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Democracy & Human Rights
On confronting evil in the modern world
Now is an appropriate time to morally clarify the underlying narrative of what is happening in Israel and Ukraine.
Survivors of the last century’s greatest...
Energy
Turkey’s role in the EU’s energy transition
The European Union is facing a unique opportunity in a world increasingly defined by geopolitical tensions, economic turbulences and the urgency of addressing climate...
China
Central Asian leaders travel to China to pay homage to Xi’s BRI vision
China’s leader Xi Jinping threw a 10th anniversary bash for the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI), his $1-trillion plan to leverage Beijing’s financial resources...
Economy & Business
US slaps new separate sanctions on Iran, Russia and Hamas
On October 18, the US Department of State announced new separate sanctions packages against Iran and Hamas; they are not directly connected. A number...
Asia & Pacific
Ethnic violence in India explained
The ethnoreligious violence in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur between Meiteis and Kukis has been ongoing since May, but it was only in July 2023 when a...
Economy & Business
Shockwaves from the Gaza War begin impacting the global economy
In this era of globalization almost any regional crisis can be expected to trigger defensive strategies on the part of major companies and investors....
Columns
After offshore gas pipe suspected sabotage, Finland switches to LNG
Finland has switched to liquified natural gas supplies to cover the country’s needs following a decision on October 8 to shut down the Balticconnector...
Invasion of Ukraine
It takes time to defeat a dictatorship
Whether it is acknowledged or not, Ukraine and the West are in the process of learning a very hard but essential lesson about the...
Labor and Human Workforce Futures
Digitalization and the future of work
The American philosopher Buckminster Fuller once stated that it is possible to study a caterpillar forever without being able to predict that it will...
Energy
Ahead of COP28, global effort intensifies to scale up clean energy, reduce fossil fuel demand
Momentum behind efforts to build a broad coalition to keep the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C within reach increased at...
Democracy & Human Rights
Iran protesters mark anniversary of “Bloody Friday”
Residents in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchistan gathered by the thousands on September 30 to stage protests marking the first anniversary of...
Israel
US announces Israel’s acceptance into the Visa Waiver Program
Israeli citizens will be allowed visa-free entry into the United States by the end of November when Israel officially becomes the 41st member of...
United Nations
UN General Assembly 2023: More progress urgently needed on Sustainable Development Goals
The 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) kicked off in New York as planned on September 18, with global attention focused on the so-called...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
How countries prepare for population growth and decline
Early this year, India surpassed China as the most populous country in the world, with the latter having 850,000 fewer people by the end...
Energy
Interest surges in Turkmen gas
Turkmenistan's huge gas reserves have been generating considerable interest from potential importers following Ashgabat's announcement in late July that it is open to the development...
Energy
European aviation industry embraces new jet fuel regulation
The European Parliament on September 13 approved a new law to increase the uptake of sustainable fuels, such as advanced biofuels or hydrogen, in...
Disasters and Reconstruction Initiatives
US Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery announced
President Joe Biden announced on September 14 the appointment of Penny Pritzker as the US Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery.In this role, she...
Armenia
With Armenia defeated tensions between Yerevan and Russia reach a turning point
Relations between Armenia and its traditional strategic partner Russia are deteriorating fast. With Yerevan's fundamental defeat in Nagorno-Karabakh - the 30-year-old Moscow-backed separatist region...
Africa
Nairobi Declaration calls for global tax on fossil fuel trade, maritime transport, aviation
As the curtains came down at the Africa Climate Summit (ACS23), heads of state and government adopted the Nairobi Declaration, calling on world leaders...
Asia & Pacific
US-ASEAN establish a research center in Washington, D.C.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who was in Jakarta for a US-ASEAN Summit on September 6, announced Washington’s decision to establish a joint center with...
Africa
Private military companies continue to expand in Africa
In the wake of the July 26 coup in Niger, the world’s spotlight has once again turned to the expansion of private military and...
Global Energy Insider
Mongolia to expand its economic and trade partnerships
Mongolia, the landlocked mineral-rich country bordered by Russia and China - the world's two preeminent authoritarian-run nations, is looking to expand its economic, trade,...
Democracy & Human Rights
Former UN judges, prominent jurists & politicians demand Iran’s leaders be held accountable for 1988 massacre
During an international conference on August 21, former UN Judges, renowned legal experts, and prominent politicians from the US, Europe, and Africa called on...
Afghanistan
The global impact two years after the Taliban’s takeover
Two years ago, the world saw the return of a repressive Taliban regime. The rapid fall of the Afghan government sent shockwaves throughout neighbouring...
Columns
Energy crisis prompts SMEs to boost renewables, energy savings
The energy crisis, high prices and threat of supply disruption following Russia’s war against Ukraine has prompted many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to...
