Mediterranean coastline that they have occupied for a thousand years.
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Israeli Army War Crime against Aid Workers Could Have Killed Me
Robin Edward Poulton, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 Apr 2024
2 Apr 2024 – Delivering aid is a dangerous business. Before the tragic assassination of the seven World Central Kitchen staff, a lot of aid workers have died while on mission. If I were younger, I might well have been in Gaza on that mission.
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Understanding Power Dynamics and Moving Beyond Divisions: COVID-19 through to Ukraine and Palestine/Israel
Vanessa Beeley and Piers Robinson – TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 Jan 2024
3 Jan 2024 – Connecting the dots of COVID, Ukraine and Gaza–three cataclysmic events that rocked the world since 2020. Deception and domination by Western global elites. We fail to withstand divide and conquer tactics, remaining stuck in the left-right paradigm.
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Peace Portraits: Pathways to Nonkilling
Review by Robin Collins of a Memoir by Balwant Bhaneja – TRANSCEND Media Service,
9 Oct 2023
“Everyone has the right not to be killed and the responsibility not to kill others.”
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NATO Narratives and Corporate Media Are Leading to ‘Doorstep of Doom’
Robin Andersen | FAIR-Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting - TRANSCEND Media Service,
5 Dec 2022
1 Dec 2022 – Corporate media are failing democracy and to disclose our current, stark choice between war, life and the planet. They shout for more war in loud voices. They censor and poison public discourse and position North Americans as targets of propaganda—the denizens of empire—instead of citizen participants in a democracy.
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Attempt to Try Russian Leaders for War Crimes Is Part of the West’s Weaponization of the ICC
Robin Philpot | CovertAction Magazine - TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Nov 2022
14 Nov 2022 – International Criminal Court continues to serve as a “battering ram for U.S. and NATO policy,” as the former U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crimes in the Clinton administration defined it.
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(Français) Bernard Lecomte (1 Sep 1930 – 7 Août 2022): Un grand homme humaniste de l’économie sociale en Afrique
Robin et Michelle Poulton - TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Sep 2022
Adieu BERNARD LECOMTE : tu nous as quittés le 07 août 2022
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Limits of Fear
Robin Sharma – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Jul 2022
Or… Fear Is the Limit
→ read full articleJournalist Assassination: Are Israeli Defense Forces Out of Control?
Robin Edward Poulton, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 May 2022
18 May 2022 – Israeli Soldier Kills Al Jazeera Journalist on 11 May 2022
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This Ukraine Crisis Was a George W. Bush Mistake
Robin Edward Poulton, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Feb 2022
George W. Bush and his neo-con administration made an awful lot of foreign policy blunders. This Ukrainian crisis is just the latest of many mistakes.
→ read full articleUkrainian Sovereignty Means Not Joining NATO
Robin Edward Poulton, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Feb 2022
1 Feb 2022 – Taking international law seriously requires looking at the world in a particular way. And this view of the world is very different from the view presented to Americans by their foreign policy establishment.
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(Français) Pour Trouver la Paix au Mali, Il Faudra Ecouter
Robin Edward Poulton, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
16 Aug 2021
La gouvernance démocratique ne signifie pas voter: elle signifie une vraie participation du peuple, donc la consultation et l’écoute. Injurier et crier n’avane personne et rien. Ecouter permet de comprendre. Voici deux livres qui vont aider les Maliens à s’écouter.
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Peace by Piece: Harnessing Peace, Conflict and Dialogue
Robin Edward Poulton, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Jul 2021
Peace by Piece: Harnessing Peace, Conflict and Dialogue, by Uduak-Abasi Akpabio, Amazon, Jun 2021 – Making peace is tough in a world where vast sums of money fuel the makers and users of weapons. Violence enriches the suppliers of ammunition. Arms and automobile manufacturers, petroleum corporations and security companies all get rich from war. Other people’s misery and deaths make weapon corporations rich.
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Remembering My Friend General Hendrik Van Der Graaf, Famous UN Peacemaker Who Died on 10 Mar 2021
Robin Edward Poulton, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 May 2021
UNIDIR’s General Henny Invented “Weapons-for-Development” – He was a leader in UN and EU peace and disarmament, particularly in reducing the proliferation and illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons.
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Coping with Depression
Melinda Smith, M.A., Lawrence Robinson, and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D. | HelpGuide – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Apr 2021
When you’re depressed, you can’t just will yourself to “snap out of it.” But this guide to depression help can put you on the road to recovery.
