Greenland has long been perceived as a remote and tranquil part of the world, a place where geopolitical storms rarely reach. Yet recent years have shown that even the Arctic’s icy expanses are not insulated from the ambitions of powerful states. The public assertions by President Trump that to the US should acquire Greenland, even…
When 414 of Europe’s most experienced former diplomats, ministers and senior officials speak with one voice, the world ought to listen, and more than the world the EU institutions themselves. The joint statement of the 414, dated 16 October 2025 and titled “From Ceasefire to Peace and Beyond – the EU’s Vital Role”, is more…
The situation in Gaza continues to spring up surprises on us, horrible, inhuman, deadly surprises. The latest, after the relentless bombing and killing of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinian civilians – apparently not innocent enough for the Israeli government, as they may have been dreaming of a free and independent Palestine – is the…
It is Easter again, among the holiest of holidays on the Christian calendar. And this year the two Easters coincide, that of the Western Churches, Catholic and Protestant that is, with that of the Eastern Churches, Orthodox and more. It is also the Jewish Passover, which this year culminates, like the two Easters, on Sunday,…
H.E. The President of the GA* Ambassador Dennis Francis UN New York Your Excellency, As a former UN staff member I participate in an informal Peacemaking Reflection Group (PRG), which follows from our respective locations and situations the work of the UN. Members of the Group welcome and would like to thank you for…
It is broadly accepted that business as usual is not enough to effectively address the urgent global crises confronting humanity today, which range from wars of the traditional, geopolitical kind in Ukraine, Gaza, Yemen, Sudan and many other places to non-military threats like climate change, pandemics, food insecurity, inequalities and a self-serving global financial system….
Historically speaking we, humans, are known for our ability to move, for our ability to migrate and adapt to new environments whatever those may be. Recent technological and economic advances have increased dramatically our ability to travel. These factors are valuable to us as they promote cultural, linguistic, and even economic exchanges. However, for years,…
As the war in Ukraine approaches the one-month mark – (the Russian invasion started on 24 February 2022) – and in view of the escalating destruction and human suffering, plus the potential for a wider confrontation and even nuclear war, the need to put an end to it becomes ever more urgent. This article looks…
As I am writing this article, someone is being infected by the novel coronavirus (Sars-CoV-2) around the world and the statistics of the pandemic are updated and disseminated by some online platforms, such as the Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases, created by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. And in…
