Dialogue to Nowhere: The Lack of Legitimacy in the Serbia-Kosovo Dialogue
Serbia and Kosovo have been talking about normalizing their relations for close to a decade. By now, it is the dialogue that became normality, instead of pursuing the goal of “normal” relations. Serbia denies Kosovo’s independence and many questions between the two countries remain open. There is a …
Amid COVID-19, don’t ignore the links between poor air quality and public health
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge in the United States, with deaths surpassing 169,000 and “red zones” emerging in 21 states, preliminary research suggests that people living in communities with significant exposure to air pollutants have an increased risk of hospitalization or even death …
Senior Merkel ally urges action over Bulgaria’s corruption crisis
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s efforts to hang on to power amid a spiraling corruption crisis face an unexpected new challenge after a top ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday urged closer scrutiny of Sofia. For years, Borissov has enjoyed a close alliance with Merkel, and h…
No 10 and the secretly funded lobby groups intent on undermining democracy
To accumulate power, a government with authoritarian tendencies must first destroy power. It must reduce rival centres of power – the judiciary, the civil service, academia, broadcasters, local government, civil society – to satellites of its own authority, controlled from the centre, deprived of in…
The Pandemic Depression
The COVID-19 pandemic poses a once-in-a-generation threat to the world’s population. Although this is not the first disease outbreak to spread around the globe, it is the first one that governments have so fiercely combated. Mitigation efforts—including lockdowns and travel bans—have attempted to sl…
The Post-Pandemic Economy’s Barriers to Growth
The COVID-19 pandemic could not have come at a worse time for the global economy. If history is any guide, the current period of deglobalization, public indebtedness, weakening growth, and the expanding economic role of governments does not bode well for sustainable GDP growth. NEW YORK – As the wor…
The End of American Illusion
Since the end of the Cold War, most U.S. policymakers have been beguiled by a set of illusions about the world order. On critical issues, they have seen the world as they wish it were and not how it really is. President Donald Trump, who is not a product of the American foreign policy community, doe…
Is the Almighty Dollar Slipping?
Far from signaling its imminent demise as the main global reserve currency, the greenback’s sharp depreciation is to be expected in the current macroeconomic context. The forces that could erode the dollar’s hegemony remain slower-moving and farther off. NEW YORK – The recent sharp depreciation of t…
To the Brink with China
NEW YORK – Observers of US-China relations increasingly talk of a new cold war. On top of a long-running trade war, the two countries now find themselves in a destructive cycle of mutual sanctions, consulate closings, and increasingly bellicose official speeches. Efforts to decouple the US economy f…
The-Other-Global-Power-Shift
The world is increasingly obsessed with the ongoing power struggle between the US and China. But the technology-driven shift of power away from states to transnational actors and global forces brings a new and unfamiliar complexity to global affairs. CAMBRIDGE – Since 2017, America’s National Securi…