Category: Blogs

What a Biden presidency means for US-Colombia relations

By Camila Hernandez and Daniel Payares-Montoya

On repeated occasions, President-elect Biden has characterized Colombia as the “keystone” of US foreign policy toward Latin America and the Caribbean, maintaining that, if elected president, restoring the alliance between the United States and Colombia will be among his top foreign policy priorities.

H.R. McMaster to Biden: Don’t let up on competition with China

By David A. Wemer

As Joe Biden develops his strategy toward China, he should be wary of the instinct to abandon competition with Beijing in favor of cooperation. That’s the advice Lt. General H.R. McMaster, former national security advisor to President Donald Trump, hopes the president-elect heeds.

IDB President Mauricio Claver-Carone: Latin America wants greater US involvement and consensus

By Larry Luxner

Mauricio Claver-Carone, the first US citizen to lead the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in its sixty-one-year history, highlighted the importance of additional IDB assistance for Latin America and the Caribbean as the region confronts the enormous challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting economic upheaval, with US support central to this cause.

Ukraine must study the economic foundations of Azerbaijan’s military success

By Vladislav Inozemtsev

Ukraine must learn from Azerbaijan and look to create a strong economy built on modern technologies and broad international cooperation before seeking to regain Russian-occupied regions of the country.

Can Janet Yellen fix the COVID economy?

If confirmed by the Senate, President-elect Biden’s nominee Janet Yellen will make history as the first female Treasury Secretary. That couldn’t come at a more opportune time, according to Josh Lipsky and Julia Friedlander. But Yellen faces an uphill battle at home and abroad as a sustained economic crisis looms large. Josh points out that […]

UNRWA—and the Palestine refugees it serves—remains an investment worth protecting

By Mara Kronenfeld

UNRWA is one of the only entities standing between a tragic COVID-19 outbreak among Palestine refugees and safe passage to the other side of this global crisis. Though the agency has the expertise to help Palestine refugees, it can only continue doing so with adequate and reliable funding.

Strengthening ties between NATO, Ukraine and Georgia

By Alyona Getmanchuk, Irakli Porchkhidze, Sergiy Solodkyy

Ukraine and Georgia both feature among NATO's six Enhanced Opportunities Partners but the two former Soviet republics seek greater integration as they continue to push for eventual NATO membership.

FAST THINKING: John Kerry, America’s first climate czar

By Atlantic Council

It’s one thing to say you take the threat of climate change seriously. It’s another to create a new cabinet-level post for a “climate envoy,” give it to John Kerry, and save him a seat on your National Security Council. That’s the plan Joe Biden laid out this week. What difference will it make?

Event recap | AI, gene editing and guaranteeing a stable seed supply

By GeoTech Center

As a part of the GeoTech Center’s AgriTechAction 2020, Mr. Jeff Rowe, President of Global Seeds for Syngenta, was interviewed by Ms. Daniella Taveau, Nonresident Senior Fellow at the GeoTech Center and expert in developing global business and regulatory strategies.

Why the G20 should do more for financial inclusion

By Emilie Bel

As our societies build back better after the pandemic, vulnerable populations cannot be left behind. Financial inclusion will be crucial to making the global recovery more sustainable and its benefits more widely shared.