Project Syndicate

COVID-19 taught the world that establishing novel financial mechanisms in the midst of a pandemic is practically impossible. That is why multilateral development banks must develop the necessary frameworks now to ensure that low- and middle-income countries can purchase medical countermeasures at-risk, just as developed countries do.

Heightened geopolitical tensions underscore the urgent need for Western countries to help African countries tackle the ongoing debt crisis. Without Western support, poverty, hunger, and political instability could intensify across the continent, increasing the allure of Russian and Chinese overtures.

The EU’s Migrant and Asylum Pact, which just squeaked through the European Parliament, remains highly contentious, with some leaders pledging not to implement it at all. But, ultimately, the agreement’s provisions might be less important than the pragmatic coalition-building that got it passed.

The United Nations must urgently establish an International Data-Based Systems Agency to promote safe, secure, and peaceful uses of artificial intelligence and to ensure that these systems respect human rights. Such an institution would also have regulatory authority to help determine market approval for AI products.

The West’s strategic overreach vis-à-vis Russia is not only alienating much of the rest of the world, but also providing a windfall for its real rival, China. Unless it changes course, the West is likely to lose its global supremacy, including its hold on the international financial architecture.

Current debates about Israeli policy are rife with double standards, leading to absurd decisions like Germany’s recent cancellation of a pro-Palestinian gathering. By quashing legitimate speech and assembly, an Israel-aligned establishment risks inciting precisely the kind of anti-Semitism that it wants to prevent.

Many American voters are currently struggling to square the circle of postmodern marriage, in which both partners attempt to maintain careers, raise children, and stay connected while spending more time in virtual reality. US President Joe Biden could win over this cohort by focusing his campaign on expanding childcare.

David Ricardo, one of the founders of modern economics in the early 1800s, understood that machines are not necessarily good or bad. His insight that whether they destroy or create jobs all depends on how we deploy them, and on who makes those choices, could not be more relevant today.

There is good reason to worry that if Donald Trump is elected this November, he will exhibit all the recklessness and risky behavior that has characterized past second-term US presidents. The most urgent and obvious issue to watch would be US debt, given Trump's well-known propensity for declaring bankruptcy.

The intricate legal issues and colorful characters in Donald Trump's criminal trials will undoubtedly keep the media and the viewing public enraptured for months to come. But when it comes to the 2024 election, all that really matters is how the defendant appears to a narrow sliver of undecided voters.