Articles by Chandra Muzaffar
We found 80 results.
The UN General Assembly Drags Israel to the World Court
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
9 Jan 2023
4 Jan 2023 – The UNGA voted last week to refer Israel to the ICC (World Court) for its ongoing violation of the right of the Palestinian people in the occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza. Before we analyse the significance of the vote, let us probe the actual voting pattern.
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Looking Back on 2022: Ukraine and the Rest of the Story
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
2 Jan 2023
26 Dec 2022 – As 2022 draws to a close, the world bears the tragic burden of the war in Ukraine and there is nothing to indicate that it will end any time soon. Thousands have perished. A huge number of people have been injured and maimed. Both Russian and Ukrainian prisoners have been subjected to torture.
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Postpone Enforcement of CPTPP
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
5 Dec 2022
29 Nov 2022 – A postponement of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership is necessary because it impinges on our sovereignty and affects the ability of Malaysia to protect its workers and people. If a dispute arouse, a decision by an international arbitration panel would be final; our local courts would have no say.
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Please Endorse Our Call for Global Peace
Chandra Muzaffar, Richard Falk and Joseph Camilleri – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Oct 2022
26 Sep 2022 – This call prepared by the undersigned has been endorsed by 38 individuals from a wide array of nationalities across the globe. They are mainly public intellectuals and activists who have been involved in a variety of causes over the years. We have shared our call with the U.N Secretary General, as well as with other leaders involved directly in the Ukraine and Taiwan Crises, and with those who have tried to mediate.
→ read full articleMyanmar: Executing Dissent
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 Aug 2022
30 Jul 2022 – Since staging a coup against the democratically elected government on 1 Feb 2021, the Myanmar military–the Tatmadaw–has become increasingly brutal and desperate. It killed more than 1,500 protesters including at least 44 children.
→ read full articleUkraine: End War. Lift Sanctions.
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Jul 2022
11 Jul 2022 – NATO’s hardline position on expansion and membership is further reinforced by a motive which has become more obvious in the course of the war. Some members of NATO and the US leadership are keen to exploit the war to emasculate Russia as a military power. This is why they would like to prolong the war.
→ read full articleNakba – To Strive for Justice till Liberation
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
16 May 2022
14 May 2022 – Today is Nakba–the day that Palestinians remember as the Great Catastrophe when the illegitimate entity called Israel was formally established on Palestinian land. It was the beginning of the dispossession of the Palestinian people which has continued for the last 74 years.
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Uprising in Pakistan–Its Significance for the World
Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
2 May 2022
20 Apr 2022 – Dr. Chandra Muzaffar, president of JUST, on the current political crisis in Pakistan circa 2022.
→ read full articleUkraine: Understanding the Concern of the Other
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Feb 2022
25 Feb 2022 – Bluntly put, Moscow has now been provoked to act since Washington was not willing to use diplomacy. Moscow’s response is perfectly understandable and rational. Cuba 60 years ago is relevant to the present situation. Just as the US did not want Russian missiles at its doorstep, Russia does not want overwhelming Western military power at its gate today.
→ read full articleGoading China to Go to War
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Dec 2021
28 Nov 2021- A number of defence analysts are convinced that the United States of America, supported by Britain and Australia, is goading China to go to war over Taiwan. They point to constant statements by officials from the three countries pledging to come to Taiwan’s defence.
→ read full articleThe Pandora Papers–Why Such Passivity?
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Oct 2021
18 Oct 2021 – It is disappointing that the Malaysian government has chosen to adopt a passive approach to the Pandora Papers. Leaving it to the police to investigate may suggest that the government is not prepared to assume leadership in setting the moral tone for society.
→ read full articleHumiliating Defeat in Afghanistan
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
30 Aug 2021
26 Aug 2021 – The Western media is full of news about people fleeing Kabul in the wake of the Taliban victory. These visuals serve to divert attention from another reality: the humiliating defeat suffered by the US and its allies after a 20-year occupation of Afghanistan. It was an occupation that devoured US 2.26 trillion dollars. At its height it employed 775,000 US service personnel. The US and its NATO allies had at their command some of the world’s most lethal and sophisticated weapons.
