Global Challenges
Development & Aid
Climate change and economic “stagflation” threaten the very future of our planet. ++ The only way to solve these challenges is to act globally. ++ Essentially, to resolve the food crisis, export restrictions need to be lifted …More
The recently adopted UN resolution 1820 finally recognized rape as a threat to international peace and security. ++ It recognized emotional, physical, and financial damages not only to the individuals and but to the whole communities and underlined the …More
Rising demand for foodstuffs and the biofuel craze are causing an agricultural crisis requiring a significant increase in productivity. ++ Yet for this to succeed, the reasonable and efficient use of water needs to be urgently …More
Surprisingly, it is some of the fastest developing countries such as China and India, that are slowing down the Doha development talks. ++ Protectionism in one country triggers a chain reaction that blocks free trade in several …More
“Many of the world’s necessary interventions in the decade before the invasion - in places like Haiti and the Balkans - would seem impossible in today’s climate.” ++ In the wake of the Burmese cyclone, the strength of totalitarian …More
The decrease of large scale commercial agriculture in Africa and the loss of productivity in Asia are partly responsible for the critical need for worldwide food assistance. ++ A solution to the crisis requires both huge …More
Almost two-thirds of humanity live in high-income or high-growth countries, while the remaining two billion live in countries with stagnant, or declining incomes. ++ The main increase in global population expected by 2050 will occur in countries …More
Providing food to starving populations - currently under discussion at the summit on the global food crisis in Rome - is less of a challenge than the problem of raising the world’s agricultural productivity in the long term. ++ …More
Marek Swierczynski: Now the Lisbon Treaty is almost over and done with, the EU is encouraged to look south- and eastwards. Initiatives by France and a Polish-Swedish team aim at creating buffer-spaces between the EU and unstable regions, but could create tensions that challenge the bloc’s unity. …More
The global food crisis is not a natural catastrophe, but a man-made one. ++ The nexus between high energy and food prices is unlikely to be broken, and will be exacerbated by climate change. ++ To ensure that the poor do not suffer, a …More
Last month’s devastating earthquake in Sichuan has taught the Chinese a very important lesson, namely the importance of civil society. ++ The outpouring of foreign and local aid accompanied by a plethora of new philanthropic websites and aid …More
Responsibility and emergency to act in Burma cannot be doubted but UN legitimacy is lacking and R2P stands for “responsibility to protect,” not “right to invade.” ++ Any action requires “a careful, informed calculation of the likely …More
The earthquake in Sichuan may be remembered as a milestone in the Chinese “peaceful evolution” toward capitalism and democracy. ++ Private Chinese donations have already raised more than $500 million. ++ That kind of bottom-up public …More
Without a coordinated international response to the humanitarian crisis in Burma, the death toll could expand exponentially. ++ French Minister of Foreign Affairs Bernard Kouchner controversially suggested that given the responsibility to …More
Despite the determination of Burma’s military rulers to prevent foreign interference in fear of losing its grip on power, the international community has a moral obligation to deliver aid to cyclone-stricken civilians by all means …More
Daphne Wolf: Small and local aid agencies are best equipped to help the victims of cyclone Nargis because they are already operating on the ground. Donations to these agencies are more effective since big aid organizations are still struggling to access the affected areas. …More
Burma’s despots are politicizing the crisis, blocking foreign relief operations, and preventing the needy from receiving food and aid. ++ 400,000 may have died and two million may now face the threats of malnutrition and disease. ++ Rather …More
Samantha Ferrell: Combating Human Trafficking requires systematic worldwide action. In a rapidly globalizing world, organized crime groups are operating transnationally. Unless there is an increased effort on the part of international agencies, the US, and the EU, to coordinate efforts, human trafficking will only continue to expand. …More