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Afghanistan 2022: Peace without Reconciliation Will Be a Salvaging Operation for Biden
Robin Edward Poulton, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Apr 2021
19 Apr2021 – What can President Biden’s team and his Secretary of State Antony Blinken salvage from the promised withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan? American dreams of ‘democracy’ produced the Afghan nightmare President Biden wants to terminate in September 2021. Can he replace the nightmare with something that resembles peace, based on realism?
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Adam Thiam’s Death Reminds Us How Europe Harms Africa
Robin Edward Poulton, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 Mar 2021
25 Mar 2021 – Mali’s greatest journalist and political analyst, Adam Thiam, has died of COVID. I mourn a friend whom I greatly admired.
→ read full articleAn Open Letter to President Biden
Robin Edward Poulton, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Jan 2021
One of my sad conclusions: the U.S.A’s foreign policy has been a major cause of war in the world since 2001, a source of poverty and misery, a manufacturer of refugees and of terrorists. As an expert on the origins of terrorism, I know that the U.S.A. is a major supporter of terrorism and terrorist organizations.
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The Correct Response to Fascism Is Not Compromise: QAnon and Hate Speech Need to Be Dealt with Head-On
Robin Edward Poulton - TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Jan 2021
11 Jan 2021 – After the invasion of – and temporary suspension of – Congress, what is the correct response? As a peace maker, you might think I would opt for compromise, but that is not my position. A surgeon faced with a cancerous tumor does not wait until the tumor gets bigger: he cuts it out as soon as possible, and radiates the surrounding area to ensure the cancer does not grow back. QAnon is a cancer in the American body politic, and it needs to be treated like the Fascist Cancer it has become.
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Robert Fisk of The Independent Has Died and Journalism Is Poorer
Robin Edward Poulton, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Nov 2020
Most of the borders of the modern Middle East were created by the British, French and Americans after WWI, by splitting up the Ottoman Empire. How many people discussing politics and elections in the pubs of US or UK understand that vital fact?
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Peace Proved to Be Possible, Even after Thirty Years of Cambodian Civil War
Robin Edward Poulton, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
16 Nov 2020
As proponents of Peace Journalism in a world of wars and conflicts, a conflict resolution and disarmament success story is a precious commodity. Cambodia at the turn of the Millennium provided such a story.
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The UN Institute for Disarmament Research-UNIDIR Is 40 Years Old
Robin Edward Poulton, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
9 Nov 2020
Happy Birthday UNIDIR! Yes, it is 40 years since French President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing created it. Disarmament does not just happen! It requires a great deal of hard work and patience as you persuade armed rebels or armed governments to give up their arms, to immobilize them or even destroy them.
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UK Massive Syria Propaganda
Robin Edward Poulton – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Oct 2020
20 Oct 2020 – Dear Antonio, it was satisfying to read Ben Norton’s exposé of the NATO propaganda machine in Syria. How right he is! A recent analysis posted on TMS of press reports in Swiss and Austrian media, showed that 80% come from AP, AFP or Reuters: our ‘free’ press is not free of bias. Thank you to TMS for keeping us all informed about the truth, while Western media supply NATO’s ‘alternative facts’ to the general public.
→ read full articleMali: A History of Military Bullying and Corporate Dependency
Robin Poulton - TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Aug 2020
18 Aug 2020 – In June 2020, a rumoured plot by Islamist army officers was blocked. Now the army has acted as Mali’s army always does. In the past 140 years, Mali has had just 17 years of civilian rule. Get ready for a new military junta, or maybe an Islamic Republic of Mali under military and Arab Salafist rules.
→ read full articleLebanon: A Proposal
Robin Edward Poulton, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Aug 2020
14 Aug 2020 – Lebanon today is like Cambodia after the Khmer Rouge: the solution for Cambodia was to abandon everything and to start over. During 1993–following the Paris Peace Accord–the United Nations took over Cambodia and ran the country for one year.
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While America Awakes…
Dr. Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Aug 2020
Winston Langley, ‘While America Sleeps: Squandered Opportunities and Looming Threats to Societies’ (Lulu Press, 2020) – On the surface the book offers a dose of pessimism as Langley elaborates how the US missed several opportunities to address deep rooted violence, but a reading between the lines generates hope. It depends on which side of the spectrum you are standing.
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What Kind of Country Do We Want?
