This could so easily have been the best news story in a year when the world seems especially fraught with conflict and misery. The two main signatories of a historic agreement to end the longest war in the western hemisphere, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC rebel leader Rodrigo Londoño, were even being tipped for the Nobel Peace Prize (Santos has since won the award, for his efforts).
Then came the result of the plebiscite on the peace accord – and the devastating realization that 50.2 per cent of Colombian voters had ticked the ‘NO’ box. Our Big Story for this month looks at what happens now to Colombia’s tortuous peace process – and finds reason for hope.
We also pick over two subjects that are in and out of the news with some regularity. The first is the question of a universal basic income – usually seen as ‘a good thing’ on the Left. But is there a destructive agenda at work behind its championing by sections of the Right? And then there’s PrEP, the medication that could drastically cut HIV transmission. Should it be readily available and publicly funded? And for whom?
There’s much more besides – a frontline report from Burma’s drug crisis, the views of Dutch physicians who perform euthanasia, and a fascinating exploration of why commercial competition almost always does a disservice to technical innovation. Lively thinking in sober prose.
Vanessa Baird & Dinyar Godrej for the New Internationalist co-operative.
www.newint.org
Another shock referendum result – this time in Colombia. Tatiana Garavito assesses the chances of ending the longest conflict in the western world.
Rebels talk about the big life changes they are facing. A photo story from a FARC jungle hideout by Marielle van Uitert and Sytske Susie Jellema.
The British-Australian mine of Cerro Matoso has been linked to birth defects, pollution, poverty and paramilitary pay-offs. Daniel Macmillen Voskoboynik investigates.
Organizations around the world that support human rights in Colombia.
Sophie Cousins reports on different approaches to tackling Burma’s drug addiction crisis.
The desirability of a basic income depends on what we are expected to give up in return, writes Nick Dowson.
Isabelle Gerretsen talks to doctors in the Netherlands – where euthanasia is legal – about supporting patients who choose to die.
For all the fancy packaging, many of our gadgets have nothing to do with capitalist success stories. Bob Hughes explains.
A new HIV preventive drug has sparked debate around the globe, as Amy Hall discovers.
The resistance put up against the UK government's cuts by Disabled People Against the Cuts can teach us many lessons, writes Jamie Kelsey-Fry.
Britain’s long-term commitment to nuclear disarmament has been wobbly at best, but things might have to change soon, writes Kjølv Egeland.
The world woke today shocked that Trump won the US Presidential elections. Now is a time for deep reflection, writes Chris Spannos, who also explains why he can relate to Trump voters.
The native-led resistance at Standing Rock has emphasized environmentalism of a different complexion than is typically associated with ecological activism in the United States, writes Mark Engler.
Steve Parry's latest column from the November edition of New Internationalist magazine.
Growing civil unrest in Ethiopia suggests that the ruling party may be beginning to lose its grip on power, Matthew Newsome writes.
Brighton’s young refugees are just one of many groups to enjoy the welcome extended by the club over the years. Amy Hall reports.
Mauritian activists have for 45 years been calling for the closure of Diego Garcia and the right of return for Chagossians, Lindsey Collen reports.
The politician seemingly came out of nowhere, writes Richard Swift.
The group feel a social responsibility to respond to injustice, writes Giedre Steikunaite.
Since the war ended in 1975, bombs have killed or maimed over 20,000 people, many of them children.
The US presidential election is near but young people and grassroots activists have their eyes set on long term transformation. John Tarleton reports.
Finger Chats relies on volunteers and does not charge for sessions. Nimisha Jaiswal reports.
Campaigners hope to stop CETA before it goes through the European Parliament, Amy Hall writes.
An indestructible football; Sacred ‘No-Go’ areas; Land-grabbers defeated
On the matter of decent housing, the government turns a deaf ear to poorer citizens, while bending over backwards to help the wealthy. Lindsey Collen, who penned this column from 2006 to 2007, returns with a one-off letter.
Simon Kneebone's latest cartoon, from the November edition of New Internationalist magazine.
The national government’s prioritizing of the poor and working majority over business elites remains consistent, if less effective – lately with more talk than action.
Sian Griffiths meets a 10-year-old who is already a veteran transgender activist.
Polyp's cartoon from the November edition of New Internationalist magazine.
Highlighting the work of artists and photographers from the Majority World.
Welsh musician and dancer Gwenno Saunders speaks to Amy Hall about her cultural influences, minority languages and singing in Welsh and Cornish on her debut solo album ‘Y Dydd Olaf’.
I, Daniel Blake, directed by Ken Loach; The Innocents, directed and co-written by Anne Fontaine.
Hologram Ĭmparatorluğu (Hologram Empire) by Gaye Su Akyol and Radio International by Kefaya.
The Story of a Brief Marriage, Talking To My Country The History Thieves and others reviewed in this month's New Internationalist magazine.