Global Outlook

Curated expert opinion on intractable contemporary issues

Military Skirmishes in the Himalayas

By Herbert Wulf  |  21 March, 2023

In the shadow of two major geopolitical crises, the competition between China and the USA in the Pacific and the Ukraine war in Europe, a showdown between India and China is taking place in the Himalayas. The two most populous countries in the world have not been able to agree on a common border in the Himalayas for more than six decades. There are often dangerous military skirmishes, with the risk that the conflict will spiral out of control.

Implications of the Fraying of the Liberal International Order for Policy Oriented Research

By Ramesh Thakur  |  18 March, 2023

International politics is the struggle for the dominant normative architecture of world order based on the interlay of power, economic weight and ideas for the good international society. For several decades now wealth and power have been shifting from the west to the east and produced a rebalancing of the world order.

The Missing Link - Indigenous Pasifika Climate Knowledge

By Tafue Lusama  |  07 March, 2023

The global climate narrative has been largely shaped by Eurocentric philosophies, frameworks, and concepts. In most cases, adaptation and mitigation measures are formulated outside of the Pacific region, trialed, and then implemented in the Pacific with the assumption that they are the best solution for the Pacific Island countries, without considering the indigenous knowledges that do exist at the grassroots.

Nuclear Armament is a Lose-Lose-Lose for South Korea

By Chung-in Moon  |  03 March, 2023

The path toward acquiring nuclear weapons could jeopardize Korea’s survival, endanger its prosperity, and damage its prestige in the international community.

Chicken-Game

By Herbert Wulf  |  01 March, 2023

In the Ukraine war, both sides are escalating verbally and militarily. To achieve what? To de-escalate, win or freeze the war, create a strong position for negotiations? When is the time ripe for negotiations and are there proven conflict resolution patterns that are relevant for an end to the war?

High Hurdles on the Long Road to Ukraine Negotiations

By Günther Baechler  |  28 February, 2023

Committed observers insist that the parties to the conflict sit down at the table immediately and resolve their dispute peacefully and by consensus. The problem is: if the conditions for a peaceful solution in a conflict system had already existed before the escalation, then the use of violence would not have occurred. If the conditions for dialogue are not in place before an escalation, they are usually even less so after the threshold of violence has been crossed.

The views and opinions expressed in Global Outlook are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toda Peace Institute.