Marilynne Robinson | New York Review of Books - TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 May 2020
A narrative has emerged over time that capitalism is the single defining trait of American civilization, the force that has propelled the country not only to unprecedented wealth but also to high levels of personal and political freedom… We are left with the certainty that a civilization can be wholly described by its economy, and that ours is exhaustively and triumphally capitalist.
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Civil Society Is the Second Pillar of West African Nation States
Robin Edward Poulton, Ph.D. | Virginia Commonwealth University - TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 May 2020
Experience from many African nations – as well as America, Asia and Europe – provides compelling evidence that civil society plays a fundamental role in social progress and in promoting peace and democratic governance. Civil society has organised democratic governance in West African for millennia, and not simply since colonial rule began. Our political science research shows how civil society has been and remains critical to the evolution of West African Nation States – nearly all of which are recent post-colonial creations – and that a Five Pillar conception of the Nation State conforms more closely to West African realities than the traditional Western concept of Executive + Legislative + Judiciary.
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An Offer and an Appeal to You…
Robin Edward Poulton, Ph.D. - TRANSCEND Media Service,
30 Mar 2020
We all have interesting and varied sources of information and analysis. One of the most exciting and insightful that I use and enjoy is TRANSCEND Media Service, founded by Professor Johann Galtung, the “Father of Peace Studies” and leader of a multi-national group of distinguished academics and activists working for peace in all its forms. The articles analyse world affairs from a multitude of different approaches. I would like to offer this information source to you and your students. A University Education should challenge students to seek out ideas and to discover new sources. TMS does some of this preparatory work for your students: they can find many unexpected analyses and varying points of view in a single website.
— Robin Edward Poulton ChONM, ChROSC, UNSM, MBIM, MA (Hons St A), MSc (Oxon), PhD (Paris)
Coronavirus and the World Order
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Mar 2020
Coronavirus is posing a global health risk. The World Health Organization has declared it a pandemic. Beyond the health crisis, and the economic costs, the political implications of the pandemic are far-reaching. International relations experts are yet to explore fully its impact on the world order.
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Coronavirus: Global Response Urgently Needed
Jim O'Neill, Robin Niblett and Creon Butler | Chatham House – TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Mar 2020
There have been warnings for several years that world leaders would find it hard to manage a new global crisis in today’s more confrontational, protectionist and nativist political environment.
→ read full articleTwo-Nation Theory Re-examined–and a Few Reflections on India’s Citizenship (Amendment) Bill
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
13 Jan 2020
30 Dec 2019 – The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill would revive the two-nation theory, which implied Hindus and Muslims are two different nations, hence they cannot stay together. The architects of this theory were Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Muhammad Iqbal, and on the basis of this theory British India was partitioned into India and Pakistan. Jinnah and Iqbal must be smiling in their graves as their TNT idea gets new adherents, and Gandhi must be turning in pain.
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New Year 2020: A Prayer for Peace and Religious Harmony
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Jan 2020
1 Jan 2020 – As I am thinking about the New Year, I am thinking about peace, about how to make the world a peaceful place to live and thrive. The passing year was not that peaceful. There were violent incidents all over the world. There were violent incidents within states, there was also violence based on the exclusionary approach to particular people.
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(Français) Paroles sur les Crises au Mali et les Limites de la Démocratie
Dr Robin Edward Poulton – TRANSCEND Media Service,
30 Dec 2019
Expériences et Analyses Pour Favoriser la Paix – Le Mali est victime d’un Choc des Corporations – Extrait Du Livre
→ read full articleKashmir after 370
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
16 Sep 2019
11 Sep 2019 – Early in August 2019, the Indian government repealed Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir. The Article, a later incorporation to the Indian constitution, was titled temporary. In this article, I will focus on the implications of this decision at three levels: people within Jammu and Kashmir; the states of India and Pakistan; and the world in general and major powers in particular.
→ read full articleThe French Army Has Killed Hamadoun Kouffa, the Malian Robin Hood
Robin Edward Poulton – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Feb 2019
How might the Malian government find a way to negotiate with his successors, to avoid genocide or civil war?
→ read full articleGandhi and Khashoggi: Soldiers of Peace
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
21 Jan 2019
21 Jan 2019 – On October 2 was born Mahatma Gandhi. On October 2 was also killed Jamal Khashoggi. There is one common element though 149 years separated both the events–Gandhi and Khashoggi fought injustice through peaceful means. They were harbingers of nonviolent social change but met a violent death.
