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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa created confusion about the country’s relationship with the International Criminal Court when he suggested that Pretoria would withdraw from the court. But the larger debate about the ICC’s relationship with Africans is the prism through which Ramaphosa’s remarks must be viewed.

The pervasive issue of misogyny and sexism in online spaces has prompted increased scrutiny of social media platforms and their content moderation policies, as many advocate for stronger measures to address these harmful behaviors online.

While making the world safer for women and girls is the goal of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, it has historically focused on doing so in physical spaces. But as the emphasis on the digital age at this year’s annual CSW session made clear, its mission must expand to include harm and gendered violence that takes place online.

The music industry's shift towards streaming has resulted in a significant increase in its environmental impact, making it crucial for companies to prioritize sustainability initiatives in order to mitigate the negative effects of streaming on climate change.

The music industry’s intangible and less-noticed tangible contributions to the climate crisis—like the emissions used by streaming services and the environmental impact of touring—as well as the obstacles that hinder the mitigation of those contributions exemplify the issues faced by nearly every industry around the world.

A computer screen displays Open AI’s ChatGPT.

The pace of innovation when it comes to AI is leaving many outside observers, and even industry insiders, stunned. Some now worry about AI’s potential impact on the global economy and the role humans will play in it. The concerns are understandable, but we should not overreact. Humans will continue to thrive in the AI-driven economy.

The degrowth movement advocates for policies that prioritize reducing consumption and promoting sustainability, as a means to address the urgent challenge of climate change.

While many governments around the world promote green growth as a way of combatting the climate crisis, some have started to doubt whether this will be enough. Could degrowth, an alternative way of organizing society beyond economic growth, be the way to achieve rapid emissions reductions and a more equitable world?

The erosion of the independent judiciary in countries like Poland and Hungary has raised concerns about the state of democracy in Europe, prompting calls for judicial reform and strengthening the rule of law, similar to efforts in Israel to protect an independent judiciary.

The recent protests that erupted across Israel in opposition to a proposed “judicial reform” put the spotlight on an increasingly prominent issue: the politicization of the judiciary. More and more, democratically elected governments around the world have been dismantling checks and balances to undermine judicial independence.

The upcoming Summit for Democracy aims to address the growing threat of autocracy and authoritarianism around the world, with the US seeking to strengthen alliances and counter the influence of countries like China and Russia, while conflicts like the ongoing war in Ukraine underscore the urgency of the issue.

With everything that happened last week, one could easily have missed what is nevertheless an ostensibly central pillar of President Joe Biden’s foreign policy: the second Summit for Democracy. Some critics say the summit risks becoming an “inconsequential talk shop.” In fact, it has already crossed that line.

front of the main The main entrance of the U.N. COP27 Climate Change Conference.

The U.N.’s annual climate change conferences continue to play a key role in tackling the climate crisis. Not only do the COPs bring together stakeholders with an interest in reining in global warming, they also push the climate crisis to the very top of the world’s news agenda. The problem is, they are no longer fit for purpose.