Dispatch from Davos
I’m writing this bulletin from Davos, Switzerland, home of the 2022 World Economic Forum (WEF). This is the first time the annual gathering of world leaders, CEOs, and public figures takes place in the spring (no snow boots!), courtesy of Omicron. It’s also the first in-person forum since the pandem…
A call for an independent inquiry into the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus
Since the identification of theSARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan, China, in January 2020 (1), the origin of the virus has been a topic of intense scientific debate and public speculation. The two main hypotheses are that the virus emerged from human exposure to an infected animal [“zoonosis” (2)] or that it emerg…
The Lose-Lose Tech War
SINGAPORE/LOS ANGELES – The Sino-American geopolitical rivalry is growing increasingly bitter, with Russia’s war in Ukraine only the latest source of schism. The mutual antagonism is deepening, with little effort on either side to stem the deterioration in the bilateral relationship. It doesn’t have…
Challenges for India’s upcoming G20 presidency
The pandemic and the Ukraine crisis have elevated global debt levels to new heights, beyond the stress nations were already facing before the pandemic. According to the recent IMF World Economic Outlook, the debt-to-GDP ratio in the median emerging market and the middle-income country was about 60 p…
Soft Power After Ukraine
CAMBRIDGE – As Russian missiles pound Ukrainian cities, and as Ukrainians fight to defend their country, some avowed realists might say, “So much for soft power.” But such a response betrays a shallow analysis. Power is the ability to affect others to get the outcomes you want. A smart realist under…
Detention For Security Reasons in Non-International Armed Conflicts
Detainees who are under lawful pre-trial detention are protected by the judicial guarantee provisions of Common Article 3 and Protocol II of Geneva Conventions (GC). Apart from these rules on the treatment of detainees, international humanitarian law (IHL) does not provide any explicit legal basis f…
Neorealističko tumačenje rata u Ukrajini ili zašto liberali nisu bili u pravu
Ukrajinska kriza predstavlja vrlo složen proizvod istorijskih, identitetskih i geopolitičkih okolnosti, čija je geneza imala različite amplitude i eskalacije oružanog nasilja, da bi naposletku dovela do otvorene ruske invazije 24. februara 2022. godine. U ovom radu, eskalaciju krize koja ima mnogobr…
Can the Geneva Conventions Shield the ICC from Attacks?
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has come under a lot of pressure in recent years from non-state parties in what it appears to be a series of efforts to interfere with the way in which the ICC conducts its mandate. Examples include the only recently rescinded US sanctions on certain officials …
Deforestation of Brazil’s Amazon Has Reached a Record High. What’s Being Done?
Scientists warn that the world’s largest rain forest is approaching a critical tipping point past which there could be severe, irreversible consequences for the planet. New data from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research shows that 166 square miles of the Amazon were cleared in Januar…
The Djoković Case The limits of ‘God-like power’ of Australia’s immigration minister
The Djoković Case The limits of ‘God-like power’ of Australia’s immigration minister „If you thought Novak had a God complex, he’s got nothing on Australia’s immigration minister“, wrote Sarah Martin in The Guardian, after Alex Hawke, Australia’s Minister of Citizenship, Migrant Services and M…