As Colombia approaches presidential elections next year, the US decision to decertify the country in the war on drugs plays into the hands of its allies on the political right, writes NICK MacWILLIAM

AS THE United Nations climate summit once again failed to deliver any realistic finance to help developing countries deal with the impact of the worsening climate emergency, 144 countries face the worst debt crisis in history.
The fact that there are 193 UN recognised sovereign countries illustrates the depth of the debt crisis facing the beleaguered global South.
A report earlier this year by the campaign group Debt Relief International for Norwegian Church Aid (DRI) shows that repaying the debt is absorbing 41.5 per cent of budget revenues, 41.6 per cent of spending, and 8.4 per cent of gross domestic product on average across the 144 developing countries.

ROGER McKENZIE argues that the BRI represents a choice between treating humans as commodities or as equals — an essential project when, aside from China’s efforts, hundreds of millions worldwide are trapped in poverty

The colonial mindset behind the governance of the UN is the reason for its inertia when it comes to conflict resolution, argues ROGER McKENZIE – but can China’s Global Governance Initiative point in a new direction of global equality?