Curated expert opinion on intractable contemporary issues

Global Outlook: Global Challenges to Democracy

Middle Powers After Davos

By Jordan Ryan  |  23 January, 2026

At the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a speech that cut against the prevailing diplomatic instinct to soften uncomfortable truths.

Commercialising Peace: A Strategic Risk

By Jordan Ryan  |  20 January, 2026

The Trump administration’s reported proposal for a new international “Board of Peace” is presented, at least in concept, as a corrective to what its proponents describe as the failures of existing multilateral diplomacy.

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.

Crisis in Venezuela: Three Scenarios

By Robert Kaufman  |  09 January, 2026

The US' military intervention in Venezuela has opened the way to a prolonged and costly commitment, with potentially very high impact on US treasure, on political stability in Venezuela, and on the lives and security of people throughout the region.

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.

The Empire Has No Clothes: America's Democratic Sermons and the Authoritarian Boomerang

By Jordan Ryan  |  31 October, 2025

In 2025, a startling spectacle emerges: the nation that proclaimed itself democracy's global arbiter now displays the very symptoms of authoritarianism it once denounced.

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.