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The Turn towards a Global Police State is Structurally Rooted in Capitalism’s Achilles Heel
William I. Robinson | Films for Action – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Dec 2018
12 Dec 2018 – A global police state is emerging as capitalism descends into an unprecedented crisis, given the extent of ecological degradation and social deterioration, and the sheer scale of the means of violence deployed around the world. “Global police state” refers to three interrelated developments:
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Do the Math
Submitted by Robin Poulton – TRANSCEND Media Service,
5 Nov 2018
A father left 17 camels as inheritance for his three sons. When he passed away, his sons read the will.
→ read full articleTrump and Jong-un, USA-North Korea, War and Peace: A Gandhian Phase in International Politics
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 Jun 2018
13 Jun 2018 – Mahatma Gandhi must be turning in his grave, smiling. It is the Gandhian spirit that worked a sort of miracle in Singapore! Gandhi rightly said, ‘there is no path to peace, peace is the path.’ It is only in peaceful environment that positive peace can be realized.
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Propaganda 101: How to Defend a Massacre
Nathan J. Robinson – Current Affairs,
4 Jun 2018
21 May 2018 – Propaganda defending murder is both simple to produce and alarmingly common in major media outlets. In order to understand how people can defend acts that should shock the conscience, today we’re going to examine and dissect a particularly galling example. Last week, 60 unarmed civilian Palestinians were killed, and 1700 wounded by the Israeli military during the Nakba protest. An introductory course in massaging your crimes and dehumanizing your enemies…
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Empty Half the Earth of Its Humans. It’s the Only Way to Save the Planet [What?]
Kim Stanley Robinson – The Guardian,
30 Apr 2018
There are now twice as many people as 50 years ago. But, as EO Wilson has argued, they can all survive – in cities.
→ read full articleFlorida School Shooting and the Crisis of Humanity
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Feb 2018
Can we rise to the occasion? Can we provide value based education to our future generations in our families, in our societies and most importantly, in a formal way, in our educational institutions? The collective and sustained efforts to make a real difference in the education system will ensure the survival and flourishing of the human civilization.
→ read full articleHappy New Year 2018!
Dr Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 Jan 2018
The New Year arrived and knocked at my door and asked me what I am thinking. It came to me as bright as sunlight and lightened my chamber. It looked straight into my eyes and asked what I am thinking. A single word came from my mouth:
→ read full articleMoralizing International Politics
Dr. Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Dec 2017
This article makes an appeal to bridge the chasm between the practice of international politics and the universal moral principles. Violation of moral principles has emerged a norm than exception in international politics. States and global institutions have proved ineffective to checkmate violent conflicts and wanton killings as in Syria. It is not they are incapable or lack resources. The problem lies elsewhere. Ego is a major cause behind much of the hazards in international politics. The article problematizes ego and calls for a broader thinking in international politics.
→ read full articleThe Real Reason Some People Become Addicted to Drugs
Mike Robinson – The Conversation,
9 Oct 2017
29 Sep 2017 – Why do they do it? This is a question that friends and families often ask of those who are addicted. Addiction simply creates a craving that’s often stronger than any one person could overcome alone. That’s why people battling addiction deserve our support and compassion, rather than the distrust and exclusion that our society too often provides.
→ read full articleHistory Made as UN Approves Treaty to Ban Nuclear Weapons
Tony Robinson – Pressenza Int’l Press Agency,
17 Jul 2017
With a final vote of 122 countries in favour, 1 abstention (Singapore) and 1 against (The Netherlands) the conference to negotiate a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons approves its text. The treaty opens for signature during the UN General Assembly on the 20th of September. It comes into force after fifty countries ratify it.
→ read full articlePursuing Stability and a Shared Development in Euro–Mediterranean Migrations
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra, PhD – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Jun 2017
The book makes deep inroads from a theoretical as well as a policymaking point of view. It brings forth many theoretical dimensions of the migration in the Euro-Mediterranean zone, and offers many nuanced perspectives. It aims to draw “a comprehensive study while using a multi-faceted analysis of the migration issue, taking into account the expertise, knowledge, background, and experiences of the authors.
→ read full articleDangers and Adventures in United Nations Peace Making
Robin Edward Poulton, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Jun 2017
For TRANSCEND members to read and to encourage them to share their own experience of risk management.