Interviews
GoatChat AI founder believes technology has ‘limitless’ potential
Artificial intelligence, including generative AI systems based on models that include ChatGPT, has grown rapidly and opened up immeasurable opportunities for businesses, better governance,...
Greece
Back to Business: Greek conservatives rout socialist opposition parties in second round elections
Delivering an undeniable demonstration of Greece’s current focus on stability and the need to generate continued economic growth, the June 25 election produced the...
Energy
Boosting energy efficiency to help Greece reach EU emission targets
To tackle its ambitious sustainability goals, the European Union has embarked on what it calls a Renovation Wave Strategy to improve the energy performance...
Energy
Energy supply giants Azerbaijan & Kazakhstan mull green economy options
Azerbaijan will continue being a reliable exporter of traditional energy sources to Europe but the South Caucasus nation plans to also advance the development...
Invasion of Ukraine
Working against Ukraine’s own interests
As the Ukrainian counter-offensive begins, maintaining American support is absolutely vital to Kyiv’s success. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have proven their courage, but even...
Analysis
A post-Berlusconi Italy could find itself at an era-defining political turning point
A new era began in Italy on June 12 when Silvio Berlusconi, the polarizing and towering political figure who dominated Italian politics for nearly...
Energy
Astana International Forum addresses climate change, energy security, green transition
As many countries are planning sustainability and decarbonization strategies to meet climate targets, Kazakhstan, one of the world’s largest energy producers, wants to be...
Economy & Business
Reimagining policy on the future of work
In 1986, the American pop group The Bangles had a hit with “Manic Monday”, where singer Susanna Hoffs laments the start of another working...
Iran
Iran’s ruling mullahs have demanded that European governments crackdown on opposition groups
As European and Iranian officials actively work to reduce tensions, some diplomatic sources privately say that Tehran has demanded from France that it silence...
The Negroni Diaries
Strange goings on in Northern Greece seem to worry Ankara
Government-linked Turkish media have indicated concern about a series of visits and events in Greece’s Evros prefecture -- the Greek-Turkish border region -- which...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
The fear of AI is overblown
The unprecedented popularity of ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI and released in November 2022, has turbocharged the AI hype machine.We are...
Energy
UK eyes energy security, increasing supplies amid stronger ties with Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan can play a special role in energy security in the new global environment, considering Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and transition to a green...
Defense & Security
White House support for F-16s to Ukraine is a major momentum shift in the 18-month war
After months of waffling and amid increasingly desperate pleas from Kyiv, the White House has signaled to European allies in recent weeks that the...
The Negroni Diaries
Ukraine’s ‘Doolittle Raid’
Ukraine has proven that a numerically superior combatant can be defeated when confronted with superior tactics and a better-trained, motivated, and equipped opponent.
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Belgium’s prisoner swap with Iran proves the EU is unwilling to punish state sponsors of terror
An Iranian terrorist, Asadollah Assadi, is heading home from Belgium just two years into a 20-year sentence. He is the beneficiary of the Islamic...
Kosovo
Serb boycotts, protests trigger new unrest in Kosovo
The latest cycle of unrest in Kosovo, a direct result of Serbian interference in Kosovo’s April 23 municipal elections, exploded into violence on May...
Democracy & Human Rights
EU parliamentarians, former world leaders demand policy changes, recognition of Iranian resistance
On May 24, dozens of members of the European Parliament held a meeting in Brussels to discuss prospective changes in policy toward the Iran....
Greece
Boomerang! Greek socialists’ election jiggering backfires
Even though the Greek left-socialist party Syriza massively reconfigured the electoral system in 2016 to favor their long-term return plans before being ousted by...
IT & Telecom
Washington issues reward offer for Russian ransomware actor
On May 16, the State Department announced a reward offer, under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program, of up to $10 million, for information...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
New study finds strong public support for advanced nuclear energy
A new, multinational report released today found that there is widespread public support for using advanced nuclear energy technologies to generate electricity. Based on...
Interviews
Former MI5 chief warns of national cybersecurity threats
Following the US, EU, and UK's decisions to ban China’s TikTok from government phones over security fears and recent reports of a Russian cyber...
Afghanistan
The Taliban and Islamic State continue to fight for Afghanistan’s future
In April, American officials confirmed that the Taliban had killed the head of the Islamic State (IS) cell operating in Afghanistan. Though his identity has...
Africa
Climate change in Africa real economic, security threat
Climate change, which appears to be advancing around the world, affecting not just physical infrastructure but economies and livelihoods, is also an increasing security...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Countering online extremism online: Can New Zealand’s Ardern make the Christchurch Call live up to its potential?
On May 15, 2019, two months after the horrendous Christchurch massacre, policymakers led by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel...
Law & Intellectual Property
US’ Trade Rep releases 2023 special intellectual property & protection report
On April 26, the Office of the United States Trade Representative released its 2023 Special 301 Report on the adequacy and effectiveness of the...
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