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Ramesh Thakur

Ramesh Thakur

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Ramesh Thakur, a former United Nations assistant secretary-general, is Emeritus Professor at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University. He is the author of The United Nations, Peace and Security: From Collective Security to the Responsibility to Protect. 

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  1. Why Australia Is Burning
    thakur11_Sam MooyGetty Images_australiabushfiremen Sam Mooy/Getty Images

    Why Australia Is Burning

    Jan 9, 2020 Ramesh Thakur argues that the immediate cause of severe bushfires is not climate change, but rather poor land management.

  2. Progressive Phonies
    op_thakur2_ PRAKASH SINGHAFPGetty Images_trudeau Prakash Singh/AFP/Getty Images

    Progressive Phonies

    Sep 27, 2019 Ramesh Thakur argues that rampant virtue signaling has made the left increasingly vulnerable to moral hypocrisy.

  3. India’s Bad Bet in Kashmir
    Kashmir unrest_AAMIR QURESHI_AFP_Getty Images Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty Images.

    India’s Bad Bet in Kashmir

    Aug 7, 2019 Ramesh Thakur worries that the removal of the disputed territory's special status will spark a new wave of violence.

  4. New Zealand’s Loss of Innocence
    thakur9_MICHAEL BRADLEYAFPGetty Images Michael Bradley/AFP/Getty Images

    New Zealand’s Loss of Innocence

    Mar 17, 2019 Ramesh Thakur suggests that the killer of 50 Muslim worshipers had two reasons for choosing Christchurch.

  5. India’s Trifecta of Failure
    children education rural india In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images

    India’s Trifecta of Failure

    Feb 20, 2019 Ramesh Thakur says the Modi government's latest caste-based policies highlight deeply entrenched national shortcomings.

  1. goldberg31_Caitlin O'Hara for The Washington Post via Getty Images_TSMCarizona Caitlin O'Hara for The Washington Post via Getty Images
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    What a Successful Industrial Policy Needs

    Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg demonstrates that while subsidies can help, knowledge and technology transfers are crucial.
  2. zhang68_Jiang QimingChina News ServiceVCG via Getty Images_PBOC Jiang Qiming/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images
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    China’s Commitment to Constant Adaptation and Structural Transformation

    Zhang Jun explains why the government insists on combining efforts to expand domestic demand with supply-side reforms.
  3. ayers1_Indranil AdityaNurPhoto via Getty Images_indiaheatwavewoman Indranil Aditya/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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    Helping Women Adapt to Extreme Heat Helps Us All

    Jess Ayers & Helen Mountford urge the public and private sectors to work together to scale up innovations such as heat-wave insurance.
  4. afrasmussen20_YASUYOSHI CHIBAAFP via Getty Images_ukrainesoldier Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images
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    Achieving Peace Through Strength in Ukraine

    Anders Fogh Rasmussen & Andriy Yermak

    To secure a lasting peace, Ukraine’s allies must make Vladimir Putin understand that he cannot dictate the terms. Guaranteeing Ukraine’s security will require increased military support, a clear path to NATO membership, and international support for President Volodymyr Zelensky’s peace plan.

     outline steps that global leaders can take to ensure a Ukrainian victory and deter future Russian aggression.
  5. zadek30_Jonas GratzerLightRocket via Getty Images_bioplastic Jonas Gratzer/LightRocket via Getty Images
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    Only a Sustainable Bioeconomy Can Save Us

    Simon Zadek argues that investing in biodiversity while the global economy continues to over-exploit resources is futile.
  6. stiglitz341_Celal GunesAnadolu Agency via Getty Images_IMF Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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    The IMF Must End Its Destructive Surcharges

    Joseph E. Stiglitz, et al.

    The International Monetary Fund’s surcharge policy has led to an unseemly state of affairs: countries in financial distress have become the largest source of net revenue to the Fund in recent years. These surcharges must be eliminated or, at the very least, adjusted to reduce the excessive burden on highly indebted countries.

     decry the counterproductive practice of imposing additional fees on countries in debt distress.
  7. palacio161_FILIPPO MONTEFORTEAFP via Getty Images_europeLNG Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images
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    Conflict and Competitiveness in Europe

    Ana Palacio supports the EU reform agenda recently proposed by former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
  8. yi15_Kevin FrayerGetty Images_chinababy Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
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    China Shuts Down Its International-Adoption Machine

    Yi Fuxian welcomes the government's apparent recognition that a severe demographic crisis looms.
  9. anelson1_MARCO LONGARIAfpAFP via Getty Images_senegalelection Marco Longaria/AFP via Getty Images
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    From the Year of Elections to the Year of Governance

    Adam Nelson & Kristen Sample highlight five major challenges reformist governments must confront to minimize populist threats.

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