International Norms

State of the Order: Assessing July 2020

The State of the Order breaks down the month's most important events impacting the democratic world order.

The geopolitics of digital identity: Dr. David Bray and Lord Tim Clement Jones

By Atlantic Council

Lord Tim Clement Jones, Geotech fellow, and Dr. David Bray, director of the Geotech Center, discussed the issue of digital identity in a recent event at the IdentityNorth Summit. Lord Jones pointed out how technologies for securely connecting an individual’s digital presence to their identity are not new, but have yet to be applied at a national scale, or in a universal manner that would be necessary to maximize their impact. He recognized, though, that certain applications of digital identity technology might be of concern to ordinary people; though he might be comfortable using his digital identity as part of the United Kingdom Parliament’s new system for MPs to vote, the average citizen might take concern with their votes being tabulated digitally, or being connected to other facets of their online identity.

Peering through the fog: The liberal international order in the real world

By Daniel Fried

The liberal order gave the world generations of general great power peace and unprecedented prosperity. Stack that against the first half of the twentieth century.

Statelessness in Ukraine: New law offers fresh hope

By Eric Fritz and Kseniia Karahiaur

Almost thirty years since the collapse of the USSR, statelessness remains a significant issue in independent Ukraine, but new legislation aims to make it easier for residents to gain legal status.

Dr. David Bray: Can people, data, and technology help build a shock-resistant planet?

By Atlantic Council

The WebIT Virtual Thought Summit recently brought together a number of GeoTech experts, including GeoTech Commissioner Dr. Vint Cerf, and GeoTech fellows Daniella Taveau and Dr. Divya Chander, for a panel discussion co-moderated by Dr. David Bray, Director of the GeoTech Center. These leading experts provided their own perspectives on how the world, in responding to COVID-19, might consider certain technologically enabled solutions to predict and protect against future crises. Importantly, the panel pointed out how these technologies must be intentionally designed with people’s needs at the center, lest open societies see well-intentioned innovation evolve into tools for a surveillance state.

State of the Order: Assessing June 2020

The State of the Order breaks down the month's most important events impacting the democratic world order.

Trade and financial fragmentation: New challenges to global stability

By Robert A. Manning

There is greater uncertainty today about the future of global trade than at any time since the post-World War II trading system was created seven decades ago. This was true before the COVID-19 pandemic froze much of the world economy; the health crisis has added a new layer of uncertainty. We are at a historic inflection point: the global trade regime urgently needs renovation and updating to meet new challenges, yet it is fraying and fragmenting.