Supporters of Argentine President-elect Javier Milei.

It is tempting to view the win in Argentina by far-right libertarian economist Javier Milei followed by the first-place finish in the Netherlands by the anti-Muslim firebrand Geert Wilders as evidence of a global movement. But it would be a mistake to view these two earthquakes as part of the same tectonic pattern.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses the U.N. Sustainable Development Forum.

Following the Sustainable Development Goals Summit this past September, the U.N. published a guidance paper to identify pathways to achieving the SDGs by their target date of 2030. But if those goals are to be met, even partially, the U.N. must also rethink the political underpinnings of international development cooperation.

U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The ongoing war in Gaza will undoubtedly and permanently alter the relationship between Israel and Hamas as well as between Israelis and Palestinians. But despite what some observers are predicting, the Israel-Hamas war will do little to change the international system more generally or U.S. grand strategy more specifically.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy listens to a question during a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following their meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, July 8, 2023.

In an information landscape where social media-driven news cycles often burn out in a day, engaging with the public responsibly over months and years has become one of the most difficult challenges that governments face. Yet this is what Kyiv must do as it becomes clear that the war in Ukraine will continue for the foreseeable future.

Photographs of Israeli hostages being held by Hamas militants.

The atrocities accompanying the Israel-Hamas conflict have led many observers to ask if it makes sense to speak about the laws of war when armed actors seem only too willing to ignore them. But to say that the laws of war are ineffective is to misunderstand how they are meant to work—and do work—even when they seem to be ignored.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

EU officials have been careful to avoid framing Global Gateway, an infrastructure development initiative, as a response to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, but comparisons between the two frameworks are inevitable. It is no surprise, then, that the narratives the EU uses to discuss the Global Gateway contest those surrounding the BRI.

A man sits on rubble in the Gaza strip.

The carnage unfolding in Israel and Gaza makes clear that the status quo there is not sustainable, and even a two-state solution could be untenable. Instead, there is a need for a bolder approach: a three- or even four-state solution. Why should Israel adopt one of these multistate solutions? Because it is in its interest to do so.

A poster for the ESG Summit Europe

The surge in investor demand for “green finance” is good news for the environment, representing a potential reservoir of urgently needed funds to stabilize the climate. But is green finance really the answer? Possibly, but not without substantial reform and regulation, starting with a clearer definition of what it is—and isn’t.