→ read full articleCovid 19 Crisis: Questions and Motives
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Jul 2021
16 Jul 2021 – A discourse on Covid 19 and its solutions would benefit from a willingness to listen and even learn from the views of the other. An inclusive rather than an exclusive attitude which accommodates the other would strengthen the discourse. An adherence to scientific methodology would be of immense help. Respect for empirical evidence would also be an asset.
→ read full articleOur Humanity – Our Identity
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 May 2021
1 May 2021 – Identity politics has been on the ascendancy in many parts of the world in the last few decades. Its relationship to ethnicity, culture and religion is what concerns us at this point. To understand this relationship one has to consider the context. We should also try to explain the impact of identity politics upon religion itself.
→ read full articleRamsey Clark, One of the Greatest
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Apr 2021
On the 9th of April 2021, Ramsey Clark passed away in the States. He was ninety four. The former US Attorney-General had spent decades in the struggle for human rights. In this short tribute, I have chosen to highlight some of his outstanding achievements. At some point in the future, one hopes that some better qualified person will analyse in depth his impact upon American society and global politics.
→ read full articleSyria: The Price of Resistance
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
22 Mar 2021
20 Mar 2021 – Few nations in recent decades have been targeted by a superpower the way the USA has subjected Syria to various forms of attack. Apart from military assaults and acts of political subversion aimed at overthrowing the government in Damascus, the US has also imposed crippling economic sanctions upon Syria.
→ read full articleWinning Votes through Identity Politics
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 Feb 2021
4 Feb 2021 – Donald Trump obtained a little over 74 million votes in the 2020 presidential election losing to Joseph Biden who secured a little over 81 million. What explains Trump’s performance? An analysis may reveal the growing influence of a certain combination of forces that may shape elections in not only the United States but also in other parts of the world in the coming years.
→ read full articleRCEP Augurs Hope
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Nov 2020
18 Nov 2020 – In the mist of the gloom generated by the twin health and economic crises, the birth of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is a ray of light. More than a million lives have been lost worldwide as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, there is massive unemployment, and entire societies have been devastated.
→ read full articleDéjà Vu in France: Change Attitudes
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
2 Nov 2020
1 Nov 2020 – As events unfold in France centering around Islamophobia, there is a feeling of déjà vu. We have witnessed a few times before this sequence of events. There is some provocation or other targeting the Prophet Muhammad initiated by a non-Muslim group or institution. Predictably, Muslims react.
→ read full articleMalaysia: A Clear Direction for the Present
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Oct 2020
11 Oct 2020 – If the five proposals made here and other similar ideas are implemented within the next 6 to 9 months, it is quite conceivable that the nation will be able to concentrate upon tackling the Covid challenge and the current economic woes.
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Swami Agnivesh (21 Sep 1939 – 11 Sep 2020): A Tribute
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
21 Sep 2020
Abhorrent institutions and systems have co-existed with religions for millennia. Slavery and racism would be two such examples. Religion should cease to provide the cloak of legitimacy to such blatant wrongdoings including ‘Casino Capitalism’ in our age, Agnivesh insisted. Only then will faith in the Divine, belief in the Almighty, become a conduit for the expression of justice, compassion, love and other such virtues.
→ read full articleChina and the Decline of US Power
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Aug 2020
23 Aug 2020 – In examining the interface between the US and China, I shall begin with those areas of conflict where the latter has surpassed the former. This will be followed by reflections on manifestations of US power which are not as formidable as they are made out to be. Conclusions will be drawn from these two categories on the emerging pattern of global power.
→ read full articleBeirut Blast
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar - TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Aug 2020
9 Aug 2020 – Lebanese president Michel Aoun attributes the largest explosion since WWII to either the accidental ignition of 2750 tons of Ammunition Nitrate stored in a warehouse at Beirut port or a planned attack by some external entity. There may be a nexus between the two causes.
→ read full articleA Superpower in Chaos
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 Jun 2020
2 Jun 2020 – Minneapolis could not have happened at a worse time for the US elites. While violence perpetrated against African Americans by White police officers has happened a number of times before, its occurrence right in the midst of a huge health emergency that has already claimed more than a 100,000 lives and a related massive economic disaster that has robbed 30 million people of their jobs, is truly unprecedented.