The reluctance of Burma’s military rulers to help their own people in the aftermath of cyclone Nargis is criminal. ++ The international community should use a measured approach in encouraging Burma to accept aid and de-prioritize the …More
Modern China is full of inner contradictions. ++ The ubiquity of internet access coexists with the impossibility to open critical websites, and the obvious ecological pollution exists side by side with the extreme cleanliness of the streets. ++ The numerous …More
Even without the food crisis, hundreds of millions do not have enough food. ++ We should demonstrate utmost concern and use this crisis as an opportunity to bring long overdue reforms and help vulnerable populations overcome …More
The rise in food prices threatens the success of poverty reduction in Asia. ++ Rather than subsidies, price control, and export caps, governments should focus on targeted income and cash support measures as short-term remedies. ++ This will give …More
Since global warming – by causing “natural” disasters, disease, and conflict – is threatening the lives and livelihoods of ever more children in the third world, we need to increase our contribution to the cost of …More
Means to end malaria – a preventable and treatable disease – are today’s focus for the international community on the first ever World Malaria Day. ++ Malaria kills over a million people a year, costs …More
While the most global threats like climate change or terrorism are at an impasse, the existing international institutions do not provide the needed framework for their solving. ++ They do not reflect the real distribution of economic and military power and ignore the needs and interests of developing countries. ++ To overcome mutual mistrust, G8 und G5 should be combined into one grouping.
It is important that high crop prices are not equated with world hunger since the well fed rather than the truly hungry are dependent on international food markets. ++ In South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, where hunger is the worst, the …More
The EU has been successful in promoting democracy among the states that aspire to join. ++ Given this success, Europeans should work to promote liberal democracy beyond Europe’s borders. ++ The EU must agree on what it wants to do and …More
Political pressures are preventing the structural problems of the aid system from being solved rapidly. ++ Achieving the development goals set for 2015 requires immediate action, the political will of official donors, and the contribution of non-profit organizations. ++ Even if aid is in short supply, a system which coordinates donors, projects and priorities can deliver quality assistance.
Since 1974, over 90 countries have adopted a democratic course. Around the turn of the century, 60% of the world’s independent states were considered democratic. Yet in Foreign Affairs, Larry Diamond warns us against celebrating the …More
Hunger Riots like in Egypt have potential to destabilize weak governments. Prices of all staple food have risen 80% in three years, and 33 countries are facing unrest because of the price rises. ++ The US, Europe, Japan and …More
Maximilian Müngersdorff: Resource-based growth poses a risk to the broader economy. With oil prices hitting record highs, Russia, the world’s largest fossil-fuel exporter, has seen rapid growth. The question is, whether this growth is used to transform Russia into a diversified and sustainable economy. …More
The “Index of State Weakness in the Developing World” reveals that over a quarter of UN countries do not meet the requirements of statehood. ++ International policymakers’ primary task should be to formulate strategies to build capable and …More
Despite progress on climate change, there is an imminent threat on food security. ++ Decreased rainfalls and the rush to grow biofuels in an unsustainable manner is causing food prices to soar and putting the world at risk of a food crisis. ++ …More
World Bank lending to Kenya has more than doubled since 2005, yet ever more funds seem to be diverted from the activities’ objectives. ++ The Bank and its country director in Nairobi are contributing to a culture of corruption of which …More
Tobias Bock: This paper aims at assessing the civil society within Iraqi Kurdistan, the region of the conflict torn country that is often perceived as ‘the other Iraq’ or at least tries to convey this impression to the outside world. …More
India’s infrastructure is obstructing economic growth. Just the terrible state of the roads and the endless traffic jams cause economic losses amounting to 6 billion US dollars per year. The cities in particular are …More
