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Blot Out the Sun? / Luke Iseman & Andrew Song
Luke Iseman and Andrew Song explain how they think they can cool the planet. Supposedly, Herodotus wrote that when the Greeks were told that the Persian archers at the Battle of Thermopylae would blot out the sun with their arrows, they responded: “Good, then we shall have our battle in the shade.” Fast forward to […]
CAN DEMOCRACY TOLERATE INTOLERANCE AND SURVIVE?
In an opinion poll of 19 mostly Western democracies conducted last year, almost half of respondents said they were dissatisfied with how democracy works in their country—including 62% in the United States, the self-declared “leader of the free world.” What’s wrong? Is it the people, the leaders, the outcomes, the processes—or all of the above? […]
Diplomatically Speaking / Ashok Mirpuri
“There is nothing dramatic in the success of a diplomatist. His victories are made up of a series of microscopic advantages: of a judicious suggestion here, of an opportune civility there, of a wise concession at one moment and a far-sighted persistence at another; of sleepless tact, immovable calmness and patience that no folly, no […]
Leadership in a World, Disrupted
In June, 2023, the Tällberg Foundation and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) organized a gathering of past winners and honorees of the Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize in Athens, Greece. With support from SNF, the meeting aimed to stimulate fresh perspectives and foster potential collaborations among the global leaders. The workshop was scheduled in conjunction with SNF Nostos […]
Should We Tolerate the Intolerant? / Elisabeth Braw
“If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them.” Karl Popper in The Open Society and Its Enemies Financial Times. Popper, an Austrian philosopher who had fled […]
What’s the Point of Freedom if You Don’t Do Something With It? / Shahidul Alam
Shahidul Alam is many things: world-class photographer, Bangladeshi human rights activist, teacher, and author. He is also a provocateur, whose words and pictures force one—sometimes gently, sometimes less so—to confront reality. Alam is also part of the Tällberg Foundation’s Global Leadership Network. In that capacity, he recently delivered a short provocation reflecting on the realities […]
Is Uber Really More Valuable than the Planet?
The summer of 2023 might be remembered as the year that people almost everywhere finally began to understand what global warming means: unrelenting record heat, widespread drought, massive wildfires, excessive rain, destructive 100-year floods. Anyone who’s surprised simply hasn’t been paying attention or has been consumed by foolish debate over causality. But like the proverbial […]
Pricing the Priceless: The ultimate, maybe the only climate solution / Paula DiPerna
Humanity is hardwired to value the valuable, to conserve even to hoard treasure. The atmosphere, the oceans, earth’s ecosystem are vital to life, yet we essentially view them as free goods. The inevitable result is overconsumption, waste and pollution. Paula DiPerna’s key insight in her new book, Pricing the Priceless, is that the only way […]
The Trials of Donald Trump
Imagine a new blockbuster movie in which a former American president, running for re-election, is criminally indicted not once or twice, but four times. He has to run for office with all the bread and circuses that modern campaigns demand on some days of the week, while on others he sits quietly in a courtroom […]
Trump Agonistes / Joon Kim
Donald Trump continues to make history: he is the only American president (serving or former) ever to have been criminally indicted. He already faces two separate indictments and trials, with the strong possibility of one or two more before the end of the year. That would set a record for presidential indictments that will last […]
Our Blue Planet / Asha de Vos
Asha de Vos has done pioneering work on blue whales and joined this week for a conversation about her work in Sri Lanka. The planet “Earth” should probably be called “Water” since 70% of it is ocean. Of course, that also means any discussion of climate issues should start with the oceans. Increasing temperatures, rising […]
Russia: Dead Man Walking?
At the end of June the world witnessed the extraordinary sight of the paramilitary Russian Wagner Group literally marching on Moscow, allegedly not to replace Putin, but to cleanse the capital of “corruption”. Led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, former convict turned cook turned Putin confidant turned mercenary turned rebel, the four or five thousand men and […]
Can AI Be Regulated?
Rebecca Finlay, CEO of the Partnership for AI, is on a mission to find a positive answer. In a recent podcast, she emphasized that AI isn’t inherently good, bad, or neutral. It’s a result of human choices influenced by market conditions and politics. AI is a product of our creativity and the conditions we set. […]
“When you strike at a king, you must kill him” / Yevgenia Albats
Yevgenia Albats, a journalist in forced exile from Russia, thinks that Prigozhin is a “dead man walking.” Maybe Putin, too. A few days ago the world watched in amazement as Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the infamous paramilitary Wagner Group, turned his ambition from defeating Ukraine to challenging the Russian army and—although he continues to deny […]
What Does ChatGPT Think? / Rebecca Finlay
Rebecca Finlay delves into the questions surrounding the regulation of AI, its limitless potential, and the challenges faced in controlling its impact on society. *** Although inflection points are better judged in retrospect, OpenAI’s release of ChatGPT late last year may have touched off a new era in how mankind relates to machines—perhaps in how […]
Georgia on My Mind / Nino Evgenidze
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine seems likely to be one of those seminal events that will divide our future histories: BI and AI. That’s obviously true for the combatants, but for many others as well. Consider the small country of Georgia, with less than 4 million people, located at the eastern end of the Black Sea, […]
Welcome to the Post-Kissinger Middle East
In the 1970’s Henry Kissinger argued that the goal of America’s Middle Eastern policy was to persuade the Arabs that the road to peace ran through Washington, not Moscow in the days when the Soviet Union’s influence dominated in countries like Egypt and Syria. Fast forward to 2023, does the road to peace now run […]
What’s Love Got to Do With It? Building a Different Middle East / Gilles Kepel
Over the last several months, there have been a series of extraordinary developments in the Middle East that could have almost as big an impact on the shape of the new global order as Russia’s war on Ukraine. Consider even a partial list: China’s engineering of rapprochement between supposedly implacable enemies Iran and Saudi Arabia; […]
India’s Back to the Future Moment?
India has always been difficult for non-Indians to understand, maybe for many Indians as well. Sheer size and diversity make governance, never mind coherence, an innate challenge: the world’s most populous nation at 1.4 billion people; India’s most popular state is home to 230 million people; the 5th largest economy in the world, but per […]
Is India Back? / Milan Vaishnav
India had the world’s largest economy until the 17th century but suffered almost 500 years of decline afterward. However, India is currently the world’s most populous nation with one of the largest economies. Will India continue to evolve and become a global power? Milan Vaishnav is a senior fellow and director of the South Asia […]
Masters Of War
Sudan is at war with itself. Since the 2019 uprising that booted Omar al-Bashir from office after thirty years, the country has experienced more coups and fighting than democracy and peace. Indeed, as Sudanese activist Samah Salman points out in a recent New Thinking for a New World podcast, “We have a history in Sudan […]
Africa’s Arc of Misery: Sudan / Samah Salman
Samah Salman, a Sudanese businesswoman and civil society leader shares her insights on the situation and efforts for peace. Sudan is at war with itself. The revolution that drove Omar al-Bashir from office after 30 years has produced coups, conflict and military rule rather than peace, democracy and prosperity. Today two generals—Abdel Fattah al-Burhan of […]
Now for Something Completely Different
We live in a bipolar world: United States and Europe on one side; China and Russia on the other. And everyone else is expected to choose one or the other. But what if a significant country—say, Saudi Arabia—refuses? Or decides that it has spent too long on one side, and would like to try something […]
Rising China Plants a Flag in the Middle East / Yasmine Farouk
Yasmine Farouk discusses the impact of China’s mediation between Saudi Arabia and Iran on the Middle East and beyond. Early last month, there was an extraordinary announcement. Saudi Arabia and Iran had agreed to resume diplomatic relations after seven years of more or less open hostility. Even more extraordinary was the person standing between the […]
Announcing the 2023 Global Leadership Prize Jurors
The Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize has many moving parts, but the jury is the cornerstone of the selection process. Each jury is different, but all jurors since the Prize was launched in 2015 share a common belief that innovative, global, and principled leadership is key to building a better world. To balance continuity with renewal, […]
Nous entendez-vous, Monsieur le Président?
French President Emmanuel Macron has had a rough few months. Weeks of sometimes violent protest against pension reform that he eventually imposed by fiat. Deep criticism across Europe and from the United States for his efforts to distance himself from America’s China policy. Plummeting political approval ratings. Most recently: the casserolade as protesters take to banging […]
Reflections on the Guillotine / Pierre Lellouche
Macron’s dilemma: European sovereignty or alienating allies? Former French politician Pierre Lellouche analyzes Macron’s blunders and their impact on France on New Thinking for a New World. French President, Emmanuel Macron, has had a complicated few weeks. On the one hand, China’s President Xi gave him red-carpet treatment in Beijing, where Macron, again, made his […]
Walking Blues
Imagine walking 2,000 miles from Honduras to the southern U.S. border, risking robbery, assault, even murder. Why do so many take the risk? According to anthropologist Amelia Frank-Vitale, it’s because “in the United States people respect the rule of law.” *** Imagine walking 2,000 miles from Honduras to the southern U.S. border, through some of […]
Slouching Towards Texas (If Not Bethlehem)/ Amelia Frank-Vitale
Anthropologist Amelia Frank-Vitale discusses what it takes to walk from Honduras to Texas, and the tragedies along the way. Human history is a long and continuing story of migration. People have always moved out of fear or out of opportunity—and other people have always resisted them. That story continues today: as more people try to […]
More to Fear than Fear Itself: Does the West really want to win in Ukraine?
Russia’s war on Ukraine has metastasized into a brutal war of attrition. Anna Wieslander, Swedish defense and security expert, clearly worries that the past might be prologue, not because it is foreordained, but because the West lacks strategy and leadership. *** Russia’s war on Ukraine has metastasized into a brutal war of attrition. Historically such […]
Is This Any Way to Run a War? / Anna Wieslander
Anna Wieslander has had the temerity to point out that the West has no strategy to end the war in Ukraine. Listen as host Alan Stoga discusses with her what it might take to end this war, one way or the other. *** Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has settled into a grueling, vicious war […]
Israel’s Point of No Return
Israel’s domestic crisis has only intensified since we published our podcast with journalist Neri Zilber on March 16. More protests, more violence, more international condemnation and the controversial firing of Defense Minister Gallant. Even though Prime Minister Netanyahu has now hit “Pause,” Zilber’s commentary is important; in that spirit, we invite you to revisit our […]
Needed: New Thinking about Africa’s Debt Burden / Bright Simons
Debt and mismanagement are hindering Africa’s enormous potential despite its young, optimistic population and growing middle class. Hear from researcher and policy activist Bright Simons on why debt cancellation is not the solution and what new approaches may be needed. *** Africa might finally be on the verge of realizing its enormous potential. A booming, […]
Is Israel Heading Over a Cliff? / Neri Zilber
Listen to a conversation with Neri Zilber is, journalist and analyst who focus on Israel’s – and more generally Middle Eastern – politics and culture, on a situation that seems destined to go from bad to worse. *** Israel seems to be on the verge of exploding. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s pursuit of radical judicial reform […]
Nominations open for the 2023 Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize
March 15, 2023—The Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes—named in honor of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) and the global diplomat, Jan Eliasson—are given annually to outstanding leaders from any country and any discipline whose work is innovative, courageous, rooted in universal values and global in implication or consequence. We believe that great leadership is not bound […]
Tällberg Network News
The Tällberg network is global, cutting across borders as well as barriers. Our participants share a worldview that what Bo Ekman used to call “principled pragmatism” is essential to their efforts to make the world a better place, and are deeply committed to the “fierce urgency of now.” Here is our initial compilation of a […]
Everything Old Is New Again / Francesco Svelto
Building the University of the Future on an Ancient Foundation. Francesco Svelto, Rector of the University of Pavia, shares his vision for Pavia and, more broadly, education at a time of transformation. What do you teach today that won’t be irrelevant, literally, tomorrow? And, can a great university leverage its history to produce better students, […]
Dear ChatGPT: What Do You Really Think?