→ read full articleVenezuela: An Invasion in the Midst of a Pandemic
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
11 May 2020
Cuba, like Venezuela, is also the victim of all-encompassing economic sanctions initiated and imposed by the US. It is remarkable that in spite of the sanctions, both Cuba and Venezuela have managed to protect their people in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Indeed they have done a million times better than the nation that has punished them with sanctions which incidentally has the highest number of fatalities and infections in the world.
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The Coronavirus Crisis: A Plea to Pause and Ponder
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | JUST - TRANSCEND Media Service,
11 May 2020
1 May 2020 – A Sharing by Dr. Chandra Muzaffar, president of the International Movement for a Just World (JUST)
→ read full articleThe International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the Rohingyas
Chandra Muzaffar | JUST – TRANSCEND Media Service,
27 Jan 2020
26 Jan 2020 – The ICJ Order to the Government of Myanmar to protect the Rohingya community from “physical destruction” and to prevent all acts within Article 11 of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide including killing members of the group and imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group” is a decision of tremendous significance.
→ read full articleOn The Brink of War?
Chandra Muzaffar | JUST – TRANSCEND Media Service,
13 Jan 2020
8 Jan 2020 – Are we on the brink of a Third World War? There are signs that demand that we ask this question. Three clusters of signs compel us to probe a question that could well determine the future of our civilisation.
→ read full articleThe Coup That Ousted Morales
Chandra Muzaffar | JUST – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Nov 2019
In this regard, just before he was ousted, Morales, it is reported, decided to partner with Chinese firms to develop Bolivia’s lithium deposits since Western mining companies were not prepared to comply with the terms that the Bolivian government laid out. For Morales, the exploitation of lithium had to benefit the Bolivian people before anyone else. Western companies and the US elite saw the Bolivian president as a hurdle. They were convinced that Morales had to go.
→ read full articleKashmir: Self-Determination Is the Solution
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Oct 2019
26 Oct 2019 – It appears that the abrogation of Article 370 will only perpetuate the violence and the bloodshed associated with one of the longest political conflicts in modern times.
→ read full articleIran: Neither Military Action nor Economic Sanctions
Chandra Muzaffar | JUST – TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Sep 2019
21 Sep 2019 – It would be utterly immoral of the United States to launch a military attack upon Iran if it is true that one of the missiles that destroyed an oil refinery in Saudi Arabia on 14 Sep 2019 had a casing bearing a number that suggested that the weapon was manufactured for NATO forces. The picture of the missile was inadvertently supplied to the media by the Saudi Defence Ministry. A theory that has emerged in the wake of the picture is that the assault on the oil refineries in Saudi’s Eastern Province could have been a false flag operation initiated by John Bolton.
→ read full articleConcealing the Truth
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
9 Sep 2019
4 Sep 2019 – Concealing the truth from the people is not unusual in politics. It is perhaps more pronounced in global politics partly because it is more difficult to hold powerful global actors accountable. Might Is Right is an adage that rings true at the international level more than in the domestic arena.
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A Man of Courage
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Aug 2019
Paul Findley, one of the most remarkable Congressmen that the US House of Representatives had produced since the Second World War, passed away on the 9th of August 2019. He was 98 years old.
→ read full articleWhite Supremacy
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Aug 2019
5 Aug 2019 – White Supremacism is a belief that whites are superior to others and have a right to dominate them. There were elements of such thinking in a “manifesto” posted online allegedly written by the suspected killer, a 21-year-old white who justified his massacre as a response “to the Hispanic invasion of Texas” and making references to Christchurch (New Zealand) where a white gunman killed 51 mosque worshippers in March.
→ read full articleStifling the Amman Message
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
15 Jul 2019
14 Jul 2019 – In the case of the aborted Amman Message Seminar in Malaysia, since names and identities are known, and as one of the three organisers of the seminar, the International Movement for a Just World (JUST) would like to know what action has been taken against the individual and group that threatened to bomb the venue. The public has a right to know.
