Tabla de contenidos para Winter 2022 en Foreign Policy

At the meeting of finance ministers of the euro-zone in Luxembourg on Oct. 4, 2021, one prominent regular attendee was missing. Olaf Scholz, Germany’s finance minister and vice chancellor since 2018, was otherwise occupied in Berlin. Eight days earlier, his Social Democratic Party (SPD) had won national elections under his leadership, making him the most likely person to succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor, pending coalition negotiations. One might think that other eurozone countries would be filled with anxiety as they tracked Germany’s election and its aftermath, given the country’s out-sized weight in determining the European Union’s common economic and financial policies. But the reality is that Europe was hardly worried at all—and even less so now that Scholz has taken power as Germany’s new leader. That’s because the culture of…

The global energy crisis has hit U.S. shores: Fuel prices are rising, and a global supply shortage of natural gas is driving up the cost of heat and electricity as winter approaches. The Biden administration, worried that rising energy prices could cost votes and kneecap its ability to implement policies, has tapped the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, begged OPEC to pump more oil, and called on Russia to step up gas supplies to Europe. At the same time, the Republicans have no useful energy policy alternative on offer. The United States needs a fundamentally new energy policy that will deliver reliable energy supplies at affordable prices with low impact on the environment and climate. Any energy policy will have to start by considering several inconvenient but incontrovertible facts. First, no…

ONE CANNOT MAKE SENSE OF THE CURRENT CRISIS of liberal democracy without understanding the seismic economic and demographic shifts that have transformed Western democracies. Today, economic opportunity is heavily concentrated in major cities. A new urban elite—much more multicultural, diverse, and cosmopolitan—is redefining cultural norms and rearranging traditional hierarchies of race and gender. Left behind are those who stayed in the rural and post-industrial hinterlands, where globalization has not been kind. Here, far-right populists recasting themselves as defenders of national greatness and a bygone order have flourished, especially among white men. The leaders of such movements are cold to the traditional values of liberal democracy, with its emphasis on diversity and tolerance and its embrace of a market capitalism that has hit these regions hardest. In the United States and…

IN THE FREE WORLD, NATIONAL DEBATES are blinding us to the great challenge faced by democracies everywhere: Liberal democracy is in decline around the world, and autocrats are feeling increasingly emboldened. That need not be the case. The world’s democracies represent more than 70 percent of global GDP. If that power is leveraged, that’s a language Beijing and Moscow will understand. But above all, we know that the force of human freedom is the most powerful force in the world. People rarely take to the streets demanding more autocracy. U.S. President Joe Biden’s Summit for Democracy should not remain a one-off event. Instead, it should kick-start a broader campaign for democratic renewal and optimism. The aim is to unite the free world in the broader cause of preventing democratic backsliding…

TO THRIVE, LIBERAL DEMOCRACIES NEED TO ADOPT POLICIES that offer economic prosperity to more of their citizens. They need to embrace a more ambitious vision of diversity by promising all citizens—majority and minority—social respect and a place at the table. They need to fix their institutions, reinvigorate attachment to their founding ideals, and stand up to autocratic bullies. It is a vast undertaking. Most countries do not seem close to taking on the challenge. The temptation to despair is strong. And so, as a first step, I’d like to propose something more modest: a cease-fire. One of the reasons why authoritarian populists have a real shot at winning democratic elections is that many voters feel they are on the receiving end of a culture war in which the most powerful elements…

How to Save Independent Media FP editor in chief Ravi Agrawal sat down with USAID Administrator Samantha Power and former New York Times President and CEO Mark Thompson to discuss ways in which to protect and grow a free and independent media. In partnership with the International Fund for Public Interest Media Can Local Think Tanks Preserve Democracy? FP reporter Amy Mackinnon engaged experts and practitioners on ways to promote good governance and civil liberties in a divided world. The event also introduced research by FP Analytics on the impact of free-market-focused think tanks in building democracy, as well as their effectiveness in advancing locally driven reform initiatives.  In partnership with the Atlas Network Foreign Policy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence FP convened a discussion on diplomacy and international…

The unimaginable has become reality in the United States. Buffoonish mobs desecrating the U.S. Capitol building, tanks parading down the streets of Washington, running battles between protesters and militias, armed rebels attempting to kidnap sitting governors, uncertainty about the peaceful transition of power—if you read about them in another country, you would think a civil war had already begun. The basic truth is the United States might be on the brink of such a war today. Americans must now take the proposition seriously, not just as a political warning but as a probable military scenario—and a potential catastrophe. The United States, of course, is not just any country—it is the world’s most enduring democracy and largest economy. But ever fewer Americans believe its size and power are going to save…

