International
Opinion: It’s High Time to Break the Bailout Doom Loop
Monetary easing and bailout expectations are embedded in post-2008 central banking, often justified on the grounds of systemic stability or public expectations. The truth is that on top of nurturing moral hazard, the Fed put impedes innovation and productive investment.
The EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investments (CAI): a piece of the puzzle.
On 30 December 2020, the EU and China announced that they had reached an Agreement in Principle on investments. The text is the result of lengthy negotiations, which started in January 2014. The EU-China CAI was met with fierce criticism from political commentators, who believe the treaty is a “strategic victory” for China and may potentially damage transatlantic relations. However, as usual with international affairs, matters are not always as simple as portrayed and deserve thorough consideration.
The Power of Values: An Interview With an Obama Foreign Policy Speechwriter
GRI’s co-founder Basim Al-Ahmadi sat down via Zoom with Terence Szuplat, one of President Obama’s longest serving speechwriters.
Will the link between climate change and conflict be recognised?
Although scientists, politicians and academics differ as to whether climate change directly causes armed conflict, humanitarian organisations like the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent believe the role climate change plays in violent strife can no longer be ignored. Communities have been torn apart by ethnic tensions exacerbated by drought-induced resource scarcity, and if world leaders fail to address the devastating effects of climate change, peacekeeping efforts in unstable territories could suffer.
The role of cities in climate governance
Cohesive populations, proximity to their citizens, and data capabilities offer cities a pivotal role in climate action alongside national and international actors. If clear goals are set, local circumstances accounted for, and other governance partners effectively collaborated with, cities could lead in the fight against climate change.
The Risks of Criminal Activity in Times of COVID-19 Vaccine Nationalism
The slow and unequal distribution of COVID-19 vaccines has not only hampered the global economic recovery from the pandemic. In lower and middle-income countries, the scarcity of vaccine supply has opened up opportunities for organized criminal groups to orchestrate lucrative activities thus endangering the health of vulnerable populations and undermining public trust in state institutions. As the tendency of slow vaccine rollouts is set to continue, the security situation in developing countries is likely to deteriorate.
Covid-19: Cyberattacks on the Healthcare System
The digitalization of the healthcare system brings more challenges than anticipated. One of those challenges are cyberattacks, which have been classified as low priority threats. Now during a worldwide pandemic, the healthcare system has never been so necessary. However, it has also made the healthcare sector more vulnerable, which has attracted cyberattacks in growing numbers. Awareness is needed to attract investments and take actions into creating a more resilient digitalized healthcare sector.
Russia and the Myanmar Coup: An Opportunity for Increased Arms Exports
Whereas most countries have condemned the coup in Myanmar, Russia is openly advocating for enhancing military technological cooperation with the military regime. In doing so, Russia seems to see the new military rule as an opportunity to increase its influence in Myanmar whilst boosting its arms exports. This may be a classic example of Moscow’s limited bilateral engagement, seeking financial gain and increased influence whilst preserving their strategic autonomy.
GRI interview: Princeton historian discusses Covid-19 and macro risks
GRI recently sat down (virtually) with financial historian Harold James to discuss Covid-19 and emerging macro risks. James is the Claude and Lore Kelly Professor in European Studies and Professor
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: How Delhi is losing the Indian-Chinese soft power game in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has increasingly become a focus of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in the last decade. The Hambantota port development project is a notable example, an ambitious but costly endeavour by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, which was in the end handed over by the government to a Chinese enterprise on a 99-year lease in 2017 to reduce its spiralling debt burden.