Tällberg’s recent podcast with Juan Enriquez and Mark Abdollahian about ChatGPT and, more generally, generative Artificial Technology led to an obvious next step: how would ChatGPT answer some of the same questions? So we asked. This transcript has been lightly edited because ChatGPT (who is certainly no HAL 9000) has a habit of repeating herself. […]
Mongolia: Between the Hammer and the Anvil / Undraa Agvaanluvsan
Dr. Undraa Agvaanluvsan, a former member of Mongolia’s Parliament recently explained her country’s challenges in coping with a changing global order. *** Russia’s invasion of Ukraine changed how global politics works. Instead of peace, prosperity and globalization, the scenario became war, recession and “near shore.” Suddenly, the world was separated into a conflict between the […]
Looking for Real Justice: Sam Muller and Hiil
“All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law.” Article 7, Universal Declaration of Human Rights Practically every country in the world has long since signed the Universal Declaration; indeed, who doesn’t purport to believe in universal access to justice, even if sometimes it is […]
Ask ChatGPT: How worried should we be? / Mark Abdollahian & Juan Enriquez
Mark Abdollahian and Juan Enriquez help us understand not only what’s technically called generative artificial intelligence, but to think together about the impact on jobs, on creativity, and innovation, on how we live or could live in the not-so-distant future. *** It’s still early in 2023, but we already know the word of the year: […]
Looking for Justice, One Person at a Time / Sam Muller
Sam Muller and his colleagues at HiiL are in the business of building “people-centered justice” that works for everyone. 2023 looks likely to be a year of recession, inflation, social and labor unrest, war, the ravages of climate, food insecurity, rising inequality. One casualty of that mess is likely to be the rule of law; […]
Dialogue of the deaf: Europe and China / Andrew Small
Andrew Small explain how and why he thinks that the Chinese challenge is dramatically and dangerously changing. As recently as September 2021, outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel described economic relations between Europe and China as “win-win.” Within nine months, the EU’s de facto Foreign Minister Josep Borrell described EU-China relations as “a dialogue of the […]
Winners Celebrations
The celebration of six extraordinary leaders with the courage, wisdom, creativity and values to operate in–and try to improve–a global world beset by challenges that too many others find overwhelming. Two truly inspiring ninety-minute sessions, first with our established winners and then with the winners in the emerging category. If you missed the celebrations the […]
Navigating the World, One Charity at a Time / Michael Thatcher
Michael Thatcher, President and CEO of Charity Navigator, whose purpose is to bring transparency to philanthropy, regularly examines and rates 200,000 American nonprofits, aiming to provide objective criteria to guide giving. But how to know whether your charity is impactful? Whether the money you aim for refugees or cancer research or policy advocacy hits its […]
America Votes; Democracy Wins (Maybe) / Richard Gephardt & Scott Miller
On this podcast episode, Richard Gephardt and Scott Miller sift through the evidence and speculate on the future of democracy in America. Is the absence of wild allegations of fraud too low a bar for a country that likes to think of itself as the gold standard of representative democracy? What are the implications of […]
The Tällberg Foundation Celebrates the 2022 Tällberg Leadership Prize Winners
Stockholm and New York, November 22, 2022 — Six extraordinary people with the courage, wisdom, creativity and values to operate in–and try to improve–a global world beset by challenges that too many others find overwhelming will be honored in two virtual ceremonies. The Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes—named in honor of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) […]
Announcing the 2022 Winners Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes – Emerging Leaders Category
Chido Govera, Lala Lovera and Elias Mastoras awarded Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes For Emerging Leaders Stockholm and New York, November 16, 2022—Today the Tällberg Foundation announced the winners of this year’s Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes for emerging leaders. These prizes are awarded annually to leaders working in any field and any country whose leadership shows […]
Announcing the 2022 Winners of the Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes
Yevgenia Albats, Sam Muller and Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka Awarded Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes Stockholm and New York, November 9, 2022—Today the Tällberg Foundation announced the winners of this year’s Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes, awarded annually to well established leaders working in any field and any country whose leadership is courageous, innovative, rooted in universal values and […]
The U.S. Midterms: What happened? What next?
The US elections are (almost) over. Now the United States and the world can look forward to a divided government, another Trump campaign, a supposedly resurgent Biden—and endless politicking. What does it all mean? Watch the recorded post-election webinar with former Democratic Congressman and House Leader Dick Gephardt and political guru extraordinaire Scott Miller, both veterans of […]
What Does a Franco-German Split Mean for Europe? / Laure Mandeville & Friedbert Pflüger
Laure Mandeville, a senior reporter at Le Figaro and Friedbert Pflüger, a former German parliamentarian joined Tällberg’s Alan Stoga for this conversation about Europe through the lens of France and Germany. Can Europe recover if the French and Germans can’t figure out how to work together? What ails Europe’s traditional leaders? Can this marriage be […]
Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble: Europe Looks at a Complicated Future / Jakob Hallgren & Ana Palacio
Jakob Hallgren and Ana Palacio discuss how Europe might get from where it is to where its citizens need it to be. Arguably, Europe in general (and the EU in particular) is a mess. Is there leadership at the national level or at the European level that instead of merely muddling through could find new pathways […]
Can a Broken Democracy Fix Itself? / Isabel Aninat
Isabel Aninat is fundamentally optimistic that Chilean democracy is headed in a good direction. She is the Dean of the Law School of the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, in Chile and has been a keen observer of the constitution-writing process and, more generally, of Chilean politics. What lessons can others learn from Chile’s efforts to reimagine […]
Webinar: The Future of Europe at a Time of Crisis
Did you miss the webinars? Here you can watch Part I and Part II *** Part I was recorded on October 27 with speakers, Jakob Hallgren, the Director of the Swedish Institute of International Affairs and Ana Palacio the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain. *** Part II was recorded on November 3 with […]
No Normal is the New Normal / Tom Armstrong & Diane Osgood
Diane and Tom, are in the business of thinking about converging crises and they help corporate leaders not only peer around the corner, but formulate strategies that make sense in our changing world. *** We live in a world of converging crises. War in Europe, food and energy insecurity, historic flooding in Pakistan and historical […]
Who is Vladimir Putin? / Philip Short
Listen to Philip Short discuss how Putin looks at the world, what turned him away from a partnership with the West, and the risk that his war could go nuclear. *** As the Russian invasion of Ukraine ebbs and flows, the whole world is watching—and wondering. What does Putin want? How far will he go […]
Unwrapping the Riddle That Is Mexico / Jorge Castañeda
Jorge Castañeda thinks Mexico is in trouble, but almost half of all Mexicans say their country is on the right path. Mexicans, not known for being optimists, apparently are optimistic. Why? *** Winston Churchill famously described the Soviet Union as “A riddle wrapped in an enigma, inside a mystery.” That seems equally to apply to […]
Asia for the Asians — but which Asians? / C Raja Mohan
Listen as C Raja Mohan explains how India can cope with a dangerous world and a dangerous neighbor. *** We live in a complicated, conflicted world. Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine. US and European efforts to punish Russian aggression in ways that challenge the basic rules of financial and commercial globalization. China’s growing geopolitical and […]
From the Lab to Your Kitchen: Growing Tomorrow’s Dinner / David Kaplan
David Kaplan believes that the food he and other scientists are growing in their labs can eventually feed a hungry world. *** At least one in nine of the almost eight billion people who live on earth are undernourished. As the 18th century economist Robert Malthus forecast, we seem on a path where the planet […]
Can Tech Save Us? / Scott Cohen
Our world has become a weird combination of dangerous, existential challenges and of almost magical, potential solutions. Can innovations be transformed into practical realities at the necessary speed and scale, and in ways that allow mankind to flourish? Scott Cohen believes the answer is a resounding, “Yes!!” He co-founded New Lab, an American based initiative […]
Should We Be Celebrating Erdogan’s Leadership? / Ambassador Michael Sahlin
What President Biden calls leadership Michael Sahlin, a former Swedish diplomat with deep experience in Turkey thinks is more like a cat landing on its feet after falling out a window. *** At the recent NATO summit in Madrid, US President Joe Biden made a joint appearance with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Speaking of […]
Code Red: not for Earth, for Humanity? – Johan Rockström
“For the first time in human history, we face a planetary emergency.” Those words were written by Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. Scientists tend to be sober, measured in their assessments and with a preference for others to draw the big picture conclusions. So, when an earth scientist as […]
The Great Restart
The Tällberg Foundation hosted a workshop in Vamvakou, Greece on May 7 – 8, 2022. The workshop program centered on two full days of conversation about how to get from where we are as the pandemic loosens its grip to where we need to be as a functioning, global society. What have we learned in […]
Are You Listening?
Too many people seem voiceless or, at least, don’t think their voices are heard by those whose decisions shape their lives. Is the problem that too many are voiceless or that too many are not listening? Maybe unanswerable, but we asked some people to try. Please listen to the conversation among Baiqu Gonkar, Francis (Pacho) […]
Don’t Fool With Mother Nature!
We live in an era of accelerating, disruptive climate change, with catastrophic consequences that every credible forecast says will worsen. To look for answers we recently organized a conversation with Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Francisco Hildebrand and Tero Mustonen. All are deeply knowledgeable about the realities of their ecosystems, and even more deeply committed to finding solutions […]
Speaking Truth to Power in the Real World
Listen as three of the good “guys” discuss the reality in the trenches of the fight for human rights. Kenyan poet Sitawa Namwalie, Bangladeshi photographer and activist Shahidul Alam, and American human rights lawyer Jared Genser. At a time when autocrats are rampaging and, by many measures, our democracies are weakening, the need for citizens […]
Ukraine Changes Everything
This war is far from over and its reverberations will be with us for a long time. Most importantly, the war seems to be the straw that is breaking the camel’s back of the post-Cold War world order, with unpredictable consequences. The Tällberg Foundation recently hosted a discussion that touched on many of these issues. […]
Sweden Burning? Really? / Lars Åberg
Listen as Lars Åberg explains what Sweden has done right, but also what it has done wrong. We live in the age of the refugee. Arguably, no country in the West has been more welcoming to refugees over the years than Sweden has. Progressive, secular, social democratic, Swedes have worked hard to integrate migrants into […]
Them vs Us: What Ukraine Is Really About
Leopoldo López, a Venezuelan patriot, explains how the fight to save Ukraine reflects a much bigger, existential fight for freedom everywhere. As Russia’s war grinds on with no end in sight, what’s at stake may be changing. It’s becoming about how the world works, about democracy versus autocracy, about free versus not free. Leopoldo López […]
Poland to the Rescue
Marta Górczyńska is a human rights lawyer from Poland specializing in the protection of migrants, refugees and victims of human trafficking. Conducts monitoring missions to the borders and detention facilities for migrants and reports on human rights violations. Advocates for human rights-based approach for migration. Author and co-author of numerous publications in the topic of […]
How Worried Are You?
Dr. Tytti Erästö’s key assumption has long been that rational leaders would never use nuclear weapons. But now she is asking, what about irrational ones? Dr Tytti Erästö is a Senior Researcher in SIPRI’s Nuclear Disarmament, Arms Control and Non-proliferation Programme. Her research interests include the Iran nuclear deal, the Treaty on the Prohibition of […]
Searching for Leadership: Meet the 2022 Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize Jury
The beating heart—never mind the conscience—of the Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize process is the jury. The jury members themselves are global leaders, coming from a variety of countries, backgrounds, occupations and cultures. “When we recruit jurors we are looking for people who are fundamentally global in worldview and outlook,” said Alan Stoga, Tällberg’s chairman. “We […]
The Great Reset
To truncate Charles Dickens: these seem to be the worst of times. Pandemic, recession, war, mass migration, the ravages of accelerating climate change, food shortages, spiking inflation. We need a reset; we need to step back and look for emerging patterns and imagine new solutions. That is why the Tällberg Foundation is heading to a […]
Does China Have Russia’s Back?
Tough question that may be impossible to answer, but Alicia Garcia-Herrero recently offered some possibilities. Alicia García Herrero is the Chief Economist for Asia Pacific at Natixis. She also serves as Senior Fellow at the Brussels-based European think-tank BRUEGEL and a non-resident Senior Follow at the East Asian Institute (EAI) of the National University Singapore […]
The Whole World is Watching!
At great personal peril, Russian journalist Yevgenia Albats tells it like it is—to the Russians who depend on her and to us, who need her. Yevgenia M. Albats is a Russian investigative journalist, political scientist, author, and radio host. She has been a non resident Senior Fellow, Davis Center for Russian & Eurasia Studies, Harvard […]
Is China Complicit in Ukraine?
Why did Xi apparently green light Putin’s war? What does China potentially gain from war in Europe? How does this war fit into China’s long-term strategy? Jonathan Ward has been studying Russia, China, and India for nearly twenty years since his undergraduate days in Russian and Chinese language at Columbia University. Dr. Ward is the […]
The Faces of War
Janine di Giovanni has spent much of her celebrated career witnessing the worst of what mankind can do to itself, but also the best that people under extraordinary circumstances can do for others. Listen as she discusses her experiences and, in particular, the work she has done on the lives of Palestinians in Gaza. Janine […]
Special Edition: War in Europe
The Tällberg Foundation recently hosted a conversation about the conflict in Ukraine and its implications. This conversation featured Jan Eliasson, former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Pierre Lellouche, former French parliamentarian and minister, and Dalia Bankauskaitė, a strategic communications expert at Vilnius University in Lithuania, and was moderated by Alan Stoga, Tällberg’s chairman. ABOUT […]
Talking About Talking
The Russian attack shattered the European security structure. Listen to Emma Ashford’s thoughts and speculation about a new security structure for Europe. Emma Ashford is a resident senior fellow with the New American Engagement Initiative in the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council, a nonresident fellow at the Modern War Institute […]
Changing the World, One Leader at a Time
The Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes—named in honor of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) and the global diplomat, Jan Eliasson—are given annually to outstanding leaders from any country and any discipline whose work is innovative, courageous, rooted in universal values and global in implication or consequence. Prize winners may be nominated by anyone, anywhere and are […]
Watch the webinar “War!”
Most of us thought the war in the Balkans would be the last conflict in Europe; the last time that armies would invade, civilians dies and borders changed by force. We were wrong. A revanchist Russia, led by President Putin, is trying to redraw borders, roll back history, and change Europe’s security reality. This is […]
Is it the End of Democracy?
Joel Kotkin argues that the withering of democratic process and institutions reflects the deeper transformation of American and European societies: the emergence of a ruling technocracy; the use of the pandemic and the environmental crisis to constrain individual rights; the new concentration of power in governments, and the growing distance between the governing and the […]
What’s Next for the Climate: A Post Glasgow Perspective
No one is better positioned to answer those questions than Denmark’s Climate Ambassador Tomas Anker Christensen. Tomas was deeply engaged in the European and global run-up to Glasgow, in the negotiations in Scotland, and in the effort since then to translate words into action. Tomas Anker Christensen is the Climate Ambassador of Denmark at the […]
Rave On: A New Saudi Arabia?
