Water Infrastructure as Commons

Vision & History

Some People got hopes and dreams
Some People got ways and means

– Bob Marley and the Wailers, “Survival”

We have to recognize the fundamental social realities behind our most pressing crises, in order to have any hope of ever facing and dealing with them. Summer 2020 saw a righteous global awakening against structural racial injustice and death. Summer 2021 as well as 2022 terrifying onslaught of floods, drought and killing heat, adding up to an awakening to the imminent disasters – not mere “risks” – of climate catastrophe. As the late, great John Trudell[i]taught us, sometimes it’s in our interests to deal with the things that are in front of us. Yes, let’s. First some new language for new challenges.

The Ukrainian War and a New World Order

The war in Ukraine poses numerous questions: What will be the country’s fate?; what will happen to the Ukrainian people?; will Russia be held accountable?; and what is the U.S.’s role in the war? One question that often goes unasked is: what does the war say about the nature of the international world order?

Iraq targets desert ‘wali’ and braces for impact of possible conflict

Counterterrorism operations in Iraq’s western desert have resulted in the killing of an Islamic State leader as regional tensions rise across the border ahead of a likely Turkish military operation in northern Syria.

Iraq has in recent weeks stepped up counterterrorism operations in its western desert and other areas amid risks of an imminent flare-up of conflict in eastern Syria, with potential repercussions in the regional fight against the Islamic State (IS).

Iran replaces IRGC’s intelligence chief

Taeb’s apparent dismissal comes after Israeli media outlets identified him as masterminding plots against Israeli citizens in Turkey.

Iran has replaced the head of the intelligence unit for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hossein Taeb, the IRGC confirmed on Thursday.

Arabs to Biden: Shut Down Iran’s ‘Expansionist Project’

Ahead of Biden’s visit, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, in a clear message to the US administration and other Western powers, affirmed that any nuclear agreement or future negotiations with Iran must address the Iranians’ “destabilizing behavior in the region, their support for terrorist militias, and their missile program.”

Crises of migrants and refugees–where should homeless millions go?

The history of humankind of the past hundred years have thrown up a gamut of emotions and heart-wrenching crises. An accentuating challenge is the displacement of millions upon millions of peoples throughout the planet. People are forced to flee or migrate from their homeland or places of birth for a variety of reasons. At the international level United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees holds annual consultations with Governments and Non-governmental Organizations to address the worsening crises.

The Geopolitics of the New Cold War

From his first days in office, Joe Biden and his national security advisers seemed determined to revive America’s fading global leadership via the strategy they knew best — challenging the “revisionist powers” Russia and China with a Cold War-style aggressiveness. When it came to Beijing, the president combined the policy initiatives of his predecessors, pursuing Barack Obama’s “strategic pivot” from the Middle East to Asia, while continuing Donald Trump’s trade war with China. In the process, Biden revived the kind of bipartisan foreign policy not seen in Washington since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.

Corne de l’Afrique: une première conférence de paix chinoise au résultat mitigé

La première conférence de paix chinoise pour la Corne de l’Afrique s’est clôturé mardi à Addis-Abeba. Habituellement discrète sur le terrain politique, Pékin a récemment nommé un envoyé spécial pour la région. Les différentes parties se sont accordées sur la résolution commune des conflits dans la région. Malgré cette déclaration d’intention, le sommet qui a duré deux jours, n’a pas rencontré l’engouement espéré par la Chine.