Subject: This Month: Fractures – Secure Your Spot, Spotlight on Myanmar, and Two Open Calls

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Dear Friend,


We are delighted by the enthusiastic responses and grateful to all who have already registered for Fractures: Internationalist Teach-Ins. We are pleased to let you know that there is still space available to join the series.


The eight-week online programme begins on Wednesday, 30 April, from 16:00–17:30 CEST, and continues through to 18 June.

Register here

Registration remains open, and we encourage you to secure your place soon.


Spotlight on Myanmar


Photo credit: PYO

In the aftermath of the 28 March earthquake, Myanmar faces yet another catastrophe. The military regime’s rare appeal for international aid has been met with widespread distrust. With over four million displaced, ongoing resistance, and relentless attacks on civilians, the people of Myanmar find themselves abandoned, left to survive on their own. Meanwhile, global powers weigh their interests, and the military continues its stranglehold on humanitarian relief.


What lies ahead for Myanmar? Is there any path forward amid the destruction?
Read the latest on Myanmar’s unfolding crisis.

The Disaster Loop

Another catastrophe in Myanmar


The massive earthquake of 7.7 magnitude which struck Myanmar on 28 March is just the latest humanitarian disaster on top of humanitarian disaster to hit the country and its long-suffering peoples under one of the most egregious military regimes in the world. Quakes were also experienced in neighbouring China and Thailand. But the main epicentre was in Mandalay, Magway, Sagaing, Bago and Nay Pyi Taw Regions and parts of Shan State where the most devastating impact was felt. Initial reports spoke of a thousand fatalities but, with communications down and censorship rife, the number of casualties was only expected to rise.


Read more

Myanmar Earthquake

A Call for “Do No Harm” Aid and Action in a Nation Under Siege


The 28 March earthquake highlights a deeper crisis in Myanmar, where natural disasters compound ongoing conflict, repression, poverty, and climate change. In this commentary, Lahkyen Roi outlines the intersecting challenges facing communities and critiques an international response that only activates during emergencies and offers clear recommendations for how global actors can engage effectively—by upholding the principles of humanity, impartiality, and independence to truly support those in need.


Read more

Fear to Enjoy

The Sufferings of the Peoples of Myanmar


The peoples of Myanmar are resilient, with aspirations undimmed for their country despite the challenges they face every day. But in this poignant commentary, Alvina explains how the March earthquake disaster is pushing people to their personal limits, coming in the wake of Covid-19, the 2021 coup, conflict and ever increasing repression under the SAC regime. People are understandably tired, and it is long since time that they deserved a better future. As Alvina asks, "Do we not deserve to be happy like others?"


Read more

The Arakan Army's Struggle for Regional Sovereignty

Imagining A New Future Union


The devastating earthquake which struck Myanmar last week has brought international attention to the civil war and national breakdown in the country at a critical time. The humanitarian emergency is severe, and temporary ceasefires have been called. But distrust of the SAC regime runs deep and popular resistance is determined. In this commentary, Naing Lin analyses the continuing advances made by the Arakan Army and its allies, with the AA now the de facto government in most of Rakhine State. As he asks, could new political models of autonomy and ethnic self-governance be evolving?


Read more

 

The Financialisation of International Investment Law

The landscape of financial profiteering from investor-state dispute settlement claims


A booming financial market has emerged around investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), where hedge funds and litigation financiers fuel costly legal battles for profit. This report uncovers the key actors, tactics, and consequences of financialising international investment law.


Read more

Care, public services and the importance of integrated local public ownership


After decades of austerity and market-led reforms, local public services in many countries are under strain; fragmented, under-resourced, and too often driven by profit rather than public need. In the face of mounting evidence of the failures of privatisation, a growing number of cities and towns are reclaiming control through remunicipalisation. This briefing explores how bringing services back into public hands can help build more integrated, democratic, and caring local economies, and why this shift is essential for creating more resilient and equitable communities.


Read more



Top YouTube picks this month

Phyllis Bennis: Trump, Netanyahu, and the Real Estate Logic of Genocide
The FAR RIGHT Is Winning—and It’s NOT an Accident
Ann Pettifor: How to prevent a global financial crisis
Genocide in Palestine: 4 Tricks Universities Use to Avoid Accountability

Bookshop

The Long Retreat 

Strategies to Reverse the Decline of the Left




Available in the TNI shop €32,95 EUR

 
Buy the book
 
 

Conflicted over Coca

Issue #4: Andean-Amazonian Indigenous Peoples see promise and peril in lifting coca ban

The potential reclassification of the coca leaf in the UN drug control system has sparked debate among Indigenous communities in Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru. Supporters of the WHO's coca review see it as a chance to honor Indigenous rights by removing coca from the 1961 UN narcotics list. However, many local communities, shaped by the challenges of coca's spread in the Andean-Amazonian region, are skeptical. They fear the review could undermine their rights and autonomy rather than benefit them.


Read more

Communities of Resistance

Migrant Organizing and Transnational Campaigning Past and Future

"Rethinking Migration," edited by Bridget Anderson, challenges the narrative framing migration as a problem. The volume emphasizes the need to reframe the migrant question, highlighting its ideological, ethical, and theoretical complexities. Chapter 12, "Communities of Resistance," features TNI's Bríd Brennan, who discusses migrant-led organizing, transnational campaigns, and resistance. She stresses the importance of transnational solidarity and alliances with social movements and trade unions to counter corporate power and drive political and economic change.


Read more

Trump's Favorite Word: Tariffs

In October 2014, Donald Trump called "tariff" the most beautiful word in the dictionary, reflecting global economic volatility. His administration's imposition of substantial tariffs, especially on China, marks a shift in international trade policies. This move signals the end of a 30-year period of free trade policies, with no return to previous conditions, even if some countries negotiate better trade terms in the coming weeks.


Read more

Not far enough – the state of the free trade agreement between Colombia and the United States

On several occasions, Colombian President Gustavo Petro criticized the free trade agreement between Colombia and the United States, arguing that it places Colombian products in unfair competition. However, instead of requesting a complete renegotiation, he opted to reassess a series of clauses on investments and arbitration that he considered "harmful to state security." What led him to abandon his original stance?


Read more

Fighting for Cannabis Policy Reform at the Highest Level

In March 2025, at the 68th Session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Spirit Cottle, a traditional cultivator from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, delivered a statement highlighting the challenges and history behind cannabis cultivation in the Caribbean.


Read more

Open Calls

Challenges and prospects for ‘green’ industrial policy in the Global South

Open call for research papers and summer school

The Global Green Industrial Policy Lab invites young researchers from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean to submit original research on just, ecological industrial policy grounded in the realities of the Global South. Selected proposals will receive funding, mentorship, and the opportunity to present at a summer school in South Africa.


Deadline for submission of proposals: May 30, 2025


Read more

Call for essays on fascism and the Right for State of Power 2026 report

The Transnational Institute (TNI)  is issuing an open call for essays, accessible papers, infographics and artistic collaborations for its annual State of Power report to be launched in January 2026. The focus for our 14th edition is on fascism and the far-right. 


Deadline for 1-2 page pitches: 2 June 2025


Read more

Watch back: Key discussions & debates

The Hague Group Initiative: The Gaza Genocide and the way forward for Asia-Pacific
 

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