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Curated by Project Syndicate

Kofi A. Annan, 1938-2018

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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.

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  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.

Our Pick

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    A Western Distraction from Climate Action

    Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi warns that calls for the removal of Sultan Al Jaber as COP28 president-designate are a dangerous diversion.
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    How to Restructure Chinese Supply Chains

    Andrew Sheng & Xiao Geng argue that private markets can be leveraged to support a much-needed economic transformation.
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    The Supply Side of Decarbonization

    Ricardo Hausmann touts strategies that create incentives for developing countries to produce renewables and other green goods.
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    1

    America and China Are on a Collision Course

    Nouriel Roubini

    The G7 countries may have set out to deter China without escalating the new cold war, but the perception in Beijing suggests that they failed to thread the needle at their recent summit in Hiroshima. It is now clear to all that the United States, its allies, and any partners they can recruit are committed to containing China’s rise.

     juxtaposes recent developments and current trends with diplomatic happy talk about a “thaw” in tensions.
  5. hott1_Sean GallupGetty Images_africandevelopmentbank Sean Gallup/Getty Images
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    Leveling the Financial Playing Field for Africa

    Amadou Hott & Mark Malloch-Brown propose ways to redress longstanding inequities and enable African-led solutions to succeed.
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    Why the Fed Is Hard to Predict

    Mohamed A. El-Erian

    The US Federal Reserve is adrift, and it has only itself to blame. Regardless of whether its policy-setting committee announces another interest-rate hike in June, its top priority now should be to address the structural weaknesses that led it astray in the first place.

     thinks the US central bank's biggest problem is not the economy but rather its own institutional shortcomings.
  7. frankel148_PATRICK T. FALLONAFP via Getty Images_coloradoriverdrought Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
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    How to Quench the American West’s Thirst

    Jeffrey Frankel argues that eliminating water subsidies and implementing market pricing is better than the alternative.
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    1

    Give America a Debt Brake

    R. James Breiding thinks the United States could learn a valuable lesson from a policy Switzerland put in place in 2003.
  9. patten154_ Stefan Rousseau - PoolGetty Images_g7 summit Stefan Rousseau - Pool/Getty Images
    2

    The Myth of Western Decline

    Chris Patten argues that Chinese leaders’ characterization of liberal democracy as decadent betrays their fear of it.

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