News and views from the Blavatnik School of Government community 
Eurosceptics in the UK and elsewhere often argue that the EU subverts democracy by forcing countries with different values and economic systems to follow the same rules. The Vote Leave Campaign, for instance, laments that “Politicians have surrendered the UK’s power to veto laws we disagree with, so if the […]
The new UN Secretary-General, to be appointed in 2016, will play a pivotal role in how the organisation tackles global challenges. With so much at stake, how can the UN ensure it gets the right person for the job? This is a crucial moment for the United Nations. In September […]
They say that the first five years in the life of a child are crucial for her sound development, both emotionally and physically. In those years, especially the first three, a child’s foundation is built which then forms the basis for her future development. Thus a child who has access […]
I received with total disbelief the news that on May 16 an Egyptian court had sentenced me to death — along with former president Mohamed Morsi, a number of his aides and several respected public figures, including renowned scholar Emad Shahin. The charges in my case, like Morsi’s, are false […]
I’m a citizen of Alberta, supposedly the most right-leaning province in Canada. With an economy fueled mostly by energy royalties from our “oil-sands” in the north, the collapsed price of oil has not done our province any favors. In recent elections on 5 May 2015, voters decisively ended 44-straight years […]
At the Blavatnik School of Government, I’m often referred to as the “token British” student (there’s one other, but he is also Ecuadorian – I’m just plain old British). I’ve also been involved in the election, canvassing in the run up and all day on May 7th. Due to my […]
Davos attracts some unusual groupies. This year the appearance of rapper Will.I.Am and ‘Happy’ Pharrell Williams caused a collective rush of pin-stripe suits urgently determined to get a selfie with a star. Personally, I managed to quench the urge to prove to my teenage children that Davos is cool — and got cool by tramping around in the snow instead.
Like the typhoon that lashed Hong Kong last month, the Occupying Central Movement and student-led strike are in full swing.
Metaphorically, “One Country, Two Systems” is a “symbiosis” – like that of a crown fish and an anemone. While the symbiotic union between the two is usually mutualistic, it can turn antagonistic if inherent contradictions are ill-managed.
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