A Conversation with Neil Quilliam Imagine hundreds of thousands of young men and women, partying through four days and nights in the desert. Where? Maybe Burning Man in the Western United States? Some place near Marrakesh (in a flashback to the 60’s)? No, try Saudi Arabia last December. The Saudi Arabia that murdered Kamal Khashoggi […]
Saving Democracy, One New Leader at a Time
Alice Barbe, a French political activist, recently shared her ideas, hopes and solutions on how politics ought to work. Do you think she is headed in the right direction? Alice Barbe is a French social entrepreneur, mostly known for having co-founded and managed Singa, an international organization supporting refugees’ inclusion in Europe and Canada. She […]
Ukraine: Between a Rock and a (Not Very) Hard Place
A conversation with Constanze Stelzenmüller During the past months, Russia has steadily ratcheted up military pressure on Ukraine and tried to leverage that build-up to demand that Washington revamp the European political and security map that has evolved since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Almost daily, American, British, and European officials warn of new […]
Will There Be War?
Listen as Constanze Stelzenmüller—an expert on Germany, geopolitics and trans-Atlantic relations – shares her views on what is at stake. Hostile troops massing on the border of a Central European democracy. Russia’s threats against Ukraine and its demands for new security and arrangements in Europe sound all too familiar. Of course, the huge difference today […]
Looking for Change in All the Right Places: The New Middle East
What’s going on? Has the Middle East of strict Islam suddenly turned into something more modern? Listen to Neil Quilliam, a deeply knowledgeable, experienced expert in the region, discuss how the Middle East is changing Dr Neil Quilliam is an energy policy, geopolitics and foreign affairs specialist, with extensive knowledge and experience of the Middle […]
Democrats Versus Dictators: Who will Win?
The world as seen from Washington or Paris or Berlin looks starkly different than the one seen from Moscow or Beijing or Teheran or Caracas. The democracies and their leaders seem tentative, unsure of their voters, worried about their ability to deliver security or prosperity, often at odds with each other. The autocracies seem emboldened: […]
Are the Bad Guys REALLY Winning?
Listen as Anne Applebaum discusses how this new world(dis) order might evolve. What does she mean by “the 21st century is, so far, a story of the reverse”? Anne Applebaum is a journalist, a prize-winning historian, a staff writer for The Atlantic and a senior fellow at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, where […]
Overcoming Hunger, One Empowered Farmer at a Time
According to the United Nations, approximately 10% of people on the planet are undernourished, while 30% lack year-round, reliable access to adequate food. Hunger and food insecurity have both worsened as a result of the disruptions caused by the pandemic—but also by the consequences of climate change and political catastrophes like those that have devastated […]
Searching for New Leaders
Great leaders may or may not be born that way, but their skills and abilities certainly evolve and mature over time. That is why we established an Emerging Leader category for the TSEGL Prize. The jury selected two leaders. Pashtana Durrani, an Afghan activist and educator. Christian Ntizimira, a Rwandan who champions palliative care in […]
Looking For—and Finding—Real Leaders
The only hope for a world awash in troubles is that leaders with vision, universal values, and determination will seize the moment. But just bemoaning the lack of leaders accomplishes nothing. That’s why we established the Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize. This year, our global jury selected two amazing leaders: Asha de Vos, a Sri Lankan […]
What does it take to be a leader today?
Watch the interactive, virtual celebration of the 2021 Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize winners. The program combines interviews with the winners, roundtable conversations about leadership, and COP26. Participating are the four extraordinary winners of the Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes, with the courage, wisdom, creativity and values to operate in — and try to improve — a […]
Give Peace a Chance (this time in the Middle East)
Listen as Ambassador Dina Kawar parses the possibilities, good and bad, in the Middle East Ambassador Dina Kawar was appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the United States of America in June 2016. Ambassador Kawar also served as the Permanent Representative of Jordan to the United Nations from […]
Save the Seas
Do you care about the future of the oceans? Can we save the oceans? Oceanographers Sylvia Earle from the US and Asha de Vos from Sri Lanka talkes about water, the oceans, threats, and solutions. Sylvia A. Earle is a pioneering ocean scientist, explorer, author, influential speaker and conservation leader known as a global “ambassador […]
Cyber Defenders: Protecting Human Rights Online
Ronald Deibert is fighting back against digital predators to protect citizens and civil society. Listen as Ron explains how Citizen Lab does the voodoo they do so well. Ronald J. Deibert, Director of the Citizen Lab (CL) at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto, Canada. At a time when […]
China: On the Road to Perdition?
Is China’s leadership acting out of strength or weakness? Is war possible? Is war avoidable? Listen as Kevin Rudd assesses where China is today, and where it wants to be tomorrow. Kevin Rudd became President and CEO of Asia Society in January 2021 and has been president of the Asia Society Policy Institute since January […]
Meet the 2021 Winners
Asha de Vos and Tero Mustonen awarded 2021
Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson global leadership prizes. Pashtana Durrani and Christian Ntizimira
named in the emerging leader category To be honored on December 8 Stockholm and New York, November 9, 2021—Today the Tällberg Foundation announced the winners of the 2021 Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes, awarded annually for extraordinary leadership—in any field […]
Webinar: Save the Seas
Do you care about the future of the oceans? Are you worried that pollution, acidification and warming of the seas could transform the planet as much as—maybe more than what’s happening to the rainforests? Watch the conversation recorded on November 16 with oceanographers Sylvia Earle from the United States and Asha de Vos from Sri […]
Electrify Everything!
Do we have the technologies in hand to decarbonize economies in ways that are compatible with how people want to live? Saul Griffith, inventor, entrepreneur, and engineer, is founder and chief scientist of Rewiring America, a nonprofit dedicated to decarbonizing America by electrifying everything. He is also founder and chief scientist at Otherlab, an independent […]
“Tällberg’s Jazz for the Planet” Goes Live!
Stockholm and New York, November 1, 2021—Today the Tällberg Foundation released “Tällberg’s Jazz for the Planet,” a 60-minute recording of newly created and arranged music about the urgent need for urgent action demanded by the global climate crisis. The project brings together world-class, Grammy-winning jazz musicians to create and perform new compositions and new arrangements, […]
Greta’s right: less talk, more action
What is actually being done about climate change? As the Rainforest Alliance’s chief executive officer, Santiago Gowland oversees the organization’s strategic, programmatic, financial, and operational leadership. Gowland has dedicated his career to driving organizational innovation and sustainability strategies for some of the world’s leading brands and organizations, including The Nature Conservancy, Unilever, Nike, Inc., and […]
All That Jazz: Tällberg’s Jazz for the Planet
“Climate change” isn’t really about climate. It’s about people, migration, food, water, access, health, education, and fairness of opportunity,” declared Fio Omenetto, a director of the Tällberg Foundation. If we don’t fix our climate now, there will be too much to fix later.” That spirit underlies “Tällberg’s Jazz for the Planet,” an initiative created under […]
Tällberg’s Jazz for the Planet
TÄLLBERG FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES CLIMATE INITIATIVE TÄLLBERG’S JAZZ FOR THE PLANET AIMS TO ENCOURAGE POSITIVE CLIMATE ACTIONS Stockholm and New York, October 15, 2021 — Today the Tällberg Foundation announced Tällberg’s Jazz for the Planet, an initiative that seeks to encourage people — and their leaders — to act with the urgency and the focus […]
Announcing our Finalists for the 2021 Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize
Tällberg Foundation Announces Finalists for 2021 Leadership Awards Introduces New Award for Emerging Leaders Stockholm and New York, October 5, 2021—Today the Tällberg Foundation announced finalists for the Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize, which is given annually to leaders from a wide range of disciplines and countries whose work is global, based on universal values, […]
Escaping the Taliban
The Taliban’s surge to power in Afghanistan is one of those events that will have repercussions for years to come. Listen as Jamila Afghani talks about escaping the Taliban, and what she expects for her country. Jamila Afghani, president of Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF) Afghanistan and civil society activist, has […]
Can We Unearth Solutions to the Climate Challenge?
Tero Mustonen is a climate scholar who combines indigenous knowledge with academic research. Listen to his insights on how to promote positive change on a damaged planet. Tero Mustonen, President and Co-Founder of the Snowchange Cooperative, Finland Despite its green global image, Finland has long relied heavily on the exploitation of Nature for income […]
Latin American Democracy: Dead or Alive?
Why hasn’t liberal democracy developed deeper roots in Latin America? Why are institutions under pressure in so many places? Why do many Latins seemingly embrace “strong man” rather than democratic solutions to their social, economic, and political problems? Brian Winter is editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly and the vice president for policy at Americas Society/Council […]
New World Order: Middle East Chapter
Iran sits at the center of this emerging new reality. Rapprochement among Arabs and peace with Israel is one thing if it is aimed at a united front against Iran, but quite another if it is about finding new ways to work with Iran on common objectives. That really would be New Thinking for a […]
Can Brazil’s Democracy Survive Bolsonaro?
Can Bolsonaro bully his way into reelection? Will the country’s democratic institutions be so badly damaged by him that Brazil’s future stability could be at risk? Most importantly, what do the Brazilian people actually want? Ambassador Sergio Silva do Amaral was born in São Paulo, Brazil. He received a law degree at the University of […]
Cyber (In)Security in a Connected World
Cyber insecurity is a reality of life in the digital age. We all worry about being hacked, about losing personal or corporate secrets to online bandits. But what happens when nations do it? Is that war? Marcus Willett CB OBE, has extensive experience of advising governments and companies on cyber, in the UK and internationally. […]
Can We Innovate Our Way to Better Times?
Can we really innovate our way out of the mess? Are we smart enough to translate fantastic discoveries into tangible benefits for people? Livio Valenti is a sustainability entrepreneur leveraging scientific discoveries to build innovative companies in the healthcare, biotechnology and material science field. He is the co-founder of Vaxess Technologies, a biotechnology company developing […]
Who Cares About Migrants?
here do they go and who will take them? What rights do migrants seeking safety have? Who worries about them in a world that is focused on coping with Covid? Becca Heller is the co-founder and Executive Director of the International Refugee Assistance Project. IRAP provides legal assistance to refugees all over the world. She […]
A German Millennial Looks at a New — Or, at Least, Different — World
For all practical purposes, the 20th century ended when the Berlin Wall fell, followed by, rather quickly and relatively quietly, the collapse of the Soviet Union. Dr. Ulrike Franke is a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). She leads ECFR’s Technology and European Power initiative. Her areas of focus include […]
Understanding—and Protecting—Neurorights
“What we’re talking about is mentally enhancing humans…about building a new type of species, a hybrid human, in which part of our brain will be devices that would be running artificial intelligence algorithms and connected to huge data databases.” — Rafael Yuste “Setting global expectations around how this technology can be developed and how the […]
Are Your Thoughts Safe?
Where is neuroscience taking us? Rafael Yuste works at the forefront of neuroscience. In an effort to protect your individual neuro-identity and neurorights, he is joined by Jared Genser, a leading international human rights lawyer. Jared Genser is an international human rights lawyer who has spent his career practicing law, engaging in serious scholarship, and […]
“Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore” – Reflections on a Changing Culture
Recently, I had the opportunity to podcast with Shirin Neshat, acclaimed visual artist, and Jonathan Burnham, one of the leading New York-based book publishers. The idea was to talk about culture in the (almost) post-pandemic West: identity politics, cancel culture, how the pandemic is impacting artists and writers, what our culture is telling us about […]
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
If art is a window on the soul of a nation, what does ours look like? Who do we, defined loosely as the West, think we are in the sense of identity? What’s our mood? Jonathan Burnham is President and Publisher of the Harper Division at HarperCollins, overseeing imprints which include Harper, Harper Paperbacks, Harper […]
War With Russia?
“It doesn’t matter if it’s Russia or if it’s China or if it’s Iran, it’s a threat against all of us, and we should do something together to secure ourselves from all these complex threats.” — Marius Laurinavičius “There’s a flood of illegal migrants crossing the Lithuania border….now the border is used as a tool […]
Hot War, Cold War, New War
Lithuania is a frontline state in the growing confrontation—some think it is already war—between East and West. Dalia Bankauskaitė, a defense and security expert at Vilnius University, and Marius Laurinavičius, a journalist and analyst at the Vilnius Institute for Policy Analysis, are both in that camp. Dalia Bankauskaitė is a Partnership Associated Professor at Vilnius […]
Reimagining the Middle East
“There was a moment where Israel was contemplating annexing lands in the West Bank. I thought that was going to have a drastically negative impact, not just on the region, but on Israel and on America, because America was going to have to defend an incredibly unpopular decision. So what we were trying to do […]
A New Middle East
Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba, the United Arab Emirates long serving ambassador to the United States and also a key player in the process of creating this new Middle East, discusses the future of the region. Yousef Al Otaiba is the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United States and Minister of State. His […]
Democracia en Peligro
Latin America is in trouble. From the Rio Grande to the Drake Passage, angry and violent partisanship is rising; citizens feel their governments have failed to provide peace, prosperity or security; courts and the media—the usual counter-balances to autocrats—are weakening; and too many politicians are proposing radical, rather than centrist, solutions. So, what is the […]
Does Democracy Have a Future in Latin America?