→ read full articleInvestigate Morsi’s Death
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 Jul 2019
27 Jun 2019 – It is imperative that a credible inquiry is conducted at once under the aegis of the UN. Because it is alleged that when he collapsed in court, no medical attention was accorded to Morsi for about 20 minutes, various quarters including his family have accused the authorities in Egypt of conspiring to murder him.
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MH 17: Charging Individuals on the Basis of a Deeply Flawed Investigation
Chandra Muzaffar and Tan Sri Norian Mai – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Jun 2019
21 Jun 2019 – The International Movement for a Just World and the Perdana Global Peace Foundation share Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s skepticism about Russia’s culpability in the shooting down of MH17 on 17July 2014. The Dutch-led joint investigation team has not produced solid evidence that the four suspects it named are guilty. Dr.Mahathir is right when he argues that from the very beginning there was a political script in place to put the blame on Russia.
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Tightening the Noose on Cuba
Chandra Muzaffar - TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Jun 2019
In dealing with US sanctions against Cuba we have to go beyond merely criticising or condemning them. The time has come to decide whether unilateral sanctions by any one nation or a group of nations against another nation or a group of nations should be tolerated at all. Shouldn’t we prohibit unilateral sanctions of this sort?
→ read full articleTargeting Iran
Chandra Muzaffar - TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 May 2019
18 May 2019 – How and why Saudi and Israeli elite interests and ambitions are intertwined in the US push against Iran is not highlighted in the media; only a small fraction of the public understands the escalation of tensions in West Asia. It is largely because the media conceals and camouflages the truth. Or as Malcolm X once put it, “If you are not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.”
→ read full articleChina’s Belt and Road Initiative: Towards a Just World?
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 May 2019
1 May 2019 – As globalization’s third wave, One Belt One Road-OBOR is opposed to hegemony. The Chinese leadership sees relationships among OBOR states as a partnership. This was put to the test in the East Coast Rail Link issue which saw Malaysia objecting to various terms of the agreement forged between a Chinese company and the previous Malaysian government that were clearly detrimental to the nation’s interests.
→ read full articleSri Lanka and New Zealand: The Real Link
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 Apr 2019
24 Apr 2019 – There are voices — among them from the Sri Lankan government — that are saying that the carnage in Sri Lanka was revenge by a local extremist Muslim group, the National Thowheeth Jama’ath for the massacre of Muslim worshippers at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand by a White supremacist on the 15th of March 2019.
→ read full articleA Morally Right Decision
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Jan 2019
23 Jan 2019 – The decision of the Malaysian government not to allow Israelis to enter the country to participate in the World Para Swimming Championships is both politically correct and morally right. That Malaysia has no diplomatic relations with Israel provides the political rationale for our stand. It is within the context of the BDS movement that we should view our own boycott of Israeli swimmers.
→ read full articleThe Uighur Question: A Civil Society Solution
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Jan 2019
4 Jan 2019 – It is in Beijing’s interest to resolve the Uighur issue in such a manner that the identity and dignity of the Uighurs and other minorities in Xinjiang are protected and enhanced. If injustices against Uighurs real or perceived are allowed to fester much longer, it may erode China’s standing among Muslim majority countries. This is especially so since the Hui, Muslims among the majority Han people, it is alleged, are also now being targeted by the authorities.
→ read full articleSyria: Trump Pulling Out
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
31 Dec 2018
24 Dec 2018 – Suppressing the independence and sovereignty of the Syrian nation — and not combating terrorism – was the real reason behind the active intervention and involvement of numerous actors from within and without the region in the 7-year Syrian conflict. Simply put, the aim was to oust Bashar, the protector of Syrian sovereignty, to achieve regime change in pursuit of the US-Israeli agenda of perpetuating their hegemony. Trump realised even before he became President that he would not be able to achieve this. Hence, his troop withdrawal.
→ read full articleThe Significance of Human Duties and Responsibilities
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Dec 2018
As we observe the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UNGA on the 10th of December 1948, it is imperative that we remind ourselves of the vital importance of Human Duties and Responsibilities in the life of a society. There is a profound link between rights, on the one hand, and duties and responsibilities, on the other. It is a link that is acknowledged in almost every religious philosophy.