→ read full articleConflict Management in Kashmir
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
5 Jun 2017
5 Jun 2017 – The ongoing violence in Kashmir, unless addressed, may descend into a terrible chaos as experienced in the 1990s, during which Indian forces and Pakistan backed militants engaged in cycles of violence leading to killing of thousands of Kashmiris. Modi needs to engage the moderate separatists and encourage them to play active messengers of peace.
→ read full articleWill Trump’s America Make the World Safer or More Dangerous?
Robin Edward Poulton, Ph. D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Mar 2017
Donald Trump’s speech to the U.S. Congress on Wednesday February 28th certainly had a different tone from his usual, irascible midnight tweets. Some of the speech sounded quite similar to speeches given by previous presidents. Some of it was even boring (which is rare for Trump: he may be a horrible misogynist, but he is seldom boring).
→ read full articleChina and Trumpism: The Political Contradictions of Global Capitalism
William I. Robinson - teleSUR,
20 Feb 2017
14 Feb 2017 – When China’s richest man, Wang Jianlin, warned last December that a U.S. trade war against China would result in disaster for the United States, it was no idle threat. As U.S. hegemony declines and Chinese hegemony possibly rises, it is clear that the political scaffolding of world capitalism is hopelessly outdated.
→ read full articleInternational Conference on Gandhian Perspectives on Contemporary Conflicts and Peace
Dr. Aurobinda Mahapatra | Gandhi Center for Non-Violence, Human Rights and World Peace – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Nov 2016
The Mahatma Gandhi Center for Non-Violence, Human Rights and World Peace at the Hindu University of America organized an international conference on Nov 3-4 2016, on the theme Gandhian perspectives on contemporary conflicts and peace. Speakers from Europe, Canada and India, besides the US, participated in the conference and focused on various aspects of Gandhian philosophy and its relevance for conflict resolution.
→ read full articleIndependent Work: Choice, Necessity, and the Gig Economy
James Manyika, Susan Lund, Jacques Bughin, Kelsey Robinson, Jan Mischke, and Deepa Mahajan | McKinsey – TRANSCEND Media Service,
31 Oct 2016
October 2016 – The McKinsey Global Institute examines all the ways people are earning income, as well as the challenges independent work presents.
→ read full articleInternational Conference: Gandhian Perspectives on Contemporary Conflicts and Peace
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra, Ph.D. - Mahatma Gandhi Center for Nonviolence, Human Rights and World Peace,
8 Aug 2016
November 3-4, 2016 ~ Orlando [Florida] Campus of the Hindu University of America ~ The Conference aims at exploring Gandhian principles, their problem solving potentials, and relevance of Gandhi for addressing global problems such as inter-state and intra-state conflicts, international peace, religious extremism, degeneration of human values, social and religious discord and violation of human rights.
→ read full articleParticipatory Economics and the Next System
Robin Hahnel | The Next System Project – TRANSCEND Media Service,
27 Jun 2016
Only when a majority are sufficiently disgusted by capitalism and confident that workers and consumers can manage and coordinate their own economic affairs will it be possible to leave capitalism in the dustbin of history where it belongs.
→ read full articleAP Investigation: Are Slaves Catching the Fish You Buy?
Robin Mcdowell, Margie Mason and Martha Mendoza, AP –TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Apr 2016
Update: On 18 Apr 2016 the all-woman Associated Press team won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for this investigation [published on TMS in 30 Mar 2015].
25 Mar 2015 – The men the AP interviewed on Benjina were mostly from Myanmar, also known as Burma, one of the poorest countries in the world. They were brought to Indonesia through Thailand and forced to fish. Their catch was then shipped back to Thailand, where it entered the global stream of commerce.
How Intellectuals Create a Public
Corey Robin – The Chronicle of Higher Education Review,
8 Feb 2016
The problem with our public intellectuals today is that they are writing for readers who already exist, as they exist. Their biggest challenges are imagination and will… Not tenure, not the death of bohemia, not jargon, but the fear that the publics that don’t yet exist — which are, after all, the only publics we’ve ever had — never will exist.
→ read full articleThe Art Collector’s Wife
Submitted by Robin Poulton – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Dec 2015
A New York attorney representing a wealthy art collector called and asked to speak to his client, “Saul, I have some good news and, I have some bad news.”
→ read full articleAlright then…
Submitted by Robin Poulton – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Dec 2015
Bloke comes down to breakfast and says to his wife, “Honey, what would you do if I won the lottery?”