By any measure, Latin American democracy is in trouble. Will things get worse before they get better? Patricio Navia, Eduardo Amadeo, Sergio Guzmán, all think (and certainly hope) that democracy will survive in their countries and in their region. Eduardo Amadeo has served his country in many capacities, most recently (2015-19) as an elected member […]
Welcome to the High-Tech Barbecue
Can we produce enough food to meet humanity’s growing needs and wants, without further environmental damage? Is it possible to move the center point of the production process from the farm or the sea into the laboratory? Didier Toubia is the co-founder and CEO of Aleph Farms, a cultivated meat company that is shaping the future […]
Understanding Africa
“The first draft of history is always going to be very messy.” — Michela Wrong Human life originated in Africa, and humanity’s future will be intensely African: by 2100 one in three people on earth will live on the continent, including almost half of the young people. How to understand 1.4 billion people, more than […]
Heart of Darkness
How is Africa doing? Can Africa produce the food, energy, economic activity, education, and social and political stability that all those people, especially all those young people, need and deserve? And is democracy the best means to that end? Michela Wrong has spent nearly three decades writing about Africa, first as a Reuters correspondent […]
Mirabilis annus secundus
“The second part of the second years prodigies being a true additional collection of many strange signs and apparitions which have this last year been seen in the heavens and in the earth, and in the waters” — Anonymous, 1662 In American college basketball the phrase “one and done” refers to a young athlete […]
Leadership Special: Fio Omenetto and Bright Simons
Two prize winners and friends, Fio Omenetto and Bright Simons, discuss how great leaders can change everything. Fiorenzo G. Omenetto is the Frank C. Doble Professor of Engineering, and a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Tufts University. He also holds appointments in the Department of Physics and the Department of Electrical Engineering. His research interests […]
The hope of our future
Youth is the hope of our future. When it comes to governance, is that a good thing in a world where there is a growing body of evidence that youth’s satisfaction with democracy is declining in many countries? Listen as Cristóbal Marín Rojas and Julien Richard discuss the challenges of making democracy work. Julien Richard […]
Leadership Special: Jan Eliasson, Former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations
The Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize is named in honor of Jan Eliasson, one of the most accomplished global diplomats of our era. In this special episode, Jan discusses how great leaders can change everything. Jan Eliasson (Stockholm, Sweden) is a Swedish and international diplomat. He most recently served as the Deputy Secretary-General of the United […]
Are we really all in this together?
The global pandemic was a test of the proposition that global problems not only need global solutions, but that if the crisis is big enough, then those global solutions will be forthcoming. If so, we failed and—as the pandemic continues to roil countries, ruin lives, and damage futures even while “mission accomplished” celebrations break out […]
Fixing what’s broken
Is democracy in trouble? The evidence so far this year is troubling: January 6th in Washington, coup in Myanmar, widening arrests in Hong Kong, presidential interference with the judicial systems in El Salvador and Mexico, Polish and Hungarian EU lobbying against “gender equality”—the list is long and global. Some of the sins are big, some […]
Alone together: China and America
We seem to be moving from a world where markets ruled to one where politics rules: the politics of nationalism and confrontation, of East versus West instead of East and West. Weijian Shan, economist, businessman, investor, shares his unique perspective, not just on global markets, but on how the world really works. Weijian Shan is […]
Teach Your Children Well
“Malala Fund has a very, very simple philosophy…the right of every citizen to have 12 years of safe, quality, and free education available to them.” “We’re predicting that almost 20 million more secondary school girls will drop out of school by the end of the crisis.” — Dr. Maliha […]
Presenting the 2021 Prize Jury and Pre-Jury
LEADERS AND LEADERSHIP IN A POST-PANDEMIC WORLD As the worst of the pandemic starts to recede, it is leaving a mess: not just the millions of dead, but democracy under stress, whole societies buckling, health care systems broken, children’s development stunted—the list goes on. Leaders were tested, and many were found wanting. That reality gives […]
Girls, Interrupted
Dr. Maliha Khan, one of the leaders of the Malala Fund, talks about how the pandemic has made the goal “all girls, everywhere should have free, safe, quality education”, even more difficult to achieve. The global pandemic affects almost everyone on the planet—but it especially affects children. And what’s bad for kids is worse for […]
‘The Fortune You Seek is in Another Cookie’
“If China can rise smoothly to the top of the world without firing a single bullet, it will certainly be able to claim the moral high ground. This may sound harsh, but the truth is that peace is not a godsend. It often has to be earned, sometimes at the cost of war.” China Daily, […]
Leadership Special: Nithya Ramanathan, Engineer working to improve human health with sensory intelligence
Today’s world is short of a lot of things—sustainable environment, peace, prosperity, equality—but what we lack most is innovative, global, values-based leadership. If we can find and nurture that kind of leadership, the rest will follow. In this special episode, you will meet Prize winner Nithya Ramanathan as she is interviewed by Cecilia Weckstrom. Nithya […]
Join the Webinar: Sustainable Democracy?
A panel of young leaders from Hungary, Venezuela, Poland and South Sudan, who are on the front lines of fighting for real, sustainable democracy, will discuss what they have learned in their struggles and how we can make the forces for good governance more muscular. Date: Wednesday, May 5, 2021 Time: 11am EST, 5pm CEST […]
The Chinese Puzzle
What does China—or, more particularly China’s leadership and the Chinese Communist Party— want from the rest of the world? Domination or collaboration? Allies or subjects? War or peace? Dr. Jonathan D. T. Ward is an internationally recognized expert on Chinese global strategy and US-China competition. He earned his PhD in China-India relations at the University […]
For Every Child
“I do fear we will look back on the disruption caused by the pandemic on children’s education—which has been at unprecedented scale, length and duration—we will be looking on this period as indeed something that will be with us for many years to come.” —Robert Jenkins As the intensity of the pandemic slowly and […]
Social Media, Social Discord
“What we’ve seen happening is the acceleration of the spread of hate, based on political leadership, on political conversation, on groups who have an agenda to spread that hate.” — Sarah Durieux “If it’s human relationships that so often get people into a place where they are perpetrating harm to the world, it is so […]
The kids are not alright!
“All children of all ages and in all countries are being effected in particular by the socioeconomic impacts and in some cases, by mitigation measures that may inadvertently do more harm than good. This is a universal crisis. And for some children, the impact will be lifelong.” Robert Jenkins, Chief, Education and Associate Director, Programme […]
Leadership Special: Jared Genser, international human rights lawyer
In this special episode, you will meet Jared Genser, one of the three 2020 Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership prize winners. Listen, as he is interviewed by Shahidul Alam, photographer, writer, curator and activist and a member of the 2020 prize jury. Jared Genser is an international human rights lawyer who has spent his career practicing law, engaging […]
The best of times, and the worst of times
Even as the pandemic, like some giant glacier, slowly and unevenly recedes, the world seems frozen in place as it deals with the mess left behind. But is this crisis or opportunity? This week’s guests are dedicated to the latter proposition. They both are trying to make the world the kind of place it could […]
Fighting for Democracy
“The Hungarian illiberal regime…is extremely cynical. So in that sense, anything can be put on the agenda and at any given day, just the exact opposite could become the top of the agenda.” — András Léderer “What happened during the four years of the Law and Justice ruling in Poland is that many reforms were […]
¿QUÉ PASA CUANDO LA DEMOCRACIA MUERE?
“Venezuela se ha convertido en una amenaza para la seguridad, la estabilidad y la democracia del hemisferio”. “Creo que cualquier opción… es legítima para proteger a millones de venezolanos que sufren del hambre, que sufren de las enfermedades, que sufren de los crímenes contra la humanidad, que sufren de las violaciones de derechos humanos” -David […]
If it’s illiberal, is it democracy?
Europe is increasingly divided: between the frugal North and the Club Med South; between the illiberal East and the progressive West. In many ways, the latter is more profound at a time when democracy is under pressure almost everywhere. Listen as our guests discuss the profound conflicts that will shape their countries—and perhaps Europe—for decades […]
Leadership Special: Sylvia Earle, world-class oceanographer and educator
In this special episode, you will meet Sylvia Earle, one of the three 2020 prize winners. Listen, as she is interviewed by Ashok Mirpuri, Singapore’s ambassador to the U.S and a member of the 2020 prize jury. Sylvia A. Earle is a pioneering ocean scientist, explorer, author, influential speaker and conservation leader known as a […]
What Happens When Democracy Dies?
“[Venezuela] has become a threat to the security and stability and democracy of the hemisphere.” “I think that any option…is legitimate to protect millions of Venezuelans that are suffering from starvation, that are suffering from disease, that are suffering from crimes against humanity, that are suffering from human rights violations.” — David Smolansky Sometimes […]
The Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Joins the Tällberg Foundation in Presenting the Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize Stockholm and New York, March 29, 2021—Today the Tällberg Foundation announced that it has renamed its flagship leadership prize as the Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize, which incorporates the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) as a partner in the Tällberg […]
Casas Muertas
Venezuela has been in a death spiral for years. The country have been devastated by political repression and economic depression; its people suffer from hunger, malnutrition, shortages of food, medicine and, perhaps worst of all, opportunity. David Smolansky is the special envoy of the Organization of American States to address the Venezuelan Migration and Refugee […]
Speaking Freely
“Free speech is counterintuitive…That’s why we have it as part of the Bill of Rights. We have to have courts that stop the government and the society from doing what they’re inclined to do. It’s more natural to suppress free speech than it is to protect free speech. This has been true forever and will […]
Do you believe in Magic?
Our world is a mess. Pandemic, recession, accelerating climate change, refugees frustrated in their search for better lives, political frustration spilling into the streets: stress and distress are almost everywhere. What can we do—as individuals and as leaders—to change the play, to break out of a truly vicious circle? How about some magic? Not the […]
When is too much freedom too much?
Lee C. Bollinger, President of Columbia University, is widely considered one of America’s leading legal scholars on freedom of speech and has written extensively about the evolution of that fundamental freedom in the digital age. Lee C. Bollinger became Columbia University’s 19th president in 2002 and is the longest serving Ivy League president. He is […]
The (non) Future of Europe
“I don’t see us Europeans taking hold of our future…technologically and economically we are totally torn up between United States and China. We may turn out to be only the battlefield for that competition. That’s tragic for what we represent as a civilization in Europe.” — Pierre Lellouche When Pierre Lellouche, veteran French politician and […]
“Expect to have very violent reactions after the pandemic”
Pierre Lellouche worries that bad is likely to get worse. Listen as he discusses how Europe got stuck between the United States and China, the future of democracy, and the tragedy of social movements focused only on race and gender. Pierre Lellouche, after a long career in the French Parliament (five consecutive terms, 1993-2017) and […]
Persian Delights; Persian Dangers
“After all of these years of sanctions and containment…is it not time to stop wondering when the Islamic Republic is going to fall and instead think about how the Islamic Republic might change?” — Sanam Vakil “[Ayatollah Khamenei’s] legacy will be: do not believe the Americans, do not negotiate with the Americans.” — Sima Shine […]
Iran’s Annus Horribilis
2020 was an awful year for Iran. A year that started with the assassination of the country’s widely popular, leading general ended with the assassination of its most important nuclear scientist. Answers are difficult to find, but this week’s guests are in the business of looking for them. Sima Shine leads the Iran program at […]
Hiding in plain sight
“One of the worst things you can give to the human brain is chronic uncertainty. And the name of the game since March 2020, is uncertainty.” — Mike Niconchuk “With the virus, we see a breaking of social bonds and those have not been reestablished. But I think basic trust has to be the starting […]
High Anxiety
There is mounting evidence that the pandemic is generating a global mental health crisis. How do we cope with the results? Dr. Jonathan DePierro and Michael Niconchuk try to answer questions about our mental health in this episode. Jonathan DePierro, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount […]
Online Conversation: Long COVID
International health expert and physician Dr. Kees Rietveld worries that instead of a fast exit from COVID we are entering a twilight scenario of Long COVID. We recently published his opinion piece, in which he makes the case that we might be looking at years, not months, before something resembling “normal” is once again actually […]
Magical thinking (about Zoom)
Since the onset of the pandemic, most people have been forced to put their lives on hold or online. Work, education, entertainment, exercise—almost everything has largely moved from the real world to the virtual world. One result is near universal groans about “Zoom fatigue.” But is it the tool or how we are using the […]
Do you believe in Magic?
Magician Mark Mitton explores how magical thinking (or, at least, a magician’s thinking) can help us through this crisis Mark Mitton is a magician who is fascinated by using magic to better understand how we see the world. In addition to performing and producing events all over the world, Mark explores the theme of “Misdirection” […]
Opinion: Long COVID
It is time for society to bite the bullet and accept that SARS CoV 2, the virus that causes COVID, is here to stay. It has become an endemic pandemic, mutating in the direction of becoming a part of the annual winter respiratory onslaught. Some countries might achieve temporary eradication, but the world won’t. The […]
Looking for a New Normal (or something like it)
We live at a time of pandemic, recession, growing doubts about the future and form of capitalism, challenges to democracy, shifts in global power. Sandra Breka is Member of the Board of Management of the Robert Bosch Stiftung, one of the major foundations in Europe. Since joining the Board of Management, she spearheaded the […]
Democracy Now?