→ read full articleASEAN: Trade Wars and ZOPFAN
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Nov 2018
20 Nov 2018 – The current trade war was triggered by Donald Trump raising tariffs on Chinese goods and the Chinese government retaliating. If it is prolonged and escalates, it may generate consequences that will go beyond trade. There may be serious implications for global politics and security. ZOPFAN-Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality’s simple goal is “to keep Southeast Asia free from any form or manner of interference by outside powers.”
→ read full articleA New Imperial Power?
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 Oct 2018
23 Oct 2018 – Is China a new imperial power threatening some of the developing economies in Asia and Africa? This is a perception that is being promoted through the media by certain China watchers in universities and think tanks mainly in the West, various politicians and by a segment of the global NGO community.
→ read full articleIsrael’s Criminal Behaviour
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Aug 2018
1 Aug 2018 – The violent assault upon a number of unarmed passengers on board Al Awda, a ship bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza has exposed yet again the hideous face of Israeli occupation. 20 out of the 22 passengers were initially detained in the Givon prison in Israel.
→ read full articleIsrael: An American-Russian Protectorate?
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
30 Jul 2018
Some sections of the Zionist-linked media in particular are suggesting that as a result of the Helsinki Summit, Israel has now become “a joint American-Russian protectorate”. The media conference that Trump and Putin addressed, according to these sources, underscored this. There is absolutely no truth to this claim.
→ read full articleThe Assault on Agnivesh
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Jul 2018
18 Jul 2018 – It is a shame that intolerance and aggressive bigotry of this sort is gathering momentum in parts of India. It has been facilitated according to certain sources by the increasing legitimization of a narrow notion of religious identity which in a sense is a travesty of the universalism and inclusiveness of the Hindu faith.
→ read full articleThe Trust Deficit and the BN Defeat in Malaysia
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
21 May 2018
9th May will be remembered as the day when the multi-ethnic population of a country ousted the world’s longest ruling coalition through the ballot-box in a peaceful atmosphere without a drop of blood. This is unique in emerging democracies in the Global South. It makes one proud to be a Malaysian.
→ read full articleStriking Syria: The Real Reasons
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Apr 2018
16 Apr 2018 – Is it because the so-called evidence was obtained from dubious sources — such as the terrorist group, Jaish al- Islam which was fighting the Assad government and in control of parts of Douma on the 7th of April? Were the White Helmets, a fake civil defence outfit established by British intelligence and funded by both Britain and the US yet another supplier of ‘evidence’? Or as it has happened on numerous occasions in the past, was the ‘evidence’ generated by Mossad, Israel’s intelligence network, in pursuit of its own nefarious agenda?
→ read full articleThe Geopolitics of Targeting Russia
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Mar 2018
The aim is clear. It is to compel Moscow to submit to the hegemonic power of the Washington elite. Anyone who has a rudimentary understanding of Russian history knows that this will not happen. Russia will continue to resist. And Russian resistance may well hold the key to a different future for humankind.
→ read full articleWest Asia in Flux: Connecting the Dots
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Feb 2018
18 Feb 2018 – A series of events linked to West Asia in the last nine months has brought to the surface the under-currents and cross-currents in the region’s perennial struggle between occupation and hegemony, on the one hand, and resistance and liberation, on the other. It is crucial to understand how these events are related to one another, to connect the dots, as it were, in our attempt to make sense of what is unfolding in the world’s most strategic – and most dangerous — region.
→ read full articleThe Incarceration of Tariq Ramadan — A Travesty of Justice
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Feb 2018
16 Feb 2018 – The unjust incarceration of Dr Tariq Ramadan, Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford University, demeans and disgraces the French legal system.
→ read full articleThe Jerusalem Vote and the US-Israel Link
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 Jan 2018
1 Jan 2018 – the US-Israel link has not been able to achieve its goal of enhancing the “security” of Israel. The defeat of this diabolical link in the UN on 21 Dec merely underlines this fact. It should embolden all of us to accelerate our struggle for a just world.
