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The public optimism that came with the launch of social media a decade ago has settled into a wariness that we might instead face a long, grueling daily fight for truth and facts in the face of unrelenting, automated disinformation online. As the 2020 elections gear up, how should our country face the threat from Twitter bots and Facebook trolls? What responsibility should...
As the rest of human activity has been globalized, so has corruption — and to such a degree that it has fueled global inequality, created extremist groups, and converted democratic institutions into autocratic regimes stripping wealth from entire nations. These organized criminals are supported by technology that can anonymize money, by a global criminal-services industry,...
Historically, globalization has been characterized by cross-border flows of resources and products. Financial exchanges follow, allowing for direct investment at home and abroad. In the digital economy, we see massive flows of information and data, which are perhaps even more critical to economic growth, crossing borders everywhere. In an era of anti-globalism, can the pac...
Donald Trump’s America First philosophy and his retreat from international alliances led pundits to dub Germany’s Angela Merkel the new leader of the free world, but today’s global leadership appears more muddled than ever, especially as Brexit and unrest in Italy threatens the integrity of the European Union. Across the Pacific and Africa, countries are being forced to re...
In 2018, economic activity was accelerating in almost all regions of the world. One year later, much has changed. The escalation of US-China trade tensions, credit tightening in China, and macroeconomic stress in key G20 economies have all contributed to a weakened global expansion. As the US trade war with China deepens, what are the biggest risks at this delicate moment?...
With renewed conflict on the international stage, India’s decades-long policy of nonalignment, together with its surpassing China as the most populous nation, have arguably positioned it to become the world’s newest superpower. To what ends is it harnessing its growing influence and geopolitical independence?
“Only by letting millions of entrepreneurs try new ideas, to innovate, to create businesses that put those ideas to work in a competitive and open way… are we going to be able to tackle the world’s big problems.” Angel Cabrera made this statement to World Economic Forum colleagues, calling for more action to support entrepreneurs around the world. However, in emerging mar...
In the summer of 2018, President Trump sang praises about the country’s economic conditions, tweeting, “In many ways this is the greatest economy in the HISTORY of America.” But just how much of the upswing can be attributed to White House policies? Former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers says very little. He disagrees with Trump on trade, tariffs, and the rethinking of...
The world faces many challenges—from climate change to political instability to widening inequality—that transcend borders and impact us all. If today’s young people are to be equipped with the imagination and skillsets to tackle these growing threats, educational excellence is key. How do we build successful education systems at scale and in every community? And what expe...
Often overshadowed by terrorism, nuclear weapons, and cybercrime in the public imagination, pandemics may actually be the more existential threat to human civilization. And most experts agree: We’re woefully unprepared, and crucial funding for basic research, foreign aid, and preparedness is on the chopping block. What lessons have we learned from the Ebola crisis that can...
How will the world deal with its geopolitical dynamics? Will we get together on climate, water, terrorism, and security? Can we shape our own history?
The United States can’t win the battle against terrorism abroad if it is vulnerable at home. In the era of ISIS, national security, homeland security and public safety are converging, and local law enforcement is on the front lines of this complex new battle. How do we ensure that our state and local police have the technology, information and resources they need to play t...
Connectivity is the most revolutionary force of the 21st century. Mankind is reengineering the planet, investing up to ten trillion dollars per year in transportation, energy, and communications infrastructure linking the world’s burgeoning megacities together. This has profound consequences for geopolitics, economics, demographics, the environment, and social identity. Co...
Globalization ushered in an era of free trade, fluid borders, and unparalleled corporate profits. For its proponents, the global integration of states and their economies was a political and economic win that created a wealth of opportunities for workers and consumers around the world. But in the United States, jobs are disappearing in construction zones, clerical offices,...
Among the most potent new challenges to liberal democracies around the world is the powerful reemergence of authoritarianism as a geopolitical phenomenon. Coupled with disruptive new technologies and connectivity, authoritarian ideas embodied by strongmen in China and Russia are gaining steam across the globe. Human rights and civil liberties have declined globally for a 1...
Cities are responsible for 70 percent of global carbon emissions, and by 2050, two out of every three people will live in one. Fortunately, cities are getting serious about environmental footprint — New York announced its own Green New Deal, Melbourne aims to be carbon neutral by 2020, and Los Angeles will use 100 percent renewable energy by 2045. Mayors are often more nim...
With the hope that economic investment will lift citizens from poverty to a level of sustainable prosperity, entrepreneurs and organizations across the globe invest time, energy, and resources in the poorest areas. Sadly, many of these efforts fail. Applying rigorous and theory-driven analysis, two experts on global prosperity identify the limits of common economic develop...
Eighteen months after a COVID-19 vaccine became available, high-income countries had administered more than 200 doses per 100 people; in low-income countries, the figure was almost 90 percent less. Access to diagnostics and therapies has been likewise constricted, underscoring the imperative of new approaches to global health equity. Investing in local manufacturing and sc...
In any city in the world, an extremist could explode your subway car, yet surveillance and security are more advanced than ever. Ebola ravaged thousands for months and now Zika continues its creep around the globe, yet life expectancy and healthcare are more advanced than at any other time in human history. A slowing Chinese economy and falling oil prices warn of a global...
Russia is increasingly acting as an outlaw state across the international stage—undermining European democracies, harassing US diplomats, harboring sophisticated cybercriminals, and testing Western alliances. What’s behind these actions, and how should the United States, Europe, and the West as a whole respond to the rising belligerence of Putin’s Russia?