“I have never been in my whole life as worried as I was on that day…about whether or not we could survive as a democracy. I think we’re as divided and in danger of losing the democracy as we were in 1860.” — Richard Gephardt Dick Gephardt is a democrat; he firmly believes that democracy […]
“A republic, if you can keep it”
Congressman Gephardt, a Democrat, firmly believes America needs bipartisanship to cope with the divisive spirits that are tearing at the country. Listen as he talks about some of the things that urgently need to be done, not just in the United States, but everywhere that democracy is under pressure. Richard Gephardt served for 28 years […]
Lines in the sand
“There are more red lines right now, more lines between countries, between ideologies, between peoples than have ever really existed at any single time in history.” “We need to master all of that [history] if we’re going to go forward and figure a way of either working with these red lines or dismantling them.” […]
Lines in the Sand
History is replete with leaders drawing real or metaphorical lines in the sand, challenging opponents to cross only if they dare. David Andelman, an American journalist and author, believes that one way to understand global risks and challenges is to explore the nexus of red lines that define global politics. David A. Andelman, a columnist […]
Celebrating or Cursing Democracy?
This week the United States inaugurates a new President, much to the joy of many Americans, but to the utter dismay of millions of others. And the swearing in takes place in a Washington, DC locked down, not by fear of pandemic, but by fear of domestic terrorists. Only two weeks ago, a mob encouraged […]
Welcome to the Brave New (digital) World
We explore living online with a woman whose job it is to make the experience as productive and pleasant as possible. Jaime Teevan is Microsoft’s Chief Scientist for Experiences and Devices. Jaime Teevan, Chief Scientist, Microsoft Experiences and Devices and helps Microsoft create the future of productivity. Previously she was the Technical Advisor to Microsoft’s […]
European Renaissance
“By tradition, by history, by culture, by philosophy, the model of the way of life in Europe is better for people, better for nature.” “It’s a question of whether we have the three ingredients of global influence: namely weight, ambition and know-how. — Pascal Lamy At a time of Brexit, political uncertainties in many continental […]
Online Conversation: American Agonies
January 6, 2021 is now one of those days seared in our memories. What happened in Washington was awful, but perhaps inevitable—maybe necessary—eruption; a catharsis to bleed off the poison. Donald Trump is all but finished, and the most virulent brand of Trumpism has been revealed in all its base, vile thuggery. That’s good, not […]
Why Europe?
Pascal Lamy is arguably one of the most prominent, thoughtful and enthusiastic supporters of a global leadership role for Europe. Pascal Lamy served two terms as Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) from September 2005 to September 2013. Mr. Lamy holds degrees from the Paris based Ecole des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC), from […]
Online Workshop: Making Democracy Work
On December 8 and 9, 2020, the Tällberg Foundation celebrated the 2020 winners of the Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leadership Prize during a virtual workshop. The theme of the meeting was “Making Democracy Work” which encompassed a range of interviews, panels, and performances. See the program for both days here. Day 1 Global Leaders! Meet the winners […]
Follow the Science
2020 will probably be remembered as the year of COVID. Our guest has long worked at the intersection of science, politics, and policy. Dr. Ali Nouri, a molecular biologist, is the President of the Federation of American Scientists Dr. Ali Nouri, a molecular biologist, is the President of the Federation of American Scientists, an organization […]
Gorillas (and people) in the Mist
A few days ago we were visiting the gorillas and you could see that they were actually quite happy to see visitors coming back. Some of them even tried to get close because they think, “Hey, you’re back!” How can you protect the gorillas when the communities aren’t benefiting? We’re seeing win-win situations for people, […]
Live and Let Live / Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka
Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, a winner of the 2022 Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes, believes that zoonotic disease is controllable by simultaneously working to improve the health of humans and animals, at the points where they meet. Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Uganda, a veterinarian and scientist, works at the intersection of human and animal health. Her work addresses […]
Announcing the 2020 Winners of the Tällberg Eliasson Global Leadership Prize
TÄLLBERG FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES LEADERSHIP PRIZE WINNERS Sylvia Earle, Jared Genser, Nithya Ramanathan Receive 2020 Awards Stockholm and New York, November 25, 2020—Today the Tällberg Foundation announced the winners of the 2020 Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes, awarded annually for extraordinary leadership—in any field and any country—that is courageous, innovative, rooted in universal values and global in application or […]
America Chooses!
“I am a Trump supporter. I supported him in ’16, voted for him in ’20, but I had a raging case of Trump fatigue myself…. I was not that sorry to see the outcome, and I think the country needed it.” — Scott Miller “I thought [you] were very cognizant of the damage this president […]
True Blue
Sylvia Earle, a finalist for the 2020 Tällberg Eliasson Global Leadership Prize, behaves like a woman running out of time, which she is. The world’s foremost oceanographer—the Jacques Cousteau of our era, dubbed “Her Deepness”—she is on the road most of the year, and has logged countless hours underwater since her first dive, in a […]
Democracy in America
The U.S. election has come, but not quite gone as President Trump continues to resist the otherwise apparent victory of Joe Biden. Notwithstanding that drama, what did the voting tell us about America, Americans, and democracy? Scott Miller is a leading strategic and marketing consultant to some of America’s most important companies and most important […]
Objections Sustained
Sara Hossain can sound ambivalent about her role as honorary executive director of BLAST, the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust. “I don’t like running a large organization and I really don’t want to keep on doing that,” she says, “because there are many aspects of it that a lawyer is not best skilled for […]
Save the Date – December 8-9, 2020!
We invite you to join the Tällberg Foundation in celebrating the 2020 winners of the Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leadership Prize on December 8 and 9 from 10:00AM-11.45AM EST / 16.00-17.45 CET as part of a virtual workshop. The theme underlying this year’s meeting is “Making Democracy Work” which will encompass a range of interviews, panels and performances. […]
Data Minded
Nithya Ramanathan won’t deny that she loves engineering puzzles. “I just find them really fun to solve,” she says. “But ultimately I get pretty bored unless I’m solving that bigger, human-centered problem.” The computer scientist and C.E.O. of the non-profit Nexleaf Analytics is talking about really big problems here—climate change, pandemics, infant mortality—and about designing […]
Burning Down the House
“Basically, we are telling our kids and our grandkids that we don’t care about them when we burn the Amazon… This is something that can’t happen anymore.” — André Guimarães Fires in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest surged in October with the number of blazes up 25% in the first 10 months of 2020 compared to […]
Amazonian Armageddon
Once again, the Amazon is burning—and deforestation may be approaching a tipping point that could turn the world’s largest rain forest into dry savanna or even dessert. What are the potential consequences? Why aren’t we terrified? Who should be doing what? André Guimarães is the Executive Director of IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute). He has […]
Online Conversation: Right/Wrong
On October 28, Juan Enriquez presented his latest book for members of the Tällberg Foundation network. How rapid changes in technology could lead to rapid changes in ethics and, more importantly, how we can have civil conversations. Juan Enriquez is one of the world’s leading authorities on the economic and political impacts of life sciences. […]
Believing It’s Possible
As founder of the Open Source Pharma Foundation, which is creating a crowd-sourced alternative to the pharmaceutical industry, Jaykumar Menon feels he may have met his moment. Just a couple of years ago, “We were considered crazy people,” he says. “And now I think we were shown to be prescient. Everybody in the world is […]
Dealing with a Dragon
“Everybody is saying, ‘Oh, why isn’t China being so meek and so docile anymore? Why is it showing his teeth?’ The simple answer is that, it is what all great powers do.” “It would be best for the world for China to emerge as a happy dragon, rather than an angry dragon…The West is handling […]
Has China Won?
The competition between China and the United States is the defining geopolitical reality of the 21st century. The evolution of its new Great Game will determine whether our collective future will be one of prosperity or disaster. Kishore Mahbubani is a veteran diplomat, student of philosophy, and author of eight books, and is currently a […]
The Ripple Effect
Jared Genser’s client list reads like a Who’s Who of democratic aspiration: Václav Havel, Desmond Tutu, Elie Wiesel, Liu Xiaobo, and Anwar Ibrahim to name a few. But the international human rights lawyer will never forget his first, James Mawdsley, who was imprisoned in Burma in 1999, with a 17-year sentence for handing out leaflets. […]
As the World Turns
Jan Eliasson—Swedish and global diplomat, former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, accomplished conflict mediator—considers himself a “concerned optimist.” As he surveyed the world in a New Thinking for a New World podcast with host Alan Stoga, sometimes he seems more concerned than optimistic—and that troubles him. “I am now very worried about where we […]
Happy (?) Birthday
The United Nations turned 75 this year—but the pandemic overwhelmed its birthday party. The UN, built in a different world, has succeeded in its core mission: preventing World War III. But is the UN, as it is now constructed, relevant to the problems of the 21st century? Ambassador Jan Eliasson is a well-known Swedish […]
Our Wildlife, Our Selves
More than two decades ago, in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka made a connection that most of the world is only now beginning to get: The well-being of humans and animals are inextricably linked. About half of the world’s endangered mountain gorillas live in the park—around 650 at the time, a population that […]
Cooperation, Competition, or Confrontation
Coping with a Dangerous World “I think that this is a period of increasing danger.” “You can draw a direct line from the unenforced red line in Syria in 2014, to the annexation of Crimea, the invasion of Ukraine and the Chinese land grab in the South China Sea.” “We always ask, ‘should we […]
Battlegrounds
General H.R. McMaster, a highly decorated U.S. military officer, discusses how he believes the U. S. and like-minded countries can maneuver through today’s complicated global realities to produce peace and prosperity for their citizens. H. R. McMaster is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. A native of Philadelphia, […]
Writing on the Wall: Bahia Shehab
Historian. Street artist. Professor of graphic design. Bahia Shehab lives the future she believes in for her students: multi-disciplinarity. “I think if I were only a historian or only an artist or only an academic, I wouldn’t have survived,” says the Lebanese-Egyptian finalist for the Tällberg Eliasson Global Leadership Prize, who lives and teaches in […]
Ugly, Uglier, Ugliest: Migration at a Time of Covid
“When I was in Lesbos, there were over 9,000, 10,000 people in the streets with little food, little water, and nothing else… literally lines of people stretched for miles and miles along the road.” – Myrto Xanthopoulou “We saw busloads of Venezuelans choosing to return to Venezuela saying that as the situation got worse and […]
Online Conversation: Triple shock
The triple shock of pandemic, lockdown and economic collapse has rocked countries, communities and citizens around the world. Imagine the impact on refugees and migrants, caught in mid flight between their dangerous homes and less-than-welcoming destinations. The dramatic burning of what had been described as Europe’s largest refugee camp in Lesbos, Greece—probably started by desperate […]
Migrants (barely) Surviving
Like a great magician, the pandemic has drawn our attention away from things that are hiding in plain sight. One of those has been the plight of millions of refugees and migrants who are in refugee camps or trying to escape from war, violence, poverty or other scourges. Myrto Xanthopoulou, Mike Niconchuk, and Megan López who […]
Announcing the 2020 Tällberg Eliasson Global Leadership Prize Finalists
Seven Global Leaders Selected From 2,165 Nominations Winners to be Announced in November Stockholm and New York, September 30, 2020 — Today the Tällberg Foundation announced seven finalists for the Tällberg Eliasson Global Leadership Prize, which is given annually to leaders from a wide range of disciplines and countries whose work is global, based on […]
Reshuffling the Global Deck
“We have entered a world which we’ve not experienced for a long time … The most populous nation in the world is acquiring the economic and military and political might to go with that size.” “You cannot make global politics or globalization something apolitical. You cannot take the politics out of human life and human […]
A World Divided
The world’s a mess. The great powers today, the Chinese and the Americans, seem to disagree on most things. In this episode, Robin Niblett looks for answers. Dr Robin Niblett CMG has led Chatham House since January 2007. Previously he was executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Center for Strategic and International Studies […]
Bearing Witness
Earlier this month, the migrants and refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos were again homeless after fires, probably set out of desperation, destroyed Europe’s largest refugee camp, Moria, on the Greek island of Lesbos. Moria, intended for 2,200, housed more than 12,000 people under horrible conditions that worsened when COVID-19 hit. Myrto Xanthopoulou, a […]
Power to the People
“What building a state and what building a society means … is for people to come together, discuss, and agree on a shared way forward.” “When they come to power through military means, they tend to then rely on those same instruments to wield power.” —Peter Biar Ajak Independence!! A war won; a people freed. […]
Africa Agonistes
In this episode we’re going to explore why democracy and good governance are so rare in East Africa and what leaders like Peter Biar Ajak can do to change that reality. Peter Biar Ajak is the Chairman of the South Sudan Young Leaders Forum, Senior Advisor to the International Growth Centre, and Founder of the […]
Europe’s Union: Better after Covid?
“The European project has suffered and suffers from a structural blame game from the member states.” —Ana Palacio “You need to have a common platform within the European Union… otherwise, things will definitely go apart.” —Magnus Schöldtz The pandemic has exposed the fragility of governmental institutions around the world, and the European Union is no […]
A Silver Lining to the Covid Disaster?
Ana Palacio, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, Magnus Schöldtz, former Ambassador at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, talk about Europes challenges in this week’s podcast. Ana Palacio is the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain and international lawyer specializing in international and European Union law. From 1994 to 2002, she was […]
Talking Turkey
“We have a neighbor who is important, big, but still very aggressive, very assertive, and looking for adventures.” “Erdoğan wants to dictate the terms of the game.” —Constantinos Filis A weird year threatens to become even weirder: war between Turkey and Greece, two NATO allies with a long, fraught history, has suddenly become a possibility. […]
War, What is it Good For?