→ read full articleWhy the Istanbul Declaration Must Succeed
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Dec 2017
18 Dec 2017 – The Istanbul Declaration adopted at an Extraordinary Islamic Summit Conference in Istanbul on the 13th of December 2017 invites “the whole world to recognise East Jerusalem as the occupied capital of the State of Palestine.” It further pledges to ‘mobilize support in the name of entire humanity to strengthen the State of Palestine and its institutions in every field.”
→ read full articleRawda and Combatting Terrorism
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Dec 2017
27 Nov 2017 – Terrorist attacks have a long history in Egypt. They have become worse since the overthrow of Egypt’s first democratically elected president, Dr. Mohammed Morsi, in 2013. Daesh or groups affiliated to it have been targeting local tribes and Christian churches.
→ read full articleYemen: End Blockade, Avert Famine
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
13 Nov 2017
13 Nov 2017 – The government of Saudi Arabia had imposed a total blockade of all Yemen’s seaports, airports and land crossings on the 6th of November 2017. The only institution that is in some position to bring everyone to the negotiating table is the UN; specifically Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who has been deeply concerned about the tragedy from the time he assumed office on the 1st of January 2017.
→ read full articleThe Assertion of Identity
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Nov 2017
While the media gives a lot of coverage to an event or action connected with the phenomenon — a referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan or a vote in the Catalonian parliament — the reasons that explain the assertion of identity are seldom analysed in depth. The unique characteristics of the assertion of identity in a specific instance and why it is different from another similar episode elsewhere are hardly discussed in the popular media.
→ read full articleRohingyas — Jihadists?
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Sep 2017
The way Aung San Suu Kyi and her government colleagues have framed the clashes ignores the brutal massacres committed by the military over a long period of time. The oppression and persecution of the Rohingyas by the State and other forces has been thoroughly documented by the United Nations Human Rights Council and other independent human rights groups.
→ read full articleThe Bilateral Relationship That Matters
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
31 Jul 2017
Which is the most important bilateral relationship in the international arena today? Many analysts would argue that it is the relationship between the United States of America and China that has the greatest significance for the world.
→ read full articleTrump, Israel and Saudi Arabia — Targeting Iran
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
5 Jun 2017
29 May 2017 – In the wake of President Donald Trump’s visit to West Asia, is there even a faint glimmer of hope for peace in the most conflict-ridden region of the world? Or, has his visit to Saudi Arabia and Israel from the 20th to the 23rd of May 2017 only strained the region’s undercurrents of friction and tension? Some reflections on areas of conflict in West Asia may throw a bit of light.
→ read full articleFasting for Palestinian Justice and Dignity
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 May 2017
27 May 2017 – Today is the first day of Ramadan. Muslims in many parts of the world begin their month-long fast today. Most of them are not aware that 1500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are on a hunger strike that began almost six weeks ago.
→ read full articleKorea: Leading to War?
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 May 2017
Given the gravity of the situation, ASEAN could perhaps have been a little more proactive. It should have rejected any military solution and argued for a negotiated diplomatic settlement of the conflict. For negotiations to begin there will have to be some preliminary gestures from both sides. North Korea should suspend all nuclear and missile tests while the US and South Korea should halt their joint military exercises.
→ read full articleThe G[e]assing Game in Syria: Regime Change and Beyond
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Apr 2017
Given conflicting accounts, an independent international inquiry should be conducted to determine what really happened on 4 April. The members of the panel should comprise credible experts who are not citizens of any of the five permanent member states of the UN Security Council. The UN Secretary-General should appoint the panel.
→ read full articleApartheid Israel
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
27 Mar 2017
In its conclusion, the Falk-Tilley report establishes, “on the basis of scholarly inquiry and overwhelming evidence that Israel is guilty of the crime of apartheid.” It then proposes that an international tribunal examine the report and make an assessment that will be truly authoritative. If such an authoritative assessment concurs with the finding of the report, the UN and its agencies, regional outfits and national governments should act.
→ read full articleMalaysia and the Question of North Korea
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
13 Mar 2017
10 Mar 2017 – The Malaysian government has done the right thing in keeping the channels of communication with the North Korean Government open. It wants an amicable resolution of the friction arising from the murder of Kim Jong-Nam, the elder brother of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Un. The North Korean government has also adopted a positive stance.