More than half a decade of intense debate on what is now routinely referred to as a crisis of democracy hasn’t produced much in the way of remedies. It has clarified, however, intellectual and political battle lines. On one side are the so-called institutionalists: scholars and politicians who aim to defend existing democratic bodies, such as independent courts, against all manner of wreckers and norm-breakers. On the other side are those who see such institutionalists as complacent defenders of a pre-crisis status quo that cannot—and should not—be restored. Two note-worthy recent books on threats to democracy both fall into the institutionalist camp but still offer very different answers to the question of how best to defend and, ideally, deepen democracy: One looks mainly to the rule of law, while the…

1. Voters in Switzerland legalized same-sex marriage in a September 2021 referendum. Which country was the first to allow same-sex couples to wed, in 2001? a. The Netherlands b. Brazil c. The United States d. New Zealand 2. Iran swore in a new cabinet last August following its presidential election. Who was appointed as foreign minister? a. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian b. Ebrahim Raisi c. Mohammad Javad Zarif d. Esmaeil Khatib 3. A new defense partnership among which three countries ruffled feathers in France last year? a. Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States b. Portugal, Spain, and the United States c. Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States d. Canada, Mexico, and the United States 4. Who was the first African leader to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden…

Established in 2005 on a quintet of core principles, the International Telematic University Uninettuno has forged a proud reputation for online learning from its base in Rome through a strong and distinctive identity based on the five key values of education, research and innovation, internationalization, inclusion and passion. The diverse range of training paths offered by Rome-based Uninettuno include three-year and second-cycle degree courses, research doctorates, master’s courses and high-level vocational training/retraining courses. The comprehensive online education provided is a strong guarantee of the highest quality, professional-ism and innovation. By creating a laboratory of multicultural and multilingual cooperation, the award-winning university has democratized the access to knowledge, explains Uninettuno’s Rector, Maria Amata Garito. “We are building a three dimensional university using two models in parallel: the already developed and tested…

Arising chorus of analysts now describe China as a “peaking power”—one that might take greater risks to revise the international order before its strategic window of opportunity closes. They cite the country’s aging population, slowing economy, and hostile external environment as evidence that time is no longer on China’s side. The fear of decline, they argue, could lead China to act sooner rather than later to solidify its position in East Asia, with potentially catastrophic consequences. While there is a compelling case to be made about the downward trajectory of China’s power, it is difficult to argue that Chinese leaders perceive themselves to be running short on time. In recent years, the actions and rhetoric of the Chinese government reveal little doubt about how it sees the future. Moreover, Beijing…

In 2018, during protests in the Ugandan capital of Kampala, I arrived at the spot where a man had been shot to death just an hour before. Locals showed me pictures of his bloodstained body; the police would later say he was killed by a “stray bullet.” But it already looked as though nothing had happened at all. Boda boda drivers leaned on their motorcycles. Women bent over charcoal stoves. Young men gathered around Ludo boards, slapping down pieces with a familiar clack. State violence has become normalized in Uganda’s capital. On Nov. 18, 2020, opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, known as Bobi Wine, was arrested in the country’s eastern district of Luuka for violating COVID-19 rules while campaigning for the presidency against incumbent President Yoweri Museveni. In the ensuing…

In Japan, you will regularly be given offers you can’t refuse. With a straight “no,” after all, you might invite confrontation or offense. Instead, say bimyou, a word as indistinct as a wisp of cloud, as nonbinding as a weather report. During the October 2021 general election, much of the Japanese media restrained themselves from making risky predictions. The situation was bimyou, said one earnest news anchor. Bimyou, echoed headlines that announced pre-polling results. Here, the word was used to mean “unclear.” The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had been in power since the 1950s—apart from two brief and unimpressive handovers—but due to the quirks of parliamentary numbers-gaming, the party faced the possibility that it might miss the majority and be forced to cut a coalition deal. The LDP would go…

SURVEILLANCE CAPITALISM is the dominant economic institution of our time, and it is on a collision course with democracy. Surveillance capitalism’s giants—Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple—now own, operate, and intermediate nearly every aspect of human engagement with global information and communication systems, unconstrained by public law. All roads to economic, social, and even political participation now lead through a handful of unaccountable companies, a condition that has intensified during two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The result is a trail of social wreckage: the whole-sale destruction of privacy, vast corporate concentrations of information about people and society, poisoned discourse, fractured societies, remote systems of behavior manipulation, and weakened democratic institutions. While the Chinese designed and deployed digital technologies to advance their own system of authoritarian rule, the West failed…

