ViewsWeek Views from around the world
n his second State of the Nation address, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr proudly trumpeted the dawn of Bagong Pilipinas (New Philippines). ‘I have stated before that my confidence in our future was grounded in our world-class quality workforce’, he said. ‘I know that the state of the nation is sound and is improving. The New Philippines has arrived’. The …
September, 2023
August, 2023
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29 August
Why ‘Peace Enforcement’ Risks Exacerbating Conflicts in Africa
The United Nations and the African Union are moving towards the use of “peace enforcement” – but their preferred approach is unlikely to succeed.
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26 August
BRICS Expansion: What Six New Members are Buying Into
The association self-reportedly seeks secure sustainable development for itself and the global south, to safeguard and advance multilateralism, to institute reform for the goal of representative institutions, and to achieve solidarity among members.
July, 2023
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28 July
Niger Becomes Latest Domino Falling to Western-trained Militaries
US and allied counterterrorism strategy in the Sahel strikes out, and a thorough reassessment is in order.
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4 July
French Riots Follow Decades-old Pattern of Rage, with no Resolution in Sight
Although they never fail to take us aback, French riots have followed the same distinct pattern ever since protests broke out in the Eastern suburbs of Lyon in 1981, an episode known as the “summer of Minguettes”: a young person is killed or seriously injured by the police, triggering an outpouring of violence in the affected neighbourhood and nearby. Sometimes, …
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4 July
Small Powers Caught in the US–China Chips Competition
There was a time when government spending to support particular industries was widely deplored as wasteful interference in free markets. No longer. China, the United States and the European Union have vastly increased government subsidies to industries, frequently supporting the development of advanced technologies. These subsidies are sometimes complemented by policies designed to deny technological innovations to competitor economies. A …
May, 2023
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29 May
How Erdogan Held onto Power, and What This Means for Turkey’s Future
Recep Tayyib Erdogan will remain president of Turkey for another five years after winning Sunday’s run-off election over his long-time rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. If he serves the full five-year term, he will have held power for 26 years – almost the entire history of Turkey in the 21st century. What is astonishing is how the majority of Turkish people …
April, 2023
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23 April
World Military Expenditure Reaches New Record High
otal global military expenditure increased by 3.7 percent in real terms in 2022, to reach a new high of $2240 billion. Military expenditure in Europe saw its steepest year-on-year increase in at least 30 years. The three largest spenders in 2022 — the United States, China and Russia — accounted for 56 percent of the world total, according to new …
February, 2023
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20 February
Why Does Turkey Want Other Countries to Start Spelling its Name ‘Türkiye’?
Is Turkey’s recent spelling change about being more authentically Turkish? Or is there more to the story? In June 2022, the United Nations agreed to change the spelling of the country known in the English-speaking world as Turkey to Türkiye, heeding a request by the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In January 2023, the U.S. State Department also …
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19 February
Insights from an AI Author: The Geopolitical Consequences of ChatGPT
The geopolitical implications of artificial intelligence (AI) and its most prominent example to date – ChatGPT – remain deeply uncertain. It will surely roil the technology industry and change our daily lives, but it is less clear whether it will augur a shift in geopolitical power or create policy dilemmas for the European Union. These are hard questions, perhaps too …
