Skip to main content

Curated by Project Syndicate

Kofi A. Annan, 1938-2018

7 commentaries

Kofi A. Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations (1997-2006) and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was one of the greatest diplomats of our time. Under his leadership, and following the horrors of the Bosnian War, Annan became the catalyst for a more proactive UN, not only in terms of peacemaking, but also in the global effort to combat climate change.

Sort by: Show:
  1. How IT Threatens Democracy
    Getty Images Drew Angerer/Getty Images
    Free to read

    How IT Threatens Democracy

    Feb 16, 2018 Kofi A. Annan probes the ways in which social media, big data, and artificial intelligence can jeopardize open societies.

  2. Rethinking Sanctions
    Woman in Burma selling fruit Woman in Burma selling fruit/Pixabay
    Free to read

    Rethinking Sanctions

    Jan 11, 2016 Kofi A. Annan & Kishore Mahbubani argue for a more refined and comprehensive approach to changing states' behavior.

  3. The Grassroots of Climate Change
    Grass
    Free to read

    The Grassroots of Climate Change

    Dec 22, 2015 Kofi A. Annan argues that it is up to citizens to ensure that the agreement reached in Paris is fulfilled.

  4. Migration Realism
    Migrants Arriving in Lampedusa Noborder Network/Flickr
    Free to read

    Migration Realism

    Jun 13, 2015 Kofi A. Annan proposes a four-pronged strategy to ensure more humane treatment of those fleeing dire conditions.

  5. Saving Global Order
    annan6_photographer is my life_getty images_globalization Photographer is my life/Getty Images
    Free to read

    Saving Global Order

    Jan 29, 2015 Kofi A. Annan reminds us why renewing the international system is in everyone's interest.

  6. West Africa’s Misguided War on Drugs
    West Africa’s Misguided War on Drugs Rodrigo/Flickr
    Free to read

    West Africa’s Misguided War on Drugs

    Jul 8, 2014 Kofi A. Annan urges a new approach to combating the trade in illicit narcotics.

  1. terzi6_green transition degrowth Getty Images

    What the G20 Can Do for Green Growth

    Mariana Mazzucato & Vera Songwe explain how the world’s premier economic grouping can keep global climate targets on track.
  2. bildt128_EYAD BABAAFP via Getty Images_israel war EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images)

    An Israeli Victory May Not Bring Peace

    Carl Bildt sees the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War as a cautionary tale for the current conflict.
  3. moghalu5_Oleksandr RupetaNurPhoto via Getty Images_namibiauniversity Oleksandr Rupeta/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    Fixing Africa’s Governance Crisis Must Come First

    Kingsley Moghalu foresees home-grown educational institutions equipping the continent’s leaders with public-policy skills.
  4. okonjoiweala31_CostfotoNurPhoto via Getty Images_supply chain trade CostfotoNurPhoto via Getty Images

    The Key to Unlocking the Benefits of Trade

    Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala & Makhtar Diop

    The finance underpinning supply chains is crucial, but too many small businesses in emerging and developing economies cannot access it, cutting them off from the benefits of global trade. Plucking this relatively low-hanging fruit can drive progress toward many development goals at once.

    show how a lack of supply-chain finance keeps many businesses and economies on the sidelines.
  5. frankel165_CHRISTINE OLSSONTTTT NEWS AGENCYAFP via Getty Images_nobelwinners Christine Olsson/News Agency/AFP via Getty Images

    What Causes Prosperity?

    Jeffrey Frankel shows how this year's Nobel Prize-winning economists tackled a once-insoluble problem.
  6. ignatieff7_nocopyright

    Ukraine’s Post-Colonial Future

    Michael Ignatieff believes that what is at stake in the war with Russia is the fate of the last European imperialism.
  7. obstfeld6_Anthony KwanGetty Images_tariffs Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

    Donald Trump’s Tariffs Would Hurt US Workers and Businesses

    Maurice Obstfeld shows why targeting an overall reduction in imports would reduce America’s real wages and national income.
  8. kenewendo6_ LUIS TATOAFP via Getty Images_green energy africa LUIS TATO/AFP via Getty Images

    Africa’s Green Future Starts with Debt Relief

    Bogolo Kenewendo & Patrick Njoroge propose large-scale relief to ensure that the continent’s countries can invest in climate action.
  9. james159_getty images-inflation Getty Images

    Diane Coyle on economic progress, tech monopolies, artificial intelligence, and more

    Diane Coyle advocates a new public philosophy that rejects viewing “government” and “market” as opposites, explains why time-use data must shape technological development, warns that policymakers are devising AI regulation in a thick conceptual fog, and more.

Edit Newsletter Preferences

Set up Notification

To receive email updates regarding this {entity_type}, please enter your email below.

If you are not already registered, this will create a PS account for you. You should receive an activation email shortly.