Global Challenges

No inclusive growth is conceivable without success in Nigeria’s anti-corruption drive. Today, that struggle is increasingly global.  In mid-May, the world’s first anti-corruption summit took place in London. During the event, the chair, UK Prime Minister David Cameron was caught...

The new normal. EPA/Lukas Coch Tobacco kills nearly half of all long-term smokers and in the UK alone accounts for the deaths of 100,000 people annually, according to the public health charity ASH. This is the harsh reality behind plain packaging for...

Anti-doping is in crisis. Russia has created a real dilemma as the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA) and the International Olympic Committee agonise over the extent and nature of sanctions after doping revelations. Kenya is struggling to meet the requirements that will allow...

360b / Shutterstock.com 360b / Shutterstock.com Whether or not David Cameron, the UK prime minister, was right to tell the Queen so publicly that guests of the country were leaders of “possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world”,...

    As we approach the UN International Day of Families, only the foolhardy would try to predict the future of family groups. Previous attempts have, in fact, failed. William J Goode, writing in the early 1960s during the “golden age...

Four years ago, voluntary guidelines on the governance of land and land tenure were agreed at the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome. This was a response to growing concerns about the impacts of “land grabbing” driven by the...

Terrorism is not a new phenomenon in Southeast Asia, but goes as far back as the era of anti-colonial struggle. It gathered pace after September 11 with a series of attacks perpetrated mostly by the Al-Qaeda linked organisation Jemaah Islamiyah....

In the capitals of America’s Asian allies, two phenomena are combining to intensify already uneasy relations with Washington. The first is China’s continued assertiveness in the South China Sea. Beijing’s militarisation of these contested territories — transforming rocks and reefs...

In March, the leading credit agencies cut their outlook for China’s sovereign credit rating from stable to negative. If the decision was warranted, it may also be time to reassess the current ratings of most advanced economies and accelerate global...

The Panama Papers have exposed the largest financial crime scandal of our lifetimes. However, what has been uncovered by the Panama Papers is much more dangerous than simply greed and corruption. For those of you who have been hiding under...

Russia’s apparent and recent violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty suggests it may be time for Russia and the United States to make the Treaty multilateral — and, most importantly, include China. Russia’s apparent and recent violation of...

In every crisis, there lies an opportunity. In addition, that applies even to a crisis as large and potentially scandalous as that revealed by the so-called Panama Papers.  Over the coming days and weeks, the financial behaviour of many rich,...

German Chancellor Merkel was right. As the Greek crisis was winding down last summer, she noted that the refugee problem would be even more difficult.  In addition, indeed, it is. The refugee issue is challenging Merkel's leadership in Europe.  While...

In academic discourse, it has become almost ritualistic to begin a piece on foreign aid by highlighting the sharp controversies over its effectiveness as a tool to promote social and economic progress in developing countries. This has happened even though...

By 9.30am today I will have skyped Malawi, emailed Ghana, Facebooked Nepal, paid a bill online and used the satnav on my mobile phone. It feels a long time since we first got colour TV at home and, years later,...