Showing 1 - 10 of 51
A bright spot in global landscape
Oped, John J. Metzler, Published on 02/01/2026
» It's time to consult the crystal snow globe and try to peer ahead to what may be on the horizon for the new year. Without question 2025 has been tumultuous but the year ahead holds cautious promise to finally solve some political crises mixed with some epic events on tap.
A model to keep multilateralism alive and well
News, José Manuel Barroso, Published on 27/12/2025
» Few would deny that there has been a shift away from multilateral cooperation in recent years. As the world becomes more multipolar, geopolitical tensions are hampering efforts to devise common solutions to shared problems, and rising nationalism and fiscal crises within many traditional donor countries are threatening the institutions on which multilateralism depends.
Europe must build its own cloud
News, Robin Berjon, Published on 08/11/2025
» We tend to take for granted the infrastructure on which our economies and societies run -- until something goes wrong. Just ask residents of Spain and Portugal, who were suddenly faced with a total blackout last April, when a series of cascading voltage surges shut down their electricity grids. Both Spain and Portugal are now pursuing massive investments in strengthening their grids' resilience. But citizens should not have to wait until after a disaster strikes for their leaders to commit to investing in critical infrastructure, which nowadays includes cloud services.
UN debate swerves, slides, but scores
Oped, John J Metzler, Published on 01/10/2025
» US President Donald Trump lambasted the United Nations on opening day for its failure to stop global crises in the midst of major regional wars, humanitarian disasters, looming security threats, never mind costly bureaucratic waste. But as the leader of the most prominent and founding UN member state, he then added that the world organisation isn't living up to its potential, and scathingly challenged, "What's the purpose of the United Nations?" The old rebuke, "You can do better!" Sometimes it works.
Info pollution hurts climate fight
News, Lili Fuhr & Stephanie Hankey, Published on 12/06/2025
» The devastation caused by the 2024 flash floods in Valencia, Spain, was so surreal that some images sparked a global debate over their authenticity. In an era when AI technology can produce hyper-realistic fakes, photos showing cars piled haphazardly atop one another in narrow, mud-filled streets seemed almost too shocking to be true. Tragically, these images were all too real.
Where does the blame in Spain lie?
Oped, Ron Bousso, Published on 02/05/2025
» While it may be tempting to blame the unprecedented power outage that hit the Iberian peninsula this week on the rapid growth of wind and solar power in Spain, reliance on renewables is not to blame.
A perilous era of absolute advantage
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 25/04/2025
» If a date had to be pinpointed, the post-Second World War international system came to an unmistakable end on April 2 -- the so-called "Liberation Day" -- when US President Donald Trump announced comprehensive "reciprocal" tariffs to a bewildered global audience. The blatantly protectionist move was equivalent to the United States' abrogation and abandonment of the rules-based international order that it ironically and instrumentally constructed and upheld over nearly eight decades. What comes now is a dangerous era of absolute advantage in global trade, investment, and finance, bent on unilateralism over multilateralism, competition over cooperation, nationalism over interdependence, and the singular quest to dominate and reshape the global pecking order under the rubric of making America "great again".
Will the global economy stall?
News, Eswar Prasad and Caroline Smiltneks, Published on 21/04/2025
» The timing could hardly have been less propitious. Just as the world economy was showing signs of stabilising, the odds of a policy-induced global recession have risen significantly. The latest update to the Brookings-FT Tiger index reveals a mixed picture, with the financial index declining and private-sector confidence crumbling even as macroeconomic data (which lag the other indicators) suggest a more benign scenario.
Games must be more sustainable
News, David Fickling, Published on 30/07/2024
» What's the biggest event at the Olympic Games?