Japan is donating ever less in aid, partly because chequebook diplomacy has been judged a failure. ++ Japan could increase its international contribution by utilizing its well equipped defence forces, but self imposed restrictions …More
Christine Otsver: Political disengagement and a weak economy endanger democracy in Ukraine. …More
Tobias Bock: In order to answer the question What is Political Risk?, I will focus on a report assembled by the Political Risk Services Group, a commercial provider of political risk analysis to businesses. …More
Robert Zoellick: The president of the World Bank expresses his concern regarding the German focus on bilateral aid programs in an interview with Rüdiger Lentz, head of the Deutsche Welle studio in Washington and executive director USA of the Atlantic Initiative. …More
Christian Andreas Morris: laments the US foreign policy stance towards Colombia, especially in light of the $1.3 billion of yearly military aid the US donates to fight the post 9/11 war on terror. …More
Christian Andreas Morris: US aid policy needs to alter dramatically. To achieve UN Millennium Development Goals, developed countries agreed to increase their aid expenditure to 1% of GDP, and yet the only countries to have achieved this are Norway and Sweden. …More
Christian Andreas Morris: On balance the economic decisions of the EU benefit the world economy, despite the fact that some its policies could be interpreted as protectionist. …More
President Bush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has never been given the credit or attention which its success merits, contends Joe Loconte of Pepperdine University. The PEPFAR program has thus far been responsible for …More
President Bush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) never received the credit it deserves. ++ PEPFAR has been responsible for providing medication to 1.4 million AIDS patients primarily in Africa, Asia, and the …More
Freedom House’s annual review revealed that 2007 was yet another year in which worldwide freedom declined. While this report is discouraging, too much weight must not be placed on the events of a single year and there are still reasons to remain …More
Nicolas Véron and Jakob von Weizsäcker: We find that investments by Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) are not a danger but a plus for developed countries. The growth prospects will tame SWFs for the time being. …More
Health threats have become increasingly global in modern times. That’s not to say that epidemics have respected national borders in the past, The plague in the Middle Ages and Spanish flu at the beginning of the 20th century are strong …More
The international interest in the development of Central Asia increased sharply during the last two decades. Johannes Linn identifies in his article “Central Asia: A New Hub of Global Integration” the main reasons for this renewed …More
The manner in which the “War on Terror” has been conducted since 9/11 has rendered the United States as an uncompromising power and as a bully. Richard L. Armitage and Joseph S. Nye Jr. contend that it is Al-Qaeda’s deliberate …More
The Economist Intelligence Unit’s index of Democracy measures the current state of democracy worldwide based on five categories: electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, the functioning of …More
From early 2007 a research team from McKinsey and Company worked to develop a consistent fact base to estimate the costs and potentials of different options in reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG’s) in the US over a 25 year period.
Still …More
Moscow and other member governments have split over the role of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OECD), according to Richard Weitz of World Politics Review. The organization, that seeks to promote the rule of law, human …More
Ana Santana: The EU’s positive spin on the Africa-EU Strategic Partnership signed at the Lisbon summit should not disguise the fallout over the trade disagreements. …More
A new rating of 22 developed countries (and the EC) puts the United States at 16th on Humanitarian Aid. The new Humanitarian Response Index (HRI), carried out by a Spain-based NGO called DARA, focuses less on total funding and more on how …More
A new report by the Boston Consulting Group reveals that developing world firms are growing fast and spreading into foreign markets. The list of 100 firms consists of multinationals which are expanding overseas aggressively.
So why …More
Transparency International: ‘s Global Corruption Barometer reveals that corruption remains a constant presence in the lives of people around the world and that poor families are hit hardest by demands for bribes. …More
An opinion poll commissioned by the BBC indicates that 54% of Afghans think things are going in the right direction, while 70% described their living conditions as good or very good. According to the poll of 1377 people from …More
After the heavy subsidization of fertilizer, Malawi’s corn production has jumped to 3.4 million tons from 1.2 million tons in 2005, reports Celia W. Dugger of The New York Times. This has come about in the face of pressure …More
As the prices of basic food staples soar, the world’s poor are getting ever-hungrier and increasingly vulnerable. Furthermore, the World Food Program (WFP) is experiencing exponential growth in expenditures, informs the Economist. While 850 …More
Katharina Gnath: I laud the ongoing Heiligendamm Process as an important step in involving emerging countries in global economic governance. Five months after the summit, there are still challenges to be met, and the two-year Process is only the first stage in increasing cooperation with China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico. …More
Sergio Marchi: A policy of integration is crucial to shaping the lives of migrants and finding the appropriate accommodation between them and their fellow citizens. …More
The conclusions made in the World Bank report Where Is the Wealth of Nations?, first published in 2006, have been largely overlooked in the policy world and offer valuable information on how to evaluate the changing global …More
Niklas Keller: of the Atlantic Initiative calls corruption one of the greatest obstacles to development in Afghanistan. The international community must create an incentive structure at both the governmental and local levels which is more attractive than corrupt activities. …More
Markus Kaim: I advocate merging the military capabilities of Germany’s three current mandates under the ISAF umbrella to bring transatlantic equilibrium to the burden-sharing in Afghanistan. Military participation in Operation Enduring Freedom should end, and ISAF Aerial Reconnaissance and Surveillance should be integrated into a single ISAF directive. …More
Congressman Mark Kirk (R-Illinois) reveals in the Washington Post that hundreds of millions of dollars are pouring into Iran through the World Bank, despite UNSC and IAEA conclusions that Iran has ignored its obligations …More
Princeton Lyman, former US ambassador to Nigeria and South Africa, writes together with Council on Foreign Relations director Patricia Dorff that the United States must recognize Africa’s growing significance and improve the …More
The 2007 Foreign Policy Failed States Index is out, and the results are in: Sudan, Iraq, Somalia, Zimbabwe and Chad are this year’s worst. The fact that “sectarian carnage in one state can sway stock markets on the other side of the planet” shows that …More
Jeffrey D. Sachs writes in the Scientific American that the coming decades may see the mass-migration of hundreds of millions of “environmental refugees” seeking better living …More
The UN has declared July 2007 the halfway point towards its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), agreed upon in 2000 and scheduled to be achieved in 2015. The Economist magazine takes a close look at …More
Memo 2: Members of the Atlantic Community commented and wrote articles on energy and development policy as well as G8 enlargement at the time of the G8 summit. …More
Mark Bent, a former foreign service officer and Texas oilman, joined forces with international organisations, NGOs and corporate benefactors to develop and distribute over 30,000 solar-powered …More
John Hulsman: I offer four simple lessons in state building from the great British officer. A respect for history could help keep America out of future misadventures like the present situation in Iraq. …More
Norine MacDonald of the Senlis Council — a security, development and counternarcotics group – briefs the Canadian Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development on Canada’s faltering …More
Editor Richard Horton defends the results of a Lancet study on the Iraqi death toll, offering recommendations for new policy implementation. The Lancet survey reported the number of Iraqi …More
Much talk and too few results has been the most common G8 criticism in the blogosphere. Open Democracy describes last week’s G8 summit as the “latest act in …More
Guenther von Billerbeck: I advise that civil society organizations, and not just the new DRC government, may be the best partners to bring stability and peace to the Congo. The international community, particularly the UN, EU, and bilateral partners of the Congolese government, should partner with non-governmental actors to turn the country toward sustainable democracy and prosperity. …More
Julianne Smith: I want the EU to take a stronger role in Afghanistan. The EU should act as a coordinating body for the reconstruction and development of the country. This would also strengthen Europe’s standing with its partners. …More
After the UN oil-for-food scandal, it seemed UN aid programs couldn’t possibly sink lower in public opinion. Enter North Korea which, according to the Chicago Tribune, has taken $150 million in hard currency from the UN …More
Joerg Wolf: The mission of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative is to bridge the digital divide and provide children in developing countries with new opportunities to learn, create and share. …More
After the first democratic elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in forty years, International Crisis Group writes that it is now up to President Kabila and the international community to lead …More
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