Turkey and Greece are locked in a struggle in the Eastern Mediterranean that feels like it belongs more in 1920 than in 2020. Is war possible? In this episode, Alan Stoga looks for answers from Constantinos Filis, Executive Director at the Institute of International Relations of Panteion University in Athens. Dr Constantinos Filis is Director […]
A Turkish Game of Thrones
“You can’t play Russian roulette any longer in diplomacy. You don’t know what’s coming up next…” — Nabil Fahmy “We are now living … not in a world order, but world disorder. We will see more chaos, more disorder, and more uncertainty…” — Cengiz Çandar Power abhors a vacuum, and the combination of “America First” […]
Sometimes History Rhymes
Egypt’s Nabil Fahmy and Turkey’s Cengiz Çandar discuss what Erdogan wants as he is playing a high stakes game that some think could even lead to war between Turkey and Greece or Egypt. Cengiz Çandar is a “Distinguished Visiting Scholar” at the Stockholm University Institute of Turkish Studies and Senior Associate Fellow at UI (The […]
There is No Solution Without You
“What Covid has done is to apply an extraordinary and unusually powerful microscope to worldwide governance. And much of what we see through that lens of the microscope is not pretty.” —Cardinal Michael Czerny Covid-19 has been a world-wide disaster—one that refuses to end. Although some countries and their leaders have performed extraordinarily well, many […]
Are We Really All in This Together?
Cardinal Czerny argues that any approach to Covid-19 that does not include those most vulnerable among us is a non-solution. Who then seems to have overlooked these people? Card. Michael Czerny S.J. was born on 18 July 1946, in Brno, Czechoslovakia (today the Czech Republic). Following his 1963 graduation from Loyola High School in Montreal, […]
Africa on the Run
“The journey to development has been stunted.” —Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr “Because there’s less external pressure on the continent now than there has ever been, we are beginning to see African countries coming together to figure out how they’re going to solve their problems.” —Carole Wainaina Numbers can be misleading. Global health data suggest that Covid-19 has […]
African Possibilities
How can Africa cope? Are solutions—or, at least, possibilities—to be found at the local, national or regional level? Listen to Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, mayor of Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown, and Carole Wainaina, a leader of Africa50. Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE was sworn in May 2018 with a commitment to transform Freetown using an inclusive, data-driven approach to […]
You May Choose to Look Away, But Never Again Say You Do Not Know
“The demand for exploitation is not just something that is related to poverty. It is related to a certain kind of human volition, which is global and somehow we have normalized it.” — Sunitha Krishnan Why do nations, rich and poor, in the 21st century, tolerate widespread slavery and human trafficking, including the buying and […]
STOP SLAVERY NOW!
Why do nations, rich and poor, tolerate widespread slavery, human trafficking and even the buying and selling of young children in the 21st century? This episode explores the darkness of slavery—which consumes even very young children—with India’s Sunitha Krishnan. Sunitha Krishnan, Co-Founder and Chief Functionary of Prajwala, an anti-trafficking organization in Hyderabad, India. She is […]
It’s (Still) The Economy, Stupid!
“In all of the West, we run into a divided society. Those who are smart enough to play on the stock market are fine; they can live. Those who are educated to play in the digital economy are also fine. And those who were the hard-working laborers for distribution and simple workers, they will get […]
The Covid Economy: Your Bust, My Boom
What happens when the global economy collapses, but global financial markets boom? That’s one of the issues explored in the conversation with German business leader Kurt Lauk and long-time top American central banker Terry Checki. Dr. Kurt J. Lauk is the co founder and President of Globe CP GmbH, a private investment firm established in […]
Can America halt its decline — and does it want to?
“We’re shocked, for example, that trains don’t work. We are shocked that the digital infrastructure is not good … America doesn’t not just invest in itself; Americans don’t invest in each other.” —Christine Loh What’s wrong, America? What has turned the global superpower and self-defined moral leader into a nation whose president insists the country […]
“What’s happened in 2020 is very promising.”
Those words have not been spoken by many this year. But Jorge Castañeda—Mexican educator, diplomat, former Foreign Minister, and frequent critic of the United States—believes that all the turmoil of a mishandled pandemic, economic recession, racial unrest, extreme political partisanship, and palpable anger throughout society might just be providing the impetus the country needs to […]
Is America Finished?
Why has America stopped investing in itself? We speak with Christine Loh who is a Hong Kong-based academic, environmentalist, and former government official with deep ties to the United States Professor Christine Loh is Chief Development Strategist, Institute for the Environment, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She is also Visiting Professor, Anderson School […]
America: Darkness Before the Crack of Dawn?
What kind of institutional change does the United States need and can that change be achieved without revolution? Castañeda talks about some of the ideas from his latest book, “America Through Foreign Eyes” and explains why he thinks the United States is heading in exactly the right direction. Jorge Castañeda was Foreign Minister of Mexico […]
Are “we” capable of fixing all that is breaking? Or is it too late?
Looking for silver linings may be an integral part of the human condition. Even during the bleakest moments—like during a global pandemic, a global recession, leadership failures and profound social stress almost everywhere—we try to find bits and pieces of positive energy and new ideas. In this episode of Tällberg’s “New Thinking for a New […]
On the Outside, Looking In: America in the Era of George Floyd
“Do I think that the U.S. is a racist country? Oh yes. Yes. This is a country that was built on that premise of the negation of humanity of part of its people.” —Faustin Linyekula “I think the United States is a racist country … I was appalled when I went to the U.S., at […]
Is America Racist — if so, will it ever not be?
American Carnage or American Dream? It matters to everyone everywhere whether or not the United States is in terminal decline or (painfully) resetting the basis of its democracy and its society. If the former, the global order will change in incalculable ways, for better or for worse. If the latter, life after the pandemic could […]
The time for Climate Action is NOW
A recent global survey conducted by the Tällberg Foundation showed widespread enthusiasm for aggressive action to mitigate accelerating climate change*. Overwhelmingly, respondents said: Accelerating climate change is a major threat to their individual lives and is already directly affecting their communities; Two thirds believe that it’s not too late to prevent catastrophic consequences from climate […]
Shared problems; shared destinies
The global pandemic and global recession have led many leaders and countries to turn inward. But Ahmed Reda Chami, President of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council of Morocco, understands that giving up on global solutions is both shortsighted and doomed to fail. As he said in a recent New Thinking for a New World […]
First, help yourself – A Moroccan leader on coping with life after Covid
Like everywhere else, Morocco must cope with the potentially overwhelming health, economic and political consequences of the pandemic. But unlike most places, the country has a well-designed, focused strategy to mitigate the worst of what is happening and, possibly, to position itself—and the rest of Africa—for a better future. In this episode of the Tällberg […]
US decline or US reset?
It matters to all of us whether the United States is in terminal decline or just going through one of those bouts of madness and self-doubt that, from time to time, seem almost to overwhelm America’s better angels. This is more than just a challenge match between American Carnage and American Dream. Rather, it’s whether […]
Is It Possible to Be Optimistic About Climate Change?
Tomas Anker Christensen, Denmark’s Climate Ambassador, and Daniel Martínez-Valle, Chief Executive Officer of Orbia, a Mexican-based multinational operating in more than 40 countries, recently discussed the lessons of the pandemic and why they are fundamentally optimistic that catastrophic climate change can be avoided. “We’ve learned during this pandemic … that many of the things that […]
The Millennial Future
Are there possibilities for a different future to emerge from the Covid crisis? Listen to Rosario Diaz Garavito, Baiqu Gonkar and David Ross, discuss the possibilities for a different future to emerge from the Covid crisis. Rosario Diaz Garavito is the founder and Chief Executive Director of The Millennials Movement, current UN NGO Major Group […]
Climate change during — and after—Covid
In this conversation we considered Climate Change during — and after—Covid. We were joined by Tomas Anker Christensen, Denmark’s Climate Ambassador; Daniel Martinez-Valle, Chief Executive Officer of Orbia, a Mexico based global company; and Mogens Lykketoft, Danish politician and former President of the UN General Assembly. Will the intense focus of governments, corporations and—most importantly—citizens on […]
Is It Possible to Be Optimistic About Climate Change?
For the first time in 75 years, the whole world is focused on the same problem and, in the process, mobilizing unprecedented political will, state authority and fiscal resources as well as relying on scientists to build evidence-based policies. How do we transfer all of that energy to addressing even the larger, more deadly challenge […]
What is the state of the union?
Has the American dream become an American carnage? The Covid-19 epidemic has laid bare many pre-existing fissures and deep distress in American society. Can the exhausted majority reassert itself through this crisis? Will the epidemic focus minds on a culture of competence and experience with regards to leaders and their teams and more generally organizations? […]
Q&A from Disruptive Technologies Webinar
On May 6, the Tällberg Foundation co-sponsored a webinar on “Disruptive Technologies: Good, Bad and Ugly” with Kenya’s Strathmore Business School. The conversation among George Njenga, Strathmore’s Executive Dean, and Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leadership Prize winners Anne Goldfeld, Fio Omenetto and Rafa Yuste was moderated by Tällberg’s chairman, Alan Stoga. A recording of the webinar can […]
Survey: Climate Change at a Time of Covid
While we are all focused on the pandemic, climate change continues to accelerate with consequences that are likely to dwarf the impact of Covid. How are you thinking about the climate and what needs to be done? We at the Tällberg Foundation want to engage with you as we explore the parameters of the new […]
Is Europe’s Future Green or Black?
The global Covid-19 pandemic has exposed deep fissures in the global political and economic fabric. For democracy to survive, the social contract needs to be reimagined; economies needs to be re-engineered and climate change – that is now accelerating at a pace that could quickly dwarf the consequences of the pandemic – needs to be […]
The American Condition
In this week’s podcast episode, Scott Miller and Josh Steiner explore the potential impact of the pandemic on longer term trends shaping the United States. What is the state of the Union? Has the American dream become American carnage? Covid-19 has laid bare many pre-existing fissures and deep distress in American society. Can the exhausted majority […]
Recordings from Webinars
Webinar: Disruptive Technologies: Good, Bad and Ugly Recording from Wednesday May 6, 2020 A panel of innovation leaders will discuss their efforts to create new technologies and new solutions to some of the challenges of our times–and what could go wrong, even when innovators have the best intentions. Panelists: Dr. George Njenga, Executive Dean of Strathmore, […]
Taking Democracy’s Temperature
The Tällberg Foundation deeply believes that democracy is the form of government most likely to produce the best outcomes for people everywhere. Unfortunately, it didn’t take the pandemic crisis to demonstrate that many democracies and most of their leaders are falling short. Why? We decided to ask our global network, surveying more than 500 people […]
Webinar: Global Order Amidst Global Disorder
The global architecture built in the late 1940s served mankind well. Yet the global system has evolved: Cold War, the United States as the sole superpower, the emergence of China and today’s hodgepodge of multiple power centers. What’s next—and what might be in Egypt’s and, more broadly, the Middle East’s best interests? Date: Thursday May […]
Webinar: Disruptive Technologies: Good, Bad and Ugly
A panel of innovation leaders will discuss their efforts to create new technologies and new solutions to some of the challenges of our times–and what could go wrong, even when innovators have the best intentions. Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2020 8am New York, 2pm Stockholm, 3pm Nairobi The panelists are: Dr. George Njenga, Executive Dean of […]
Tällberg SNF Fellows
The Board of the Tällberg Foundation is establishing a community of global leaders who are committed to exploring the challenges facing humanity and then imagining creative solutions that reach across boundaries and borders. The program is called the Tällberg/Stavros Niarchos Foundation Fellows, or Tällberg SNF Fellows. Fellows are individuals who have demonstrated commitment to the Tällberg Foundation’s […]
How does the pandemic offer a unique opportunity on constructive climate action?
In this session, we are joined by Tomas Anker Christensen, Climate Ambassador of Denmark and Kevin Noone, Professor of Chemical Meteorology at the Department of Environmental Science (ACES) at Stockholm University. Inspiration for the online conversation came from the “New Thinking for a New World” podcast with Christiana Figueres—climate activist, one of the key architects […]
Climate After Covid
Christiana Figueres—climate activist, one of the key architects of the Paris Climate Agreement and 2016 Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leadership Prize winner—passionately believes that the pandemic offers a unique opportunity to focus on constructive climate action. In this New Thinking for a New World podcast, she discusses the possibility of leveraging the massive political and economic resources that governments […]
Will leaders be driven by values in times of crisis and panic?
We are joined by Ambassador Jan Eliasson, Shahidul Alam and Sitawa Namwalie to talk about values. At this moment of crisis and panic, if countries, companies, religions and other organizations—but, most importantly, their leaders—aren’t driven by universal, human values, they seem destined to fail. Now more than ever, we need our moral compasses or we […]
The Value(s) of Democracy
Democracy is under huge pressure everywhere, made worse by the global pandemic. Too many governments in too many places are failing to deliver on the basic social contract with their citizens. In this podcast, celebrated photographer and human rights activist Shahidul Alam of Bangladesh discusses these issues from the perspective of a country which struggles […]
Will democracy be another casualty of Covid-19?
Democracy and democratic institutions were under severe pressure well before the novel Coronavirus appeared. Could the added burden of the pandemic break the back of democracy as we have known it? How worried should we be by governments proclaiming wartime powers and instituting new kinds of location and information tracking, all in the name of […]
Will Democracy Survive Covid-19?
