Global Outlook

Curated expert opinion on intractable contemporary issues

Disinformation: A Growing Threat for Faith-Based Organisations 

By Prithvi Iyer and Zoe Skoric  |  08 August, 2022

From hindering public health efforts to disrupting election cycles, it is clear that disinformation threatens public trust and democratic principles worldwide. Yet, despite disinformation becoming a more prevalent topic within the international community, its impact on the operations and public image of faith-based non-governmental organisations (NGOs) remains relatively unexplored. With nearly 60% of U.S.-based foreign assistance organisations being faith-based, it is essential to not only understand the impact of disinformation on these organisations, but also to examine the strategies used to counter disinformation so that it does not adversely impact their humanitarian work.

Climate Change, Not China, the Most Important Security Concern for Pacific Island Countries

By Volker Boege  |  02 August, 2022

The meeting of the leaders of the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) countries in Suva, Fiji, in mid-July drew more international attention from beyond the region than usual, as it took place at a time of increasing geo-strategic competition between USA and China. Moreover, it was the first in-person meeting of leaders since 2019. For the last two years, the COVID pandemic has made such meetings impossible.

Pompeo’s Claims that China Obstructed North Korea’s Denuclearisation

By Chung-in Moon  |  28 July, 2022

The North Korean nuclear issue can’t be resolved without US cooperation with Beijing — but Pompeo’s rhetoric makes that appear near impossible.

Caring about Nuclear Sharing: A Set-Back for Nuclear Arms Control

By Herbert Wulf  |  23 July, 2022

Russia’s repeated references to nuclear weapons since it started the war in Ukraine have put nuclear weapons back at centre stage of the strategic discussions. This has raised anxieties about a possible nuclear war in Europe and it is a set-back for nuclear arms control. Unfortunately, the Russian mind set has had a fall-out effect: NATO re-emphasises the need for nuclear deterrence, particularly its nuclear sharing programmes in Europe.

How Much Damage Have Putin’s Threats Done to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Regime?

By Ramesh Thakur  |  19 July, 2022

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it’s fair to say, has already profoundly shaped the global discourse on nuclear weapons. In the deliberations at the inaugural meeting of the states parties of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Vienna last month, the Ukraine war cast a long shadow over the utility and limits of nuclear weapons as a deterrent and as a tool of coercive diplomacy

The West is Facing a New Alliance of Autocracies and Theocracies

By Amin Saikal  |  16 July, 2022

World politics has reached an ominous phase of polarisation. The struggle between the US-led democracies and the Russo-Chinese-led autocracies primarily underpins this development. Yet there’s also another dangerous dimension to it: the emergence of close relations between the autocratic powers and such extremist theocratic forces as the Taliban in Afghanistan.

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.