Global Insights – Détails, épisodes et analyse

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The architecture of international engagement is shifting, and subnational diplomacy is taking center stage. As federal governments scale back traditional foreign policy and funded diplomacy, cities and states are emerging as more prominent actors on the global stage, forging direct international ties to address global issues such as climate change, migration, trade, and public health. As local leaders are increasingly shaping the frameworks of cooperation once reserved for national capitals, this trend raises important questions: How might cities and states recalibrate aid and international engagement to reflect their own priorities? What lessons can be drawn from U.S. cities like New York City, Los Angeles, and Atlanta as they assert themselves on the global stage? This panel will examine what it means for New York and other cities to be more global in this changing landscape and will explore how public-private partnerships, business engagement, and city-level climate diplomacy are giving new contours to international engagement.

Join us for a discussion with Pablo Fernández Marmissolle-Daguerre, Assistant Secretary-General for Partnerships at the United Cities and Local Governments; Kristen Edgreen Kaufman, Senior Vice President at the United States Council for International Business and former Deputy Commissioner in the NYC Mayor’s Office for International Affairs and current, and Dr. Raffaele Marchetti, Professor in International Relations at the Department of Political Science and the School of Government of LUISS and the Director of the Center for International and Strategic Studies.  

Music by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay 

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Over the past decade, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras have experienced a resurgence of authoritarian practices. Leaders have expanded executive power, undermined judicial independence, curtailed press freedom, and increased the use of mass incarceration and militarized policing—all under the banner of security and stability. These developments echo past dictatorships but take on new forms in today’s political and technological context, connecting local governance to broader global trends of democratic backsliding. What tactics are modern authoritarian regimes using, and how do they differ from past dictatorships? How can civil society and international actors push back against democratic erosion? What lessons can be learned from countries on a different trajectory, like Guatemala? And what do these trends mean for the future of democracy in the region and globally? Join us for a discussion with Noah Bullock, Executive Director of Cristosal, and Marc Edelman, Professor of Anthropology at Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Center where we will delve into these questions and more. 

Music by Sergii Pavkin from Pixabay.

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The prospect of a U.S. sovereign wealth fund—most recently proposed by President Trump—has sparked renewed debate about America’s economic strategy at home and abroad. While sovereign wealth funds traditionally manage national surpluses for long-term strategic investment, the U.S. has never adopted one, despite the fact that the number of sovereign wealth funds globally has tripled since 2000. What is behind this global growth? What are the advantages and disadvantages to the U.S. of pursuing this strategy? Could it reorient foreign direct investment flows, enhance national economic security, or help maintain America’s competitive edge in key industries like technology? How might such a fund be financed in the absence of large budget surpluses?

Join us to discuss these questions and more with Dr. Sarah Sewall, In-Q-Tel’s Executive Vice President for Policy; Courtney Fingar, Journalist, Commentator, and Consultant focused on foreign direct investment; and Edwin M. Truman, Senior Fellow at Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at Harvard’s Kennedy School. This conversation will outline the architecture, economics, and global ripple effects of a U.S. sovereign wealth fund.

Music by Sergii Pavkin from Pixabay  

Democracy promotion has long been a key component of U.S. foreign policy, but this objective has become increasingly more complex in recent years. On the one hand, democracy promotion is now a more pressing goal than ever before, as democracies around the world face a multitude of domestic and international threats. On the other hand, many have argued that the United States is no longer in a position to promote its values abroad based on the decline of its own democratic institutions. Should the U.S. make democracy promotion a foreign policy priority in the coming years? And how should it go about protecting its stake in democracy at home and abroad? Tune in for a discussion of U.S. democracy promotion during the opening event of our State of Democracy Series, when we are joined by Danielle Pletka, Senior Fellow in Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, and Stephen Walt, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School.
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This Virtual Briefing Series event was originally hosted on  April 6th, 2021.
Music by Joseph McDade.

Upcoming events: https://network2020.org/upcoming-even...

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As President Biden took office and outlined his foreign policy agenda, China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force continuously breached Taiwanese airspace with military planes. Tensions across the Formosa Strait continue to rise and with the crackdown on Hong Kong and China’s bolstered economy, experts are warning Taiwan is in a vulnerable geopolitical position. Recently re-elected President Tsai Ing-wen has increased military weapon sales from the U.S. and is defiantly standing up to China’s expanding ambitions. This briefing will discuss the future of Taiwanese sovereignty and how Taiwan can navigate its complex geopolitical position. Join us for an in-depth discussion on these important issues and more on when we are joined by Dr. Kharis Ali Templeman, research fellow at the Hoover Institution and part of the Project on Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific. As an expert on Taiwan politics and East-Asian Affairs, Dr. Templeman will outline China’s strategy, domestic affairs on the island of Taiwan, and its implication to U.S.-Taiwan and Sino-American relations.
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This Virtual Briefing Series event was originally hosted on  February 26th, 2021.
Music by Joseph McDade.

