OPINION

Mara Warwick  Mara Warwick, now the World Bank country director for China, was the World Bank’s Wenchuan Earthquake Recovery Project (2009-2014) after the devastating Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan province in 2008 that claimed more than 69,000 lives and affected many parts of China. She also served as a …

Matthew Maavik The global infoscape is currently abuzz with alarmist predictions over the dangers posed by artificial intelligence (AI). Billionaire entrepreneurs and their hirelings, who had once gushed over the emerging AI “technopia”, have suddenly turned apocalyptic. As the narrative du jour goes, a sentient AI may ultimately …

Every day, we hear about the onslaught of crises facing the world—from climate change to conflict, inflation and debt, and the ongoing recovery from a years-long pandemic. Add to them the prospect of slow economic growth, and our efforts to overcome these challenges seem rife with obstacles. For …

Professor Sergey Karaganov’s recent article brought into public focus the thorny issue of the use of nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict. Many reactions to the piece boil down to the well-known reasoning that there can be no winners in a nuclear war and thus it cannot be …

Yi Wang The World Economic Forum (WEF)’s 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, commonly known as the Summer Davos, was held in Tianjin, China from June 27 to 29 this year. The event brought together approximately 1,500 government officials, business leaders, and influential figures from diverse sectors …

Kester Kenn The internal disagreements and possibly deep-seated dissatisfaction between Russia’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) and Wagner Group leader over the ‘special military operation’ are aspects of the geopolitical chess game. The unsuccessful military fight between the MoD, the Kremlin and the Wagner Group, at least, somehow ended …

In the past several years the BRICS have greatly increased their prominence in the global economy as a rising number of developing countries are applying for membership in the block. Over and above the discussions on BRICS expansion there is also the possibility of BRICS transforming the global …

Peter Rudgers The G7, an informal group of seven wealthy Western nations, has been struggling to maintain its relevance and influence in the changing global order. Facing the challenges posed by China and Russia, which seek to alter the existing order and challenge the interests of the West, …

Shaher Al Shaher It was remarkable the statement issued by US President Joe Biden, accusing Chinese President Xi Jinping of being a dictator. This puts us before a number of questions that we will build upon to read the motives behind that statement, and its impact on the …