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Alex Friedman

Alex Friedman

25 commentaries

Alex Friedman, a former chief financial officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is Co-Founder and CEO of Novata.

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  1. Private Equity’s ESG Generation
    dibosco1_GETTY_ESG STANDARDS private equity Getty Images

    Private Equity’s ESG Generation

    Jul 12, 2022 Sébastien Mazella di Bosco & Alex Friedman argue that an often-maligned industry could take environmental, social, and governance investing mainstream.

  2. Hacking the Tragedy of the Commons
    afriedman25_Teera Konakan Getty Images_ green investment Teera Konakan Getty Images

    Hacking the Tragedy of the Commons

    Dec 7, 2021 Alex Friedman is bullish about new consortiums designed to mobilize privately held companies behind climate efforts.

  3. The US and China Are Not Destined for War
    krulak5_Forrest AndersonGetty Images_USChinaflags Forrest Anderson/Getty Images

    The US and China Are Not Destined for War

    Aug 17, 2021 Charles C. Krulak & Alex Friedman list four reasons to believe that the so-called Thucydides Trap can be avoided this time around.

  4. How to Fix the Gates Foundation
    afriedman23_ David RyderGetty Images_bill gates foundation David Ryder/Getty Images

    How to Fix the Gates Foundation

    May 28, 2021 Alex Friedman & Julie Sunderland identify three ways to boost charitable organizations' impact – including by making them divorce-proof.

  5. The Meaning of 200,000 COVID-19 Deaths
    afriedman22_ANGELA WEISSAFP via Getty Images_covid-19 deaths Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

    The Meaning of 200,000 COVID-19 Deaths

    Sep 22, 2020 Alex Friedman puts a deplorable US milestone into perspective – and urges action to prevent further tragedy.

  1. frankel159_Getty Images_customer service Getty Images

    How to Rebuild Trust in Public Institutions

    Eleanor Carter & Carolyn J. Heinrich highlight the value of face-to-face interactions at a time when governments are phasing out in-person services.
  2. isenberg1_TIMOTHY A. CLARYPOOLAFP via Getty Images_trumptrial Timothy A. Clary/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

    Is Trump Above the Law?

    Nancy Isenberg

    Contrary to what former US President Donald Trump would have the American public believe, no president enjoys absolute immunity from criminal prosecution. To suggest otherwise is to reject a bedrock principle of American democracy: the president is not a monarch.

    explains why the US Supreme Court must reject the former president's claim to immunity from prosecution.
  3. deryugina1_BEN BIRCHALLPOOLAFP via Getty Images_ukraineflagsoldier Ben Birchall/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

    Ukraine Is Far From Doomed

    Tatyana Deryugina & Anastassia Fedyk

    When comparing Ukraine’s situation in 2024 to Europe’s in 1941, Russia’s defeat seems entirely possible. But it will require the West, and the US in particular, to put aside domestic political squabbles and muster the political will to provide Ukraine with consistent and robust military and financial assistance.

    compare Russia's full-scale invasion to World War II and see reason to hope – as long as aid keeps flowing.
  4. glennerster2_Scott OlsonGetty Images)_vaccines Scott Olson/Getty Images)

    The Pandemic Financing Developing Countries Need

    Rachel Glennerster urges multilateral development banks to establish mechanisms that enable at-risk vaccine purchases.
  5. krueger74_AFP via Getty Images_nigercoup AFP via Getty Images

    The Geopolitics of Africa’s Debt Crisis

    Anne O. Krueger urges developed countries to back efforts by the IMF and the World Bank to promote growth-enhancing reforms.
  6. palacio156_ Georg Moritzpicture alliance via Getty Images_immigation Georg Moritz/picture alliance via Getty Images

    Why the EU’s New Migration Pact Matters

    Ana Palacio applauds the pragmatic coalition-building, especially by Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, that enabled the deal.
  7. kirchschlager1_Fatih AktasAnadolu Agency via Getty Images_AI Fatih AktasAnadolu Agency via Getty Images

    AI Needs UN Oversight

    Peter G. Kirchschläger calls for the creation of a watchdog – similar to the IAEA – that employs a human rights-based approach.
  8. chellaney_VCGVCG via Getty Images_china military VCG/VCG via Getty Images

    The West Is Hastening Its Own Decline

    Brahma Chellaney argues that the unprecedented US and European sanctions against Russia are backfiring.
  9. zizek29_Sebastian Gollnowpicture alliance via Getty Images_palestine congress germany Sebastian Gollnowpicture alliance via Getty Images

    Canceling Palestine

    Slavoj Žižek worries that the double standards applied on Israel’s behalf will lead to an anti-Semitic backlash.

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