Democracy and democratic institutions were under severe pressure well before the novel Coronavirus appeared. Could the added burden of the pandemic break the back of democracy as we have known it? How worried should we be by governments proclaiming wartime powers and instituting new kinds of location and information tracking, all in the name of […]
Window on the current pandemic
Anne Goldfeld, 2019 Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leadership Prize winner, a clinician and a medical doctor with long experience—in the lab and on the front lines of care—with epidemics hosted this conversation with the Tällberg/SNF Fellows. That experience will provide us a window on the current pandemic. What can we expect from the scientists, medical professionals and public […]
Understanding Coronavirus and Its Implications
In this podcast, Anne Goldfeld, a scientist and doctor with deep pandemic experience, discusses what we know about Covid-19, what we still need to learn and why it is a global problem that demands a global response. Anne, who is Senior Investigator of the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine and a Professor of Medicine […]
What Is a Thought?
Rafael Yuste, a professor of biological sciences at Columbia University and a 2018 Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leader speaks with Alan Stoga, the Tällberg Foundation’s chairman about recent and prospective progress in neuroscience. They discuss such questions as could our evolving understanding of the human brain lead to a new Renaissance? What are the implications of this […]
How do we protect our neural identities?
In this conversation, we focus on our brains, with Rafael Yuste, Columbia University professor of biological sciences (and much more) as well as a 2018 Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leader. He talks about his work and his deep concern about protecting each of our neural identities. You can listen to an interview by Alan Stoga with Rafa […]
What do we want to happen when we get to the new post-Covid normal?
Alan Stoga, chairman of the Tällberg Foundation starts off the conversation based on the article, Civilization Interrupted, which asks us to consider, what happens when Covid-19 is only a bad memory? More to the point, what do we want to happen when we get to the new post-Covid normal? The online conversation took place on Thursday, […]
Civilization, Interrupted
Written by Alan Stoga, Chairman, Tällberg Foundation “The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than fifteen cubits. Every living thing that moved on land perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind…. By the first day of the first month of Noah’s six […]
Grappling With the Unknown
In this week’s episode of the Tällberg Foundation Podcast, we listen to a conversation between Anne Goldfeld, Faustin Linyekula, and Saul Griffith who share their perspectives on the future and their relationship with it. The three 2019 Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leadership Prize winners discover how their respective expertise – medicine, dance, and fighting climate change – are all […]
Brain Guys
Q. What do hydra polyps, mice and Columbia University neuroscientist Rafael Yuste have in common? A. The Tällberg Foundation Rafa, a 2018 winner of the Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leadership Prize, is one of the most accomplished neuroscientists in the world, whose pioneering work and leadership helped launch what has evolved into the global BRAIN initiative. His lab at […]
What Is the Future of Democracy?
In our second episode of the Tällberg Foundation Podcast, we listen in on a panel conversation addressing these questions. Panelists: Kenneth Lusaka (The Rt. Hon. Speaker of the Senate, Parliament of the Republic of Kenya), David Sperling (Research Professor and Senior Research Fellow, Strathmore Governance Centre; Kenya ) and Ulrika Karlsson (Special Advisor on Global […]
Unpacking a Tällberg Workshop: Hopes, Concerns and Red Threads
Our initial podcast was recorded in Nairobi, Kenya, after a Tällberg Workshop. Three members of the Tällberg Foundation community reflect on “New Thinking for a New World.” Optimism or pessimism about the future may have less to do with facts, and more to do with filters: young or old, local or global, African or western. […]
What will the world look like in 2030?
Welcome to the 2020s! “Three things are true at the same time. The world is much better, the world is awful, the world can be much better.” Max Roser, Oxford University We asked members of the Tällberg community to define their fears, their hopes and their expectations for the new decade. Not predictions, as much […]
A Conversation with Rafa Yuste
On January 31, 2018 Winner, Rafa Yuste, hosted a group from the Tällberg Foundation network for a tour of his lab, a presentation of key aspects of his research, and a discussion of the profound ethical implications of the current explosion of knowledge about the brain. Rafa’s current work, using laboratory mice, focuses on investigating […]
Names of the Dead
Three of the intertwined strands of DNA that standout in the Tällberg Foundation’s genetic make-up are learning through conversation, leveraging cultural experiences to deepen understanding, and engaging with the natural world. The result, sometimes by design and often by accident, is a kind of experiential learning that engages the intellect as well as the emotions. […]
Celebration of Great Leadership in Kenya
During the week of November 11, the Tällberg Foundation—in partnership with the Senate of Kenya and the Strathmore Business School—celebrated great leadership and great leaders in the form of the 2019 Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leadership Prize winners. Anne Goldfeld, Saul Griffith and Faustin Linyekula received their awards in Nairobi on November 13th from William Ruto, Kenya’s […]
Tällberg Workshop in Nairobi, Kenya
Tällberg in Kenya – New Thinking for a New World The Tällberg Foundation, launched in 1981, exists to provoke thinking—and action based on thinking— about the issues that are challenging the evolution of liberal democracies. Those challenges are profound: the world that we have known since the mid 20th century, which produced unprecedented peace as […]
Shaping the Future
On April 11 at 6:30 pm at the Italian Academy, Columbia University in New York the Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leadership Prize winners Nicolas Guérékoyame-Gbangou, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Rafael Yuste had a conversation about the challenges facing leaders today. The conversation will be moderated by Vishakha Desai, Vice Chair, Committee on Global Thought, Senior Advisor for Global […]
Tällberg Workshop in Cairo, Egypt
We live at a time of profound changes in global and regional political structures, real time climate change, increasingly disruptive technologies (whose potential—good or bad—beggar the imagination), and collapsing trust in leaders as well as in institutions. Too many people in too many countries are too afraid of their futures. The workshop will parse these […]
Thought experiments
Answer: The Tällberg Foundation’s recent workshop, “Inside Every Utopia is Dystopia,” which was hosted by Fio Omenetto at Silk Lab at Tufts University in Boston, on January 17th. Prominent scientists—including two recent winners of the foundation’s Eliasson Global Leadership Prize, Omenetto and Rafael Yuste—engaged with engineers, academics, NGO leaders, investors, artists, designers, and more (see […]
Inside Every Utopia is Dystopia
We are all aware of the accelerating pace of technological innovation. What alternative futures are available, how can we choose among them, and who should make those choices?
Got Silk?
Omenetto’s work leans on the Utopian side of the scale, which is why he was awarded the foundation’s Eliasson Global Leadership Prize in 2017. An interdisciplinary research facility that investigates materials at the interface between technology and life sciences, Silklab’s goal is to create innovations and find solutions using naturally derived, abundant, sustainable materials. Like […]
Show of leadership
“Conventional wisdom is that great leadership is in short supply today,” said Tällberg Foundation chairman Alan Stoga, introducing the 2018 Eliasson Global Leadership Award winners to the audience at ITAM, in Mexico City, on November 15. “Too many countries, companies, and institutions are badly served by leaders who lack the vision, imagination, and moral compass […]
Something to talk about
In the 35 years since a Swedish businessman named Bo Ekman created the Tällberg Foundation, both the world and his organization have changed dramatically.But, as the foundation’s current chairman, Alan Stoga, noted last month in Mexico City, Ekman’s central tenet may be even more valuable today: “His idea was that intelligent, questioning, respectful, non-partisan conversation […]
A Tällberg Workshop in Mexico City
Our daily news feeds tell the story of a transformational time: Trade and financial sanctions picking apart long established global supply chains; Voters increasingly choosing anti-establishment candidates in rejection of the centrist politics of more than half a century; Borders being raised or reinforced against people and ideas that are seen to threaten national identity; […]
Announcement: Winners of the the 2018 Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes
To be honored at ITAM in Mexico City on November 15 New York, NY, USA – October 17, 2018 – Today the Tällberg Foundation announced the winners of the 2018 Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes, that are awarded annually for extraordinary leadership—in any field and any country—that is courageous, optimistic dynamic, rooted in universal values and […]
Disruption
The 21st Century is quickly evolving into an era defined by global disruption, as socio-economic changes and groundbreaking technological advancements are seemingly having a major impact and are turning upside down standard modes of operation, models and assumptions in every area of life, including the field of philanthropy. The conference examined, among others, the effects […]
Hegira/Journey
This is a Tällberg Foundation production. The film was first shown at the Tällberg workshop in Tangier: Can we Bend the Arc in the Age of Migration? on May 10 – 12, 2018. Do you want to use this film? Show it to a bigger audience? Please contact us at info@tallbergfoundation.org
Can we Bend the Arc in the Age of Migration?
In March, 2016 the Tällberg Foundation convened a workshop on the Greek island of Lesvos to explore the dynamics of mass migration under the flag of “A Clash of Civilizations.” Instead of a “clash”—or, for that matter, much “civilization”—we experienced the horrific, hopeful, feared and fearful reality of people desperate to find new lives largely […]
Alternative Futures
We are organizing a series of one day meetings at various labs and companies around the world, with a view to understanding some of the disruptive technologies—in AI, life sciences, robotics, nanotech, etc—that seem likely to change the world as we know it. We want to provoke a conversation between scientists and technologists on the […]
Polarization in the 21st Century: YOU’RE WRONG! (and I am right)
Social and political polarization is a new (or at least, dramatically intensifying) force that is having a huge impact on political discourse, public policy and electoral outcomes in many democracies such as in the US, in Europe and in the Americas. It may be an important compounding factor in the ongoing erosion of the centrist […]
Honoring Jan Eliasson
Stockholm Sweden and New York, U.S.—October 23, 2017 The Tällberg Foundation today announced that it is naming its leadership prize in honor of the international and Swedish diplomat, Ambassador Jan Eliasson, who most recently served as Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. The prize is given annually to outstanding leaders in any country and any […]
Winners of the Eliasson Global Leadership Prize
The Tällberg Foundation Announces Winners of its Eliasson Global Leadership Prize Mr. Alonso, an architect, co-founder and executive director of Instituto Elos based in Santos, Brazil was selected for his dedication to participative leadership, mobilization and community building; Ms. Heller was chosen for her tireless efforts to provide competent legal support for refugees who must cope […]
Leadership in the 21st Century
Leadership in the 21st Century: “The times, they are a-changin’ ” November 28-29, 2017 New York, USA It’s been more than half a century since Bob Dylan first sang the words that became an anthem for the turbulent 60s, an era when “revolution” or, at least revolutionary change seemed to be in the air. Today […]
Future rhymes
Mankind is confronted by profound changes: in our planet, in how societies organize and function, in increasingly worn-out institutions, in the possibilities of science and technology. Even though some of those changes could be positively transformative, the dizzying—and seemingly accelerating—pace of change is overwhelming our collective capacity to cope…. Continue to read Alan Stoga’s contribution […]
Leadership for a Better Future
The 2016 Tällberg Leadership Workshop in Amsterdam will celebrate the accomplishments of our 2016 Global Leaders and create a space where they can tell their inspiring stories. This year, our leaders are women whose remarkable qualities spur us to question what kind of leadership is required to counter the challenges of the 21st century. Leadership […]
To Lead or Not to Lead?
The Tällberg Foundation has a history of recognizing and engaging pathfinding leaders who are seeking to make a difference in an increasingly complicated global environment. We believe that the times demand leaders who rethink assumptions, imbue their work in a deep commitment to ethical action, leverage challenges into opportunities and nourish networks of engagement. Identifying, […]
The Global Leadership Prize winners 2016
Amsterdam, Netherlands – November 29, 2016 – The Tällberg Foundation announced today the winners of its Global Leadership Prize for 2016: Sunitha Krishnan from India and Christiana Figueres from Costa Rica. Ms. Krishnan was chosen for her untiring advocacy on behalf of women and children who are victims of sex crimes and trafficking. Ms. Figueres […]
Clash of Civilizations?
The Tällberg Workshop on Lesvos. Clash of Civilizations? March 2016 As at all Tällberg Foundation meetings, the goal of this workshop was to question and explore, without prejudice, the dynamics of an issue which has enormous consequences not only for the refugees fleeing political and economic instability but for the people of Europe who are […]
The White Desert
At the forefront of climate change research, our journey revealed some key findings including that sea levels could rise by a dozen meters in our lifetime, because of the level of CO2 already released into the atmosphere. This video is about Greenland and Climate Change. The poles are melting, and one degree of atmospheric temperature […]
Abrupt Climate Change
E: One of the concepts that we’ve heard about during the last few day is what you scientists call “abrupt climate change”. I am used to thinking about climate change in terms of centuries or millennia, but this appears to be a dramatically different concept. JW: Abrupt climate change is interesting; it really didn’t enter […]
Learning journey to Greenland
EGRIP (http://isaaffik.org/users/egrip-camp) is an international project and the EGRIP camp, established during the summer of 2015, is in the center of the East Greenland ice stream and is the successor to a multiyear science program. Dr. Dorthe Dahl Jensen from the University of Copenhagen and the Niels Bohr Institute, Ice and Climate Program, will lead […]
US Election Analysis
The short introduction is in Spanish, but the presentation is in English beginning at 2:42 minutes
Does Europe Need Brexit?
Published on YaleGlobal, 9 June 2016 By Alan Stoga NEW YORK: The conventional wisdom is that the British exit from the European Union — Brexit — would be bad for everyone: the British people, the United Kingdom, the European Union and even the United States. While that may be true, in the age of Trump — the unconventional presumptive Republican nominee for US […]
Everything old is new: power in the 21st century
Tällberg Workshop in Helsinki, Finland Everything old is new: power in the 21st century Tällberg Workshop in Helsinki June 2015 For years the tension has been growing between the obvious need to address issues beyond the reach of national politicians—like climate change, mass migration, weapons proliferation—and national politicians’ unwillingness to act in the interest of […]
The Global Leadership Prize winners 2015
On November 11, the Tällberg Foundation announced the winners of our Global Leadership Prize for 2015: Jamila Afghani from Afghanistan and Martín von Hildebrand from Colombia. Ms. Afghani was chosen for her work promoting a new understanding of women’s rights in Islam among her country’s imams. Mr. von Hildebrand was selected for his work to […]
What’s leadership got to do with it?
