CIRSD Recommends

Why Ukraine’s plea for NATO membership is such a profound dilemma for the West

President Joe Biden said before a critical trip to Europe that Ukraine is not yet ready to enter NATO. More to the point, the alliance is not yet ready for Ukraine to join in a historic step that could deter Moscow but that might also increase the ri

UN rights chief: ‘Don’t leave the climate crisis for our children to fix’

Global heating is a burning human rights issue, as extreme weather and climate disasters threaten humanity’s universal right to food, UN rights chief Volker Türk said on Monday.

Leveling the Financial Playing Field for Africa

So, it is in the self-interest of the rest of the world to support the continent, not through charity or handouts, but by backing African-led solutions, especially those focused on leveling a playing field that is currently tilted to the continent’s

Protest and Power in France

Such is the case with mass protests in France, which erupt so often and persist for so long that much of the world hardly takes notice.

‘This nightmare is over’: Lula vows to pull Brazil out of Bolsonaro’s era of ‘devastation’

Leftwinger promises environmental protections and social progress as he’s sworn in as president

What Does the World Need to Achieve Sustainable, Inclusive Growth?

Far from being in conflict with one another, these three goals could be mutually reinforcing. A sustainable world could contain climate change and preserve natural capital and biodiversity. Inclusivity would create economic opportunities and shared p

Cost of living crisis hits poorest the hardest, warns UNCTAD

Billions of people are facing the greatest cost of living crisis in a generation due to rising food and energy prices amid rapid inflation and increasing debt, leaving the most vulnerable consumers in a dire situation, said the UN trade and developme

‘Moment for Nature’ essential to beat back threats, spur climate action

With less than eight years remaining to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the President of the UN General Assembly convened a ‘Moment for Nature’ debate on Tuesday to examine the interconnected environmental threats hampering efforts to ac

No Net Zero Without Nature

Preserving nature is a key element in the world’s effort both to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and it also happens to be good for business.

Will the Ukraine War Revive the WTO?

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has heightened everyone’s appreciation of global issues and interconnectivity. In addition to geopolitical and defense concerns, there is a renewed focus on the state of international trade.

Dispatch from Davos

My impressions from a very different World Economic Forum.

A call for an independent inquiry into the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus

Since the identification of theSARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan, China, in January 2020, the origin of the virus has been a topic of intense scientific debate and public speculation.

The Lose-Lose Tech War

The increasingly bitter rivalry between the United States and China ultimately will leave both countries – and the world – worse off.

Challenges for India’s upcoming G20 presidency

As India gears up to officially assume the G20 presidency this year, it must recognise and address the core challenges it is likely to face. There are several aspects that India will need to consider while setting up its agenda—how can it take forwar

Soft Power After Ukraine

While hard military power will decide the outcome of Russia's war in Ukraine, the power of values, persuasion, and attraction are hardly irrelevant. Though soft power tends to operate more subtly and over a longer time horizon, it has nonetheless eme

Deforestation of Brazil’s Amazon Has Reached a Record High. What’s Being Done?

Deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest is threatening to accelerate past a point of no return. Countries and international organizations have called on Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to strengthen environmental protections and Indigenous land rig

World economy: the big factors to watch closely

Covid, inflation, politics and global trade all have potential for surprise as we get into 2022

Clouds Over 2022

Although major economies and markets fared well in 2021 despite all of the uncertainties surrounding new variants of the coronavirus, 2022 will bring new challenges. In addition to central banks shifting toward policy normalization, geopolitical and

Russian Foreign Policy: Shifting Gears

Right now, fears of a war in Ukraine are widespread. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned the Kremlin not to try to repeat what it did in 2014, lest it regret it. Will President Putin make the fateful decision? Is Ukraine that “unfinishe

Time to Overhaul the Global Financial System

For low- and lower-middle-income countries to pursue their development goals and do their part in tackling problems like climate change, they need to be able to borrow reliably on decent market terms. Yet the current two-tiered global financial syste

Why Italy's Presidential Election Matters

With its poor track record of managing EU funds, Italy’s recovery plan will be a major test for the future of EU policymaking more generally. While it is widely agreed that Prime Minister Mario Draghi must remain on the scene to oversee the plan’s im

World faces hunger dilemma in Afghanistan

The fall of the Afghan government to the Taliban has presented the world with some stark choices. In recent weeks, the international community has raised alarm about the rapidly escalating humanitarian emergency in the country, calling for an influx

The Taiwan Triangle

The goal of US policy toward the island should be to reduce uncertainty about America’s intentions and its ability to make good on them, while underscoring to Chinese leaders the economic and military costs of aggression

Vaccine Producers Must Step Up

Governments of countries where vaccines are being produced – the United States, European Union members, the United Kingdom, India, Russia, and China – need to cooperate under United Nations leadership to ensure that a sufficient supply of COVID-19 va

Sept. 11 and the Future of American History

Twenty years after the horrific attacks on New York and Washington, it’s clear that the biggest changes of our time were not ideological or geopolitical, but technological. They were also the hardest to foresee.

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