→ read full articleOur High-Priced Mercenaries in Syria
Robin Wright – The New Yorker,
21 Sep 2015
The U.S. campaign to create a new ground force to fight the Islamic State appears to be a flop. The program, designed to train some fifteen thousand Syrians in the course of three years-at a cost of five hundred million dollars-has … ‘We’re talking four or five,’ General Lloyd J. Austin III told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday [16 Sep].
→ read full articleInternational Yoga Day: Some Reflections
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 Jun 2015
Last year, the UN declared 21 June as International Yoga Day. The Yoga lovers all over the world rejoiced at the UN declaration. Let me briefly analyze what I understand by the term Yoga.
→ read full articleAs Nobel Winners Gather to Speak Out About Rohingya, Where is Myanmar’s [Nobel Peace Laureate] Suu Kyi?
Robin McDowell, Associated Press – Star Tribune,
8 Jun 2015
The meeting featured video statements from Nobel laureates Desmond Tutu, José Ramos-Horta and Mairead Maguire, and others like philanthropist George Soros, who escaped Nazi-occupied Hungary.
→ read full articleGlobal Capitalism and the Global Police State: Crisis of Humanity and the Specter of 21st Century Fascism
Prof William I. Robinson - Global Research,
27 Apr 2015
The world capitalist system is arguably experiencing the worst crisis in its 500-year history. World capitalism has experienced a profound restructuring through globalisation over the past few decades and has been transformed in ways that make it fundamentally distinct from its earlier incarnations.
→ read full articleHindu Rashtra and Two-Nation Theory
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
27 Apr 2015
A debate has recently gained momentum in India around the idea of Hindu Rashtra or Hindu nation-state… Hinduism is not dogmatic; it embraces pluralism. It believes in coexistence with other religions. Mahatma Gandhi was a proponent of this coexistence.
→ read full articleWhy We Occupy: Dutch Universities at the Crossroads
Nicholas Vrousalis, Robin Celikates, Johan Hartle, and Enzo Rossi – Open Democracy,
9 Mar 2015
The upshot is the bureaucratic equivalent of a sausage-factory: the production of the knowledge-sausage at minimum cost for the maximum number of consumers. The process by which one arrives at knowing thus becomes insignificant and secondary: means (degrees) and ends (the free pursuit of knowledge) are completely inverted.
→ read full article2015, Conversion to Hinduism
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
5 Jan 2015
India currently has witnessed intense debates on religious conversion particularly after some people converted into Hinduism. I am against forceful conversion. I apply this principle to all religions. Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, Jews, and people without religion, have all called India their home. This is the beauty of India.
→ read full articleTaliban Butchers Are Pashtun Cowards
Robin Edward Poulton – TRANSCEND Media Service,
22 Dec 2014
If you sit of an evening beside a fire in the Pashtun heartlands, you will hear tales of bravery, honour and generosity. You will hear stories about how the Pashtuns were never defeated by Alexander the Great nor by Genghis Khan nor by the British Empire nor by the Soviet or American imperial armies. If you remind the Taliban about surats from the Holy Koran that tell Muslims never to kill another Muslim, how will your brave Pashtun slaughterer-of-children reply?
→ read full article“Power to the People” – The Lost John Lennon Interview
Tariq Ali and Robin Blackburn - CounterPunch,
8 Dec 2014
It was twenty-five years ago today that John Lennon was murdered. We doubt many have read the following 1971 interview with Lennon done by Tariq Ali and Robin Blackburn. The interview ran in The Red Mole, a Trotskyist sheet put out by the British arm of the Fourth International.
→ read full articleIn Praise of Buffer States
Robin Edward Poulton, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 Dec 2014
Buffer states keep armies apart and allow important countries to trade in peace.
→ read full articleLooking for a Leader in the Caribbean to End Discrimination against Homosexuals
Robin Guittard, CPNN – TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Nov 2014
Trinidad and Tobago’s laws prohibit entry of “homosexuals” into the country and consensual same-sex relationships can be punished with prison sentences of up to 25 years… Positive change on the island could reverberate across the region.
→ read full articleIndian Laborers in the Gulf
Dr. Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Nov 2014
I am puzzled at the Indian government’s apathy at the deplorable situation of Indian laborers in the Gulf. Why does not India take a note of this situation and raise the issue with the Gulf countries with which it has diplomatic relations?