DEMOCRATIC COUNTRIES WILL CONTINUE TO BE UNDERMINED as long as they don’t clamp down on the commercial market for intelligence-grade software and other technologies. Spy and hacking systems threaten the free press, freedom of expression, and the right to privacy. They help criminal networks, malignant state actors, and power-seeking oligarchs intimidate public officials, candidates for office, journalists, NGOs, think tanks, universities, and companies. Anyone with money can easily purchase top-notch intelligence capacities on a toxic yet unregulated market. Few other services so directly undermine democratic governments, but their credibility is at stake as well: After all, what is the value of beautiful declarations at democracy summits when companies in democratic countries are key enablers of tyranny? Right now, many of the victims of these technologies live under repressive regimes far away…

In the past 14 months, the United States and Germany both held national elections that placed climate change policy squarely at the center of national debate. The fact that two of the world’s five largest economies committed to addressing the world’s most pressing crisis through public discourse followed by public voting was an un-precedented democratic experiment. It did not work out as optimists hoped. On the one hand, the victorious parties in both countries vowed to achieve what was necessary to prevent the worst effects of climate change from occurring, in accordance with the international climate agreement unanimously approved in Paris in 2015. But on the other hand, in neither country can the resulting policies be described as fulfilling that promise. All the major German parties (except for the far-right…

Anyone who has visited South Korea in recent years has likely noticed that comedy variety shows are quite popular there. Instead of the one-on-one talk show format that is popular in the United States, these Korean productions typically feature a pack of mostly male performers standing before a camera in a public space, such as a parking lot, playground, city park, or large shopping mall. They talk, giggle, and lightly push one another in a juvenile manner before dispersing to change into tracksuit uniforms and play silly playground games, such as hide-and-seek, capture the flag, jump-rope, and rock-paper-scissors. The losers of these games receive humiliating but ultimately harmless punishments; most often, they are denied a meal or a ride back to the studio. The more humiliating the punishment, the more…

As the global landscape becomes more complex and interconnected than ever before, the need for collaboration, inclusion, and unity has never been greater. This FP Guide introduces some of graduate education’s most respected leaders. These professors, deans, directors, and alums draw upon their diverse backgrounds and multifaceted careers to help cultivate the next generation of international affairs specialists as they embark on their mission to make the world a better place. We will meet: • A former US ambassador and the Department of State’s first chief diversity and inclusion officer committed to fostering a diplomatic culture that celebrates and honors differences. • Co-founders of an innovative new MA program that is producing future global leaders trained to address the increasingly ubiquitous Fourth Industrial Revolution. • A former vice chair of the…

Singapore Management University (SMU) — an attractive, welcoming and cosmopolitan university dedicated to impacting humanity positively by nurturing well-grounded leaders of tomorrow — sits at the heart of the Singapore central business district. Through an ambitious and comprehensive strategic plan (SMU2025) built on the three priorities of Digital Trans-formation, Sustainable Living and Growth in Asia, SMU aims to grow its proud reputation as a world-renowned global city university. Combined with a differentiated learning approach that comprises interactive learning pedagogy with strong industry engagement and experience, as well as an emphasis on giving back to the community, SMU is determined to deliver a truly transformative education. Professor Lily Kong, President of SMU, underlines that the university “aims to mold future leaders who are well sought after in the workplace and will…

You would think Chinese President Xi Jinping is dead set on kneecapping his country’s much-vaunted tech industry, which makes up nearly 40 percent of China’s GDP. His government’s crack-down on some of China’s biggest internet companies has already wiped out more than $1.5 trillion in stock market value. This comes at a troubling time for the Chinese economy. Even as it is letting the air out of tech, Beijing must scramble to control the popping bubble in the country’s infamously inflated real estate sector. These problems are now compounded by an energy crisis that has led to power blackouts and could soon impact manufacturing. How these cascading Chinese crises will affect markets elsewhere is still unclear, with one exception: Capital with fewer opportunities in China clearly needs a refuge, and…

The United Arab Emirates, nicknamed “Little Sparta” by former U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis due to Abu Dhabi’s dis-proportionate military capabilities relative to its small geographic size, is repeatedly highlighted as one of the United States’ most critical partners in the Middle East. According to this perspective, Abu Dhabi is a vital ally for deterring Iran, countering terrorism, and promoting regional stability. Recently, the UAE has come to be considered an essential component of Washington’s desire to “offshore” its regional burdens in the Middle East as it pivots to Asia. Although the UAE may at times engage in regional interventions or commit human rights abuses, this point of view argues that such actions are not harmful to U.S. interests and the country remains a symbol of stability and progress in…

For 15 consecutive years, Freedom House’s annual tally has recorded a decline in the number of democracies worldwide. It’s a steady loss of ground that Larry Diamond, a political scientist at Stanford University, calls a “democratic recession.” And no event put the reality of democratic backsliding more dramatically on display than the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021—when the world’s oldest liberal democracy endured the first violent presidential transition in its 245-year history. As we mark that event’s dubious anniversary, we’re reminded how fragile democracy really is. Democracy is on the defensive, and the reasons are as deep as they are familiar. Growing inequality has fed a global mood that democratic institutions aren’t serving their citizens. The internet and social media have hypercharged political polarization and cultural…

IN 2013 AND 2014, RESPECTIVELY, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin began to authorize campaigns of strategic corruption that have taken the threat to democracies to a whole new level. Russian oligarchs close to Putin now regularly deploy their corruptly acquired wealth to influence Western elections, coerce public officials, and undermine democratic processes. Xi launched the Belt and Road Initiative, which uses opaque investments and outright bribery in what has traditionally been the most corrupt sector of industry—large-scale infrastructure projects—to spread Beijing’s model of authoritarian governance and poison struggling democracies. Confronting this challenge would require Western governments to dig deep into their own sectors that move and hide this dirty money, from legal services to real estate. They must not only rewrite entire sets of laws but…

When the French writer Vanessa Springora published her 2020 memoir, Consent, a chilling indictment of a culture that tolerates criminal behavior toward a minor when the abuser is an influential literary figure, it landed in France with what one reviewer called the force of a Molotov cocktail. That “abuse memoir” (now a genre unto itself) was written from the perspective of a victim—Springora—who had a clear understanding, in retrospect, of her predator’s strategies. The distinguished abuser, referred to as “G.,” appeared to have taken his instructions directly from the “Bluebeard” playbook, with Springora herself explicitly referring to that classic French fairy tale. In the hair-raising story, a young woman marries a wealthy man, Bluebeard, whose past wives have all disappeared under mysterious circumstances. When he goes on a trip abroad,…

While many of us have been stuck at home, fast-changing international relationships have been roiling governments, corporations, and multilaterals. Almost every institution has been and continues to be impacted by ever-shifting global dynamics. Give your team the tools it needs to stay on top of world developments in policy and politics by becoming a Foreign Policy Group Subscriber. FP provides expert perspectives and analysis of major world events and what’s coming next, each and every day. We break down complex issues, making them easy to read and understand. Let our team of award-winning journalists and contributing experts from around the world provide your team with unparalleled insights on unfolding events Get organizational access and keep your team informed with an FP group subscription. As a Group Subscriber you’ll get: Scaled…

Ellen Laipson Director, Master’s in International Security, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University “Directing the Master’s in International Security program is a culminating experience for my career, as it is for many of our faculty who are former practitioners. We share our career experiences with a younger generation fascinated by international security issues and incredibly motivated to address some of today’s biggest global challenges.” After 25 years of working in government and national security, Ellen Laipson knows what skills and knowledge her students at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government need to effectively tackle real-world problems. “Directing the Master’s in International Security program is a culminating experience for my career, as it is for many of our faculty who are former practitioners,” she says.…

In a challenging and fast-paced world where knowledge and understanding provide competitive advantages, the best universities and higher education entities have adopted a portfolio of proactive and forward-thinking mindsets that embrace agility and innovation as they strive to prepare the dedicated students of today for the tough business arenas of tomorrow. With many of the obstacles created by the pandemic already overcome thanks to a series of new learning practices, including online tuition and virtual lecture theaters, the sector’s successful transformation to this exciting new paradigm has generated a wealth of openings and opportunities for leading industry names on many continents. “Our alumni are not only highly competitive in terms of their skills, but also in terms of their values.”Ramón Arilla Llorente, Rector, ESIC One of Europe’s most successful business…

The financial services sector is Bahrain’s second-biggest industry after oil and gas, with the 376 financial institutions operating in the country contributing 17.3% of its gross domestic product in 2020, up from 16.1% in 2019. At the sector’s heart is a wide range of local, regional and global banks, which together managed total assets of $207.4 billion in 2020. According to Adnan Ahmed Yousif, chairman of the Bahrain Association of Banks, the country stands out as a financial center due to the diversity of these banking operators. “It’s a complex and very mature market. For example, it’s the only financial center within the Arab countries that has such a variety of Islamic banking products.” He also highlights the world-class standards the sector adheres to. “Our central bank is classified as…