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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.

  1. vbadre1_ DeAgostiniGetty Images_icarusbruegel DeAgostini/Getty Images
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    Business Lessons from the Fall of Icarus

    Vanessa Badré scrutinizes a Flemish masterpiece to glean insights into the challenges of corporate social responsibility.
  2. patten164_ JUSTIN TALLISAFP via Getty Images_hongkongsecuritylaw Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images

    China Tightens Its Grip on Hong Kong

    Chris Patten condemns the latest attempt by the Communist Party’s puppet government to curb democratic freedoms.
  3. op_tasca1_Long WeiVCG via Getty Images_e-cny Long Wei/VCG via Getty Images

    The Struggle for Currency Supremacy

    Paolo Tasca

    New techno-powered alternative currencies should not be seen as decisive challenges to the US dollar. Instead, they are best understood as pawns in an older game of strategic dominance for which there is no end in sight.

    expects that digital assets will accelerate efforts to create alternatives to the US dollar.
  4. khrushcheva179_JEWEL SAMADAFP via Getty Images_rupertmurdoch Jewel Samad/AFP via Getty Images

    The Oligarch, His Ex-Wife, Her Mother, and Rupert Murdoch

    Nina L. Khrushcheva contemplates the media mogul's impending marriage to the Russian biologist Elena Zhukova.
  5. bp immigration Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images

    The Immigration Tinderbox

    In the United States and Europe, immigration tends to divide people into opposing camps: those who claim that newcomers undermine economic opportunity and security for locals, and those who argue that welcoming migrants and refugees is a moral and economic imperative. How should one make sense of a debate that is often based on motivated reasoning, with emotion and underlying biases affecting the selection and interpretation of evidence?

  6. arezki19_MARCO LONGARIAFP via Getty Images_senegalelection Marco Longari/AFP via Getty Images

    Senegal’s Election and Africa’s Future

    Rabah Arezki considers what Bassirou Diomaye Faye's presidency could mean for one of Africa's most closely watched democracies.
  7. disparte5_ Kevin DietschGetty Images_FSOC Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

    America Must Lead on Crypto Regulation

    Dante Alighieri Disparte urges policymakers to take decisive action and set new rules for the industry in 2024.
  8. gul6_Hasan MradDeFodi Images via Getty Images_ghannouchi Hasan Mrad/De Fodi Images via Getty Images

    Rached Ghannouchi’s Plight Deserves More Attention

    Abdullah Gül decries the prosecution and imprisonment of Tunisia's widely respected avatar of Islamic democracy.
  9. okonjoiweala27_GIUSEPPE CACACEAFP via Getty Images_WTO13ministerialconference Giuseppe Cacace/AFP via Getty Images

    WTO Reform Is Everyone’s Responsibility

    Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala writes that meaningful change will come only when members other than the US help steer the organization.

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