→ read full articleNobel Laureates Cancel Summit as South Africa Refuses Visa for Dalai Lama
Tony Robinson – Pressenza Int’l Press Agency,
6 Oct 2014
2 Oct 2014 – China has permanently portrayed this religious icon for the West as a terrorist-in-exile and it seems that in order to maintain good relationships in the BRICS alliance, South Africa decided to forego the good will of the Nobel Laureates.
→ read full articleNATO Makes War – NATO Is Not an Alliance for Peace
Robin Edward Poulton – TRANSCEND Media Service,
22 Sep 2014
NATO’s summit in Wales (September 4-5, 2014) was BAD NEWS for peace makers, and bad for all world citizens. Are the NATO Nuts going to invade Ukraine? Do they want to create a new European war? Dangerous rhetoric and dangerous ideas lead to dangerous actions.
→ read full articlePhilosophy of Life: Some Propositions
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
22 Sep 2014
One needs to contribute to society in his own capability. A person who has no food needs to be busy to find means of subsistence. But a person who has no such worry should contribute to society.
→ read full articleMeet the Company Suing El Salvador for the Right to Poison Its Water
Robin Broad and John Cavanagh – Foreign Policy In Focus,
8 Sep 2014
In an obscure World Bank court, a multinational mining firm is suing El Salvador for attempting to protect its citizens from deadly mining pollution.
→ read full articleAn Evaluation of Indian PM’s Independence Speech
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Aug 2014
I listened to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech on India’s 68th Independence Day. Here I elaborate some of the points in the speech which I find inspiring for India’s growth.
→ read full articleGaza Blockade Must End
Jimmy Carter and Mary Robinson – The Guardian,
11 Aug 2014
The UN should mandate an end to the siege of Gaza as a first step towards a settlement. There is no humane or legal justification for how the Israeli Defence Force is conducting this war, pulverising with bombs, missiles and artillery large parts of Gaza, including thousands of homes, schools and hospitals.
→ read full articleKashmir Back in New Delhi’s Radar
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Jul 2014
Modi is perhaps the first prime minister of India who visited the conflict-torn state even before completing two months in office. This is an indication of seriousness of the new government to prioritize Kashmir. Modi’s visit to Kashmir and emphasis on peace and prosperity in the region needs to be viewed in a new light.
→ read full articleRise of Modi and Indian Politics
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 May 2014
Modi will have a better tool in his hand to lift the nation from the morass of poverty and unemployment – two biggest internal challenges. With a strong determination, and by combining the visions of Patel, Shastri and Vajpayee, Modi will be able to trudge through difficult terrains while keeping his mission high. I wish Modi good luck!
→ read full articleTwo Cities, Shared History
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 May 2014
The book Tales of Two Cities is about the journey of two prominent South Asians – Kuldip Nayar from India and Asif Noorani from Pakistan. Theirs are not simply stories of travel but voyages – physical, emotional and spiritual – deeply embedded in the history of partition of the British India.
→ read full articleMultiethnic and Pluralistic States Have to Stay
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
21 Apr 2014
Development in Ukraine is a matter of concern as it has implications not only for Ukraine but also for other multiethnic and pluralistic states in the world. I am strongly in favor of multiethnic and pluralistic states.
→ read full articlePeople Over Profit: Why These Two Small Countries Stood Up to Big Mining
Robin Broad, John Cavanagh – YES! Magazine,
17 Mar 2014
If the governments of Costa Rica and El Salvador can resist the mining industry, maybe we all can. Would a government of a poorer country ever choose to say “no” to short-term economic profits because of concern for long-term environmental impacts? Surprise: that is precisely the case with at least two national governments that have said no to certain kinds of mining.
→ read full articleGender, Conflict and Peace
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Mar 2014
We celebrate Women’s Day on March 8 every year. Have we really progressed on this front? Is there any real empowerment of women? As I work in areas of conflict transformation and peacebuilding, my focus on women in conflict situations and peacebuilding processes is natural.
→ read full articleDelhi Accord: BRICS for Fair Play
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
2 Dec 2013
Recently the competition authorities of the BRICS countries signed the Delhi Accord, in which the members expressed “resolve and commitment to exchange views on different aspects of competition policy.”
→ read full articleHas Obama Found a Peaceful Solution in Syria?
Robin Poulton – TRANSCEND Media Service,
30 Sep 2013
Obama runs the world’s most aggressive nation, and he has to face down (almost on a daily basis) the impossible arrogance of the Pentagon, the CIA and the Nations Security apparatus that has been shown time and again to operate an Orwellian system of spying and manipulation on its enemies, its allies and its citizens.
→ read full articleChemical Weapons in Syria Provide an Opportunity for Making Peace
Robin Edward Poulton, PhD – TRANSCEND Media Service,
2 Sep 2013
If Syria pulls back from the chemical red line and accepts some form of sanction, then the Wahabists and Jihadists and Iraqi Sunnis should pull back across the frontiers and accept some form of sanction. It is unclear why NATO forces are supporting extremist Sunni Al-Qaeda look-alikes in Syria, while fighting them in Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen and recently in Mali.
→ read full articleYoga for Peace
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Jun 2013
Swami Vivekananda in his book Raja Yoga, first published in 1896, elaborated this Yoga. He argued that Yoga is scientific. Even an atheist by following its rules can sharpen his mind, increase his mental power, develop a healthy body and maintain composure in worst situations.
→ read full articleBill Keller Has Completely Misread Syria’s Red Lines
Robin Edward Poulton PhD – The New York Times,
20 May 2013
What makes Bill Keller or John McCain or any other gung-ho armchair warrior in Washington think that an Al Qaeda-related Sunni regime in Damascus led by Al-Nusra or by the militant Muslim Brotherhood would be good for America, or Lebanon, or Israel?
→ read full articleHealth Insurance for the Planet
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 May 2013
An individual has health insurance so that in case of illness or bodily injury he can have insurance benefits. I am inspired by the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Christiana Figueres, who argued passionately at the University Massachusetts Boston that we must think about the health of our planet as we think about health of the individual.
→ read full articleBoston Marathon
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 Apr 2013
My views may not match with the views of the others including experts in the area, but I think as a conscientious individual I should express them.
→ read full articleAbnormal Is the New Normal: Why Will Half of the U.S. Population Have a Diagnosable Mental Disorder?
Robin S. Rosenberg, Slate – TRANSCEND Media Service,
22 Apr 2013
Beware the DSM-5, the soon-to-be-released fifth edition of the “psychiatric bible,” the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. The odds will probably be greater than 50 percent, according to the new manual, that you’ll have a mental disorder in your lifetime.
→ read full articleIndia-China and the Spirit of Cooperation
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Mar 2013
In one of his candid statements, the Chinese President, Xi Jinping on 19 March 2013 admitted that the border dispute between his country and its neighbour, India, is one of the most difficult problems the two countries confront. “However, as long as we keep up our friendly consultation, we can eventually arrive at a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement”.
→ read full articleProspects of Peace in Syria
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Mar 2013
The Berlin meeting of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the newly appointed US Secretary of State John Kerry on 26 February 2013 appeared propitious for peace in Syria. The likely evolution of a common approach between Russia and the US will not only impact positively the course of the Syrian conflict, but will also have implications for many other international issues.
→ read full articleTAPI: A Step Closer to Realization
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Feb 2013
On 7 February 2013, the Indian Cabinet approved the formation of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to study the feasibility and design parameters of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline, originally mooted in 2006.
→ read full articleGandhi’s Death Anniversary: Reflections
Dr. Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Feb 2013
On 30 January 65 years ago Mahatma Gandhi was shot while attending a prayer in New Delhi. Every day he used to attend prayers, which served two purposes: to pray to God for well being of mankind, and to meet visitors and interact with them.
→ read full articleWelcome 2013
Dr. Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Jan 2013
The more we rise in consciousness, the more we see the world as a part of our family. The expansion of the individual consciousness is a certain remedy not only for the individual, but also for the society. When we say the world is our family and think and act in that spirit, most of the problems we confront and call insurmountable will wither away. One does not need to be a genius to understand this simple dictum of life.
→ read full articleThe US Strategy in Asia
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Dec 2012
Besides the New Silk Road idea, Indo-Pacific corridor too has been increasingly finding mention in policy circles in recent months. The corridor as explained by Blake will link South Asian countries including India and Bangladesh to further east through Myanmar and other Southeast Asian countries. The corridor will link South Asia to the Pacific through Southeast Asia.
→ read full articleWar or Peace in the Sahara?
Robin Edward Poulton – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Nov 2012
What Mali needs now is international partners that are ready to study the lessons of the 1990s, and to devise radical actions based on decentralized Malian models that have already been successful.
→ read full article