Showing 1 - 4 of 4
Symbols of strength
Life, Stefan Hell, Published on 28/11/2022
» In central locations of three major Asian cities -- Singapore, Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City -- stand bronze elephant statues. If they could talk, these statues could tell of imperialism, civil war, invasion, anti-colonial struggle, independence, nationhood, and more recently of rapid urban and economic development. Perched high up on their plinths, the elephants have witnessed some of the key events in the modernisation and emancipation of Southeast Asia, with all its promises and bloodshed. All three statues were gifts made by Thai kings.
Reinvigorating multilateralism
Oped, Carlos Alvarado Quesada, Jacinda Ardern Stefan Lofven, Cyril Ramaphosa, Macky Sall & Pedro Sanchez, Published on 30/09/2021
» Last year, the United Nations conducted a worldwide consultation involving more than one million people from 193 countries. The feedback pointed to some important facts. And this year's UN General Assembly must respond by bolstering rules-based multilateralism.
Stopping the spread
Life, Stefan Hell, Published on 15/06/2020
» International arrangements to collect and distribute information about diseases are crucial in times of a pandemic because pathogens ignore borders, political order and economic status. Today, states have largely closed their borders in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus. However, for open societies in a global economy, this can only be a temporary measure. A reliable international tracking and reporting system for epidemic diseases remains crucial because the present pandemic is inherently international. In Southeast Asia, we can build on nearly a century of experience in managing such a system.
A seat at the table
Life, Stefan Hell, Published on 08/01/2020
» On Jan 10, 1920, 42 states embarked on a revolutionary experiment. On that day, a radically new organisation came into being via the Treaty of Versailles: the League of Nations. This was the world's first go at creating an international organisation for maintaining peace. One of its founding members was the Kingdom of Siam.