Curated expert opinion on intractable contemporary issues
Global Outlook Articles by Jordan Ryan
Jordan Ryan is a member of the Toda International Research Advisory Council (TIRAC) at the Toda Peace Institute, a Senior Consultant to the Folke Bernadotte Academy (Sweden) and former Vice President for Peace at The Carter Center. He recently completed an assignment as the lead author of the UN integration review for the Executive Office of the Secretary-General. Mr. Ryan served as UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Assistant Administrator from 2009-2014, was Deputy Special Representative in Liberia, and UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam. He holds graduate degrees from Columbia University and George Washington University and received his B.A. from Yale University. He was also a fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School.
The UN’s Withering Vine: A US Retreat from Global Governance
By Jordan Ryan | 10 January, 2026
The Trump administration’s recent announcement of its withdrawal from 66 international organisations has been met with a mixture of alarm and applause. While the headline number suggests a dramatic retreat from the world stage, a closer look reveals a more nuanced, and perhaps more insidious, strategy.
Venezuela and the UN's Proxy War Moment
By Jordan Ryan | 05 January, 2026
The United States military intervention in Venezuela, culminating in the capture of Nicolás Maduro on 3 January 2026, has been framed in starkly different ways.
The Danger of a Transactional Worldview
By Jordan Ryan | 11 December, 2025
On December 4, the Trump administration released its 2025 National Security Strategy, the document articulating America's approach to global security.
When Algorithms Rewrite History: Governing the Digital Erosion of Democratic Memory
By Jordan Ryan | 06 December, 2025
As Spain marked the fiftieth anniversary of Francisco Franco’s death in November 2025, the country’s reckoning with its past collided with social media platforms amplifying distorted versions of the dictatorship to millions of young Spaniards.
Digital Polarisation and the Future of Peace: Why Governance Must Catch Up With Power
By Jordan Ryan | 24 November, 2025
Democracy today is at a critical juncture. Political systems worldwide face pressures that once would have been extraordinary: accelerating authoritarianism, deepening civic fragmentation, and collapsing public trust.
The New Fragility: Peacebuilding Meets Digital Democracy
By Jordan Ryan | 18 November, 2025
Established democracies are exhibiting governance stresses that were once associated primarily with fragile and conflict-affected states. Polarisation is weakening institutional trust, fragmenting civic norms, and reducing societies’ ability to solve problems collectively. This is the new fragility.
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.