Showing 1 - 10 of 45
A Faustian bargain for the Global South
Oped, Published on 05/08/2025
» US President Donald Trump's tariff policies have unleashed global economic turmoil and a wave of protectionist measures. While many of his frequently changing tariffs may prove short-lived, their use as geopolitical weapons is poised to reshape international trade for years to come.
Can financing for development talks succeed?
Oped, Published on 17/06/2025
» It is easy to be pessimistic about multilateralism nowadays. Recent international gatherings have yielded only unfulfilled promises. At a time when US President Donald Trump is abandoning America's international commitments, rejecting multilateral initiatives, and sowing chaos and confusion in global trade, can the Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) at the end of this month go any better?
Donor funding crisis goes global
News, Published on 21/05/2025
» Towards the end of the ancient Indian epic the Mahabharata, Krishna's Yadava clan self-destructs. Many dark omens presage their downfall: nature behaves erratically and pests multiply. Sin, deception, and violence proliferate, eroding trust and solidarity. Clan members humiliate and insult wise elders. When Krishna's extended family goes on a picnic, the men get drunk, argue, and attack each other, until eventually all of them are dead.
Global South will pay for trade war
Oped, Published on 22/04/2025
» US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs have unleashed economic chaos, roiling stock and bond markets and triggering panic around the world, especially in lower-income countries that rely heavily on exports to the United States. The result could be an entirely manufactured global recession, with the developing world bearing the brunt.
Will the United Nations survive Trump 2.0?
Oped, Published on 22/03/2025
» Of all the geopolitical stunts Donald Trump has pulled since returning to the White House, the United States' votes at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on March 4 stand out as some of the most revealing.
Weaponising data against democracy
News, Published on 17/02/2025
» For those who have witnessed the shock-and-awe tactics of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the past decade, the events unfolding in the United States since Donald Trump returned to the White House evoke a sense of déjà vu. In India, we have learned the hard way: authoritarian leaders are often far more dangerous in their second term than in their first.
Time to decommodify electricity
Oped, Published on 05/02/2025
» The international community has long recognised the urgent need to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and shift to renewable energy, and in recent years many governments have pledged to reach net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions, albeit over extremely long timeframes. But they will never get there so long as they treat electricity, which is central to the clean-energy transition, like any other market good.
New IMF debt deal needs a rejig
Oped, Published on 03/10/2024
» Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lanka's president, recently lost his re-election bid after voters overwhelmingly rejected the debt-restructuring deals he negotiated with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other creditors. Instead, Sri Lankans elected Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the left-wing National People's Power (NPP) alliance and a vocal critic of IMF-imposed austerity measures, who has vowed to renegotiate the country's agreement with the fund.
Saving the planet from the plastic menace
News, Published on 16/09/2024
» There is no denying that plastics have delivered tremendous benefits over the past century. But as we now know, this progress has come at great cost.
Lessons from Bangladesh's recent uprising
News, Published on 19/08/2024
» The popular insurrection that ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League government offers important lessons for the international community. While the unrest was undoubtedly fuelled by the regime's repressive and increasingly anti-democratic tactics, the underlying causes of public discontent are often overlooked.