The most important things you need to know to stay abreast of the latest developments in global governance.

The Forum of Young Global Leaders and overlapping fields of power

By Julia Bethwaite – The Forum of Young Global Leaders brings together leaders from different fields across the globe, including acting ministers of state. How does the YGL programme relate to the idea of national representative democracies?

Third World Analogies and First World Solutions

By Francisco-José Quintana – Third World analogies have long become a favoured resource of U.S. critics of Donald Trump. This essay explores the references to “banana republics” and Latin America in the analysis of the storming of the U.S. capitol and argues that these analogies are normatively, historically, and analytically deficient.

Informed dissent or misinformed rebellion? Making sense of India’s farmer protests

By Lys Kulamadayil – This post reviews the 2020 agricultural reforms in India from a legal perspective. In doing so, it seeks to make sense of farmers’ adamant opposition to the reforms. It suggests that their protests should be understood as a rejection of food capitalism.

20 years of Women, Peace and Security: A Call for the Perpetual (Re)Problematization of a Problematic Agenda

By Miriam Engeler & Marissa Fortune – On the 20th anniversary of UNSCR 1325, this piece unpacks feminist critiques of the Women Peace and Security Agenda and argues that applying critical methodologies to studies of peace and security can help diagnose the flaws in WPS implementation and help reclaim the radical foundations that the Agenda was built on.

A Nobel for the WFP: A non-political Peace Prize for humanitarian multilateralism?

By Kristin Bergtora Sandvik et al – This contribution puts the award in context, showing how food is framed as an instrument of peace. It then focuses on the very political nature of the WFP as a multilateral humanitarian organization. Finally, it discusses one example of the WFP at the operational level: the politics of humanitarian technology.

Localization of Humanitarian Action: From Grand Bargain to Grand Betrayal

This article assesses the localization workstream under the so-called Grand Bargain of humanitarianism. It highlights the underlying reasons behind lack of progress on localization, which hinge on vested interests and apathy, and their implications for local organisations.

Democracy against, across, or for sovereign politics

By Juho Korhonen – There is a mismatch between our analyses of democracy and its historically varied manifestations. By considering alternative cases we may discover some of the historical baggage and resulting restrictions inherent in the prevalent model for democratic politics that is reproduced through the ways in which we tend to analyze democracy.

Three ways blockchain could get the world to act against the climate crisis

By Bernhard Reinsberg – Climate governance is said to be in crisis. New mechanisms to get the world to act against climate change are necessary. By facilitating a novel decentralized climate organization, blockchain technology holds promise to foster global cooperation.

NATO’s challenges amidst the coronavirus crisis: In need for a strategic turn or readjustment?

By Maria (Mary) Papageorgiou – This blog post identifies five challenges facing NATO and explores their future implications. Leadership, funding, disinformation campaigns, biosecurity threats and the relationship between the allies will determine the alliance’s direction in the emerging geostrategic environment.

Understanding Migration Diplomacy

By Fiona B. Adamson and Gerasimos Tsourapas – With a rise in the number of migrants and refugees globally, the reliance on diplomatic tools, processes, and procedures to manage cross-border population mobility will have more significance on interstate relations.

Why the ICRC should think twice about its work on urban violence

By Miriam Bradley – The ICRC’s work on urban violence has led to significant and surprising shifts in its humanitarian boundaries—shifts that may damage its ability to carry out its core mandate.