→ read full articleParis: A Dastardly Act of Terror
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Jan 2015
Was some group sending a warning to the elite that it should not have supported Palestine’s recent failed bid to obtain an independent sovereign state? Was that group the master-mind behind 7th January? Questions of this sort strengthen the case for an independent investigation preferably by the UN.
→ read full articleProsecute the Torturers!
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
22 Dec 2014
The US elite did the right thing by revealing the dark side of its torture programme. But we must remember that the US commands enormous global power, especially global military power. With massive power come huge responsibilities. It is in the realm of the responsibilities that it has failed miserably. And its torture program is just one of the many examples of its failure to act responsibly
→ read full articleMH 17: Why Is Malaysia Not Part of the Probe?
Chandra Muzaffar - TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Nov 2014
Why is Malaysia not in the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the MH 17 crash of July 17 2014? Our participation in the investigation will at least help to check any attempt to conceal or camouflage the real story behind one of the most heinous crimes in recent times.
→ read full articleThe Truth about the IS
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 Sep 2014
Many of those who have condemned the Islamic State (IS) do not want to know how this terrorist outfit came into being in the first instance. It is a direct consequence of the Anglo-American invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003.
→ read full articleThe Gaza Massacre: The Underlying Motives
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
21 Jul 2014
Massacre has become a habit. Every two or three years, Israel launches a massive military assault upon largely unarmed Palestinians in Gaza. Every time, Israel claims the moral high ground for its brutal, barbaric action. It blames Hamas, an important component of the Palestinian liberation movement, for the present cycle of violence.
→ read full articleThe Malaysian Link to Terror in Syria
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Jul 2014
We are told that they see themselves as “jihadis” who are fighting for an Islamic cause. A lot of Malaysian Muslims may also harbor some of the misconceptions and prejudices which impelled some of these jihadis to take the road to Damascus.
→ read full articleThe Syria Deal: Dangers and Opportunities
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Sep 2013
Commentators tell us that there is a palpable sense of relief in Damascus and in other parts of Syria in the wake of the Russia-US deal over Syria’s chemical weapons. The citizens of Damascus — the world’s oldest, continuously inhabited city — know that they will not be bombed for the time being.
→ read full articleThe Trans Pacific Partnership: Be Cautious
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 Jul 2013
The US already has 320,000 troops in the Pacific region. That is the military arm of Pacific Power. The TPP is designed to secure the economic dimension of Pacific Power.
→ read full articleMalaysia Supported UN General Assembly Resolution on Syria
Chandra Muzaffar - CounterCurrents,
3 Jun 2013
The UN resolution also revealed its bias by recognizing the Syrian National Coalition “as the effective interlocutor needed for a political transition.” That the SNC is just one of many groups in a highly fragmented opposition and commands very little support within Syria itself is conveniently glossed over. Imposing the SNC upon the Syrian people in this manner is a clumsy attempt to effect a regime change of sorts.
→ read full articleGood Terrorist, Bad Terrorist
Chandra Muzaffar, Countercurrents – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Feb 2013
There is terrorism that is condoned and terrorism that is condemned by Western powers and other states. If violence serves their interests, it is acceptable. If it doesn’t, the militants are targeted. In other words, there are ‘good terrorists’ and ‘bad terrorists’.
→ read full articleThe China Japan Dispute Over Diaoyu Islands: Historical Analysis
Chandra Muzaffar – Global Research,
1 Oct 2012
It is not a coincidence that the Japanese Right has become more vocal— especially vis-a-vis China— at a time when the United States is seeking to re-assert its presence and its power in the Asia-Pacific region. Even on the Diaoyu dispute, the US government, while professing to remain neutral, has through the Pentagon made it clear that the Japan-US Security Treaty would come into force in the event of a military conflict between Japan and China.
→ read full articleWorsening Trends in Global Arms Transfers
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
9 Apr 2012
Translating it into reality we realise is a monumental challenge which goes beyond the cessation of the production and consumption of conventional weapons. But let the citizens of the world at least demand that those who rule in their name put disarmament on the global agenda as an urgent item that requires immediate attention.
→ read full article