What’s leadership got to do with it? in Stockholm, Sweden November 2015 We considered leadership from a number of perspectives and guiding questions: What are the new questions being asked of leaders today? What do we need to understand, identify and cultivate in the next generation of global leaders? How would we know a great […]
Bridging gaps and crossing borders
TechCamp Scandinavia – Bridging gaps and crossing borders, which will be held in Malmö, Sweden on October 1- 2, 2015. The evolving dynamics of identity, culture and communication are essential to the development of democratic, open and free societies. The media, traditional and online, have a crucial role to play in these developments. Indeed, the […]
TW@C
The Tällberg Workshop at CERN (TW@C) aimed to explore the implications for mankind and society of the accelerating pace of evolution, in all its dimensions: the cosmos, the planet, homo sapiens, technology, and social organization. We live in a fracturing world where the pace of change has become a source of further change; the more […]
Blot Out the Sun? / Luke Iseman & Andrew Song
Luke Iseman and Andrew Song explain how they think they can cool the planet. Supposedly, Herodotus wrote that when the Greeks were told that the Persian archers at the Battle of Thermopylae would blot out the sun with their arrows, they responded: “Good, then we shall have our battle in the shade.” Fast forward to […]
CAN DEMOCRACY TOLERATE INTOLERANCE AND SURVIVE?
In an opinion poll of 19 mostly Western democracies conducted last year, almost half of respondents said they were dissatisfied with how democracy works in their country—including 62% in the United States, the self-declared “leader of the free world.” What’s wrong? Is it the people, the leaders, the outcomes, the processes—or all of the above? […]
Diplomatically Speaking / Ashok Mirpuri
“There is nothing dramatic in the success of a diplomatist. His victories are made up of a series of microscopic advantages: of a judicious suggestion here, of an opportune civility there, of a wise concession at one moment and a far-sighted persistence at another; of sleepless tact, immovable calmness and patience that no folly, no […]
Leadership in a World, Disrupted
In June, 2023, the Tällberg Foundation and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) organized a gathering of past winners and honorees of the Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize in Athens, Greece. With support from SNF, the meeting aimed to stimulate fresh perspectives and foster potential collaborations among the global leaders. The workshop was scheduled in conjunction with SNF Nostos […]
Should We Tolerate the Intolerant? / Elisabeth Braw
“If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them.” Karl Popper in The Open Society and Its Enemies Financial Times. Popper, an Austrian philosopher who had fled […]
What’s the Point of Freedom if You Don’t Do Something With It? / Shahidul Alam
Shahidul Alam is many things: world-class photographer, Bangladeshi human rights activist, teacher, and author. He is also a provocateur, whose words and pictures force one—sometimes gently, sometimes less so—to confront reality. Alam is also part of the Tällberg Foundation’s Global Leadership Network. In that capacity, he recently delivered a short provocation reflecting on the realities […]
Is Uber Really More Valuable than the Planet?
The summer of 2023 might be remembered as the year that people almost everywhere finally began to understand what global warming means: unrelenting record heat, widespread drought, massive wildfires, excessive rain, destructive 100-year floods. Anyone who’s surprised simply hasn’t been paying attention or has been consumed by foolish debate over causality. But like the proverbial […]
Pricing the Priceless: The ultimate, maybe the only climate solution / Paula DiPerna
Humanity is hardwired to value the valuable, to conserve even to hoard treasure. The atmosphere, the oceans, earth’s ecosystem are vital to life, yet we essentially view them as free goods. The inevitable result is overconsumption, waste and pollution. Paula DiPerna’s key insight in her new book, Pricing the Priceless, is that the only way […]
The Trials of Donald Trump
Imagine a new blockbuster movie in which a former American president, running for re-election, is criminally indicted not once or twice, but four times. He has to run for office with all the bread and circuses that modern campaigns demand on some days of the week, while on others he sits quietly in a courtroom […]
Trump Agonistes / Joon Kim
Donald Trump continues to make history: he is the only American president (serving or former) ever to have been criminally indicted. He already faces two separate indictments and trials, with the strong possibility of one or two more before the end of the year. That would set a record for presidential indictments that will last […]
Our Blue Planet / Asha de Vos
Asha de Vos has done pioneering work on blue whales and joined this week for a conversation about her work in Sri Lanka. The planet “Earth” should probably be called “Water” since 70% of it is ocean. Of course, that also means any discussion of climate issues should start with the oceans. Increasing temperatures, rising […]
Russia: Dead Man Walking?
At the end of June the world witnessed the extraordinary sight of the paramilitary Russian Wagner Group literally marching on Moscow, allegedly not to replace Putin, but to cleanse the capital of “corruption”. Led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, former convict turned cook turned Putin confidant turned mercenary turned rebel, the four or five thousand men and […]
Can AI Be Regulated?
Rebecca Finlay, CEO of the Partnership for AI, is on a mission to find a positive answer. In a recent podcast, she emphasized that AI isn’t inherently good, bad, or neutral. It’s a result of human choices influenced by market conditions and politics. AI is a product of our creativity and the conditions we set. […]
“When you strike at a king, you must kill him” / Yevgenia Albats
Yevgenia Albats, a journalist in forced exile from Russia, thinks that Prigozhin is a “dead man walking.” Maybe Putin, too. A few days ago the world watched in amazement as Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the infamous paramilitary Wagner Group, turned his ambition from defeating Ukraine to challenging the Russian army and—although he continues to deny […]
What Does ChatGPT Think? / Rebecca Finlay
Rebecca Finlay delves into the questions surrounding the regulation of AI, its limitless potential, and the challenges faced in controlling its impact on society. *** Although inflection points are better judged in retrospect, OpenAI’s release of ChatGPT late last year may have touched off a new era in how mankind relates to machines—perhaps in how […]
Georgia on My Mind / Nino Evgenidze
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine seems likely to be one of those seminal events that will divide our future histories: BI and AI. That’s obviously true for the combatants, but for many others as well. Consider the small country of Georgia, with less than 4 million people, located at the eastern end of the Black Sea, […]
Welcome to the Post-Kissinger Middle East
In the 1970’s Henry Kissinger argued that the goal of America’s Middle Eastern policy was to persuade the Arabs that the road to peace ran through Washington, not Moscow in the days when the Soviet Union’s influence dominated in countries like Egypt and Syria. Fast forward to 2023, does the road to peace now run […]
What’s Love Got to Do With It? Building a Different Middle East / Gilles Kepel
Over the last several months, there have been a series of extraordinary developments in the Middle East that could have almost as big an impact on the shape of the new global order as Russia’s war on Ukraine. Consider even a partial list: China’s engineering of rapprochement between supposedly implacable enemies Iran and Saudi Arabia; […]
India’s Back to the Future Moment?
India has always been difficult for non-Indians to understand, maybe for many Indians as well. Sheer size and diversity make governance, never mind coherence, an innate challenge: the world’s most populous nation at 1.4 billion people; India’s most popular state is home to 230 million people; the 5th largest economy in the world, but per […]
Is India Back? / Milan Vaishnav
India had the world’s largest economy until the 17th century but suffered almost 500 years of decline afterward. However, India is currently the world’s most populous nation with one of the largest economies. Will India continue to evolve and become a global power? Milan Vaishnav is a senior fellow and director of the South Asia […]
Masters Of War
Sudan is at war with itself. Since the 2019 uprising that booted Omar al-Bashir from office after thirty years, the country has experienced more coups and fighting than democracy and peace. Indeed, as Sudanese activist Samah Salman points out in a recent New Thinking for a New World podcast, “We have a history in Sudan […]
Africa’s Arc of Misery: Sudan / Samah Salman
Samah Salman, a Sudanese businesswoman and civil society leader shares her insights on the situation and efforts for peace. Sudan is at war with itself. The revolution that drove Omar al-Bashir from office after 30 years has produced coups, conflict and military rule rather than peace, democracy and prosperity. Today two generals—Abdel Fattah al-Burhan of […]
Now for Something Completely Different
We live in a bipolar world: United States and Europe on one side; China and Russia on the other. And everyone else is expected to choose one or the other. But what if a significant country—say, Saudi Arabia—refuses? Or decides that it has spent too long on one side, and would like to try something […]
Rising China Plants a Flag in the Middle East / Yasmine Farouk
Yasmine Farouk discusses the impact of China’s mediation between Saudi Arabia and Iran on the Middle East and beyond. Early last month, there was an extraordinary announcement. Saudi Arabia and Iran had agreed to resume diplomatic relations after seven years of more or less open hostility. Even more extraordinary was the person standing between the […]
Announcing the 2023 Global Leadership Prize Jurors
The Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize has many moving parts, but the jury is the cornerstone of the selection process. Each jury is different, but all jurors since the Prize was launched in 2015 share a common belief that innovative, global, and principled leadership is key to building a better world. To balance continuity with renewal, […]
Nous entendez-vous, Monsieur le Président?
French President Emmanuel Macron has had a rough few months. Weeks of sometimes violent protest against pension reform that he eventually imposed by fiat. Deep criticism across Europe and from the United States for his efforts to distance himself from America’s China policy. Plummeting political approval ratings. Most recently: the casserolade as protesters take to banging […]
Reflections on the Guillotine / Pierre Lellouche
Macron’s dilemma: European sovereignty or alienating allies? Former French politician Pierre Lellouche analyzes Macron’s blunders and their impact on France on New Thinking for a New World. French President, Emmanuel Macron, has had a complicated few weeks. On the one hand, China’s President Xi gave him red-carpet treatment in Beijing, where Macron, again, made his […]
Walking Blues
Imagine walking 2,000 miles from Honduras to the southern U.S. border, risking robbery, assault, even murder. Why do so many take the risk? According to anthropologist Amelia Frank-Vitale, it’s because “in the United States people respect the rule of law.” *** Imagine walking 2,000 miles from Honduras to the southern U.S. border, through some of […]
Slouching Towards Texas (If Not Bethlehem)/ Amelia Frank-Vitale
Anthropologist Amelia Frank-Vitale discusses what it takes to walk from Honduras to Texas, and the tragedies along the way. Human history is a long and continuing story of migration. People have always moved out of fear or out of opportunity—and other people have always resisted them. That story continues today: as more people try to […]
More to Fear than Fear Itself: Does the West really want to win in Ukraine?
Russia’s war on Ukraine has metastasized into a brutal war of attrition. Anna Wieslander, Swedish defense and security expert, clearly worries that the past might be prologue, not because it is foreordained, but because the West lacks strategy and leadership. *** Russia’s war on Ukraine has metastasized into a brutal war of attrition. Historically such […]
Is This Any Way to Run a War? / Anna Wieslander
Anna Wieslander has had the temerity to point out that the West has no strategy to end the war in Ukraine. Listen as host Alan Stoga discusses with her what it might take to end this war, one way or the other. *** Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has settled into a grueling, vicious war […]
Israel’s Point of No Return
Israel’s domestic crisis has only intensified since we published our podcast with journalist Neri Zilber on March 16. More protests, more violence, more international condemnation and the controversial firing of Defense Minister Gallant. Even though Prime Minister Netanyahu has now hit “Pause,” Zilber’s commentary is important; in that spirit, we invite you to revisit our […]
Needed: New Thinking about Africa’s Debt Burden / Bright Simons
Debt and mismanagement are hindering Africa’s enormous potential despite its young, optimistic population and growing middle class. Hear from researcher and policy activist Bright Simons on why debt cancellation is not the solution and what new approaches may be needed. *** Africa might finally be on the verge of realizing its enormous potential. A booming, […]
Is Israel Heading Over a Cliff? / Neri Zilber
Listen to a conversation with Neri Zilber is, journalist and analyst who focus on Israel’s – and more generally Middle Eastern – politics and culture, on a situation that seems destined to go from bad to worse. *** Israel seems to be on the verge of exploding. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s pursuit of radical judicial reform […]
Nominations open for the 2023 Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize
March 15, 2023—The Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes—named in honor of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) and the global diplomat, Jan Eliasson—are given annually to outstanding leaders from any country and any discipline whose work is innovative, courageous, rooted in universal values and global in implication or consequence. We believe that great leadership is not bound […]
Tällberg Network News
The Tällberg network is global, cutting across borders as well as barriers. Our participants share a worldview that what Bo Ekman used to call “principled pragmatism” is essential to their efforts to make the world a better place, and are deeply committed to the “fierce urgency of now.” Here is our initial compilation of a […]
Everything Old Is New Again / Francesco Svelto
Building the University of the Future on an Ancient Foundation. Francesco Svelto, Rector of the University of Pavia, shares his vision for Pavia and, more broadly, education at a time of transformation. What do you teach today that won’t be irrelevant, literally, tomorrow? And, can a great university leverage its history to produce better students, […]
Dear ChatGPT: What Do You Really Think?
Tällberg’s recent podcast with Juan Enriquez and Mark Abdollahian about ChatGPT and, more generally, generative Artificial Technology led to an obvious next step: how would ChatGPT answer some of the same questions? So we asked. This transcript has been lightly edited because ChatGPT (who is certainly no HAL 9000) has a habit of repeating herself. […]
Mongolia: Between the Hammer