Upcoming events: https://network2020.org/upcoming-events/

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After decades of tense relations between Israel and nearly all Middle Eastern countries, 2020 saw a dramatic reversal of the status quo, with four Arab countries establishing diplomatic ties with Israel. These agreements are a clear shift in policy among Israel, the United States, and the Arab world, but leave many wondering what’s to come in the future. Will these new diplomatic ties fundamentally alter the regional power dynamic of the Middle East? And how will the United States factor into these relationships? Tune in for a discussion of these questions and more when we are joined by Ambassador Martin Indyk, Distinguished Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Dr. Hussein Ibish, Senior Resident Scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, and Dr. Sanam Vakil, Deputy Director of the Middle East North Africa Programme at Chatham House.
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This Virtual Briefing Series event was originally hosted on January 11th, 2021.
Music by Joseph McDade.

Upcoming events: https://network2020.org/upcoming-events/

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Under the Trump Administration, the State Department took a public hammering: funding cuts of up to a third were proposed, diversity in top positions has been practically nonexistent, more than a third of top-tier positions went vacant or were filled by acting officials, and seven percent of the Department’s staff left in one year. Yet, the issues the State Department faces have roots that predate the Trump Administration. What should be the mission and mandate of U.S. diplomacy for the coming decades? And how can reforms help the State Department achieve that vision? Tune in to listen to distinguished panelists discuss those questions. We will be joined by Ambassador Marcie Ries, Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center’s Future of Diplomacy Project at Harvard Kennedy School; Elizabeth Shackelford, Former U.S. Diplomat and Non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute; and Chris Richardson, Former U.S. Diplomat. Immigration attorney, and Co-Founder of Argo Visa.
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This Virtual Briefing Series event was originally hosted on January 6th, 2021.
Music by Joseph McDade.

Upcoming events: https://network2020.org/upcoming-events/

Follow us at:
Twitter: @Network2020
LinkedIn: Network 20/20
Facebook: @network2020
Instagram: @network_2020

In the final weeks of December 2010, Tunisia erupted into conflict over mounting social and economic discontent, soon giving rise to pro-democracy protests in other countries of the Middle East and North Africa. Looking back after ten years, it is clear that though the protesters may have called for the same reforms, the outcomes of the movement varied widely from country to country. Why did the Arab Spring produce such disparate results? Join us for a discussion of this question and more, as Lisa Anderson, James T. Shotwell Professor Emerita of International Relations at Columbia University, moderates a panel between Safwan Masri, Executive Vice President for Global Centers and Global Development at Columbia University; Marina Ottaway, Middle East Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center; and Shadi Hamid, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution.
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This Virtual Briefing Series event was originally hosted on December 9th, 2020.
Music by Joseph McDade.

Upcoming events: https://network2020.org/upcoming-events/

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The direction of the U.S.- China relationship will be critical to not only U.S. economic and security interests but to the future world order. However, it is unlikely that the differences between the two countries on matters like the South China Sea, Taiwan, trade, intellectual property, and how China treats its minority groups will be resolved with a change in leadership in Washington. What could be different in terms of U.S. foreign policy toward China under a Biden administration? And how have U.S. policies been perceived in China? Will there be an opportunity for a fresh start for U.S.- China relations? These questions will be discussed among Susan Thornton, former Acting Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Department of State; Joseph Battat, Senior Lecturer of Global Economics and Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management; and Cheng Li, Director and Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution’s John L. Thornton China Center.
*This event will be co-hosted by Network 20/20 and the Institute of Current World Affairs.
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This Virtual Briefing Series event was originally hosted on December 3rd, 2020.
Music by Joseph McDade.

Upcoming events: https://network2020.org/upcoming-events/

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The United States was once considered one of the world leaders in promoting human rights by funding and engaging in multilateral institutions such as the UN Human Rights Council. However, according to the Center for American Progress, the Trump administration’s attention toward human rights is at a record low both at home and abroad. Furthermore, Covid-19 and government responses worldwide also pose another threat to human rights. What will the future of human rights be? Stay tuned to listen to H.E. Michelle Bachelet Jeria, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and former President of Chile, to discuss this question.
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This Virtual Briefing Series event was originally hosted on October 29th, 2020.
Music by Joseph McDade.

Upcoming events: https://network2020.org/upcoming-events/

Follow us at:
Twitter: @Network2020
LinkedIn: Network 20/20
Facebook: @network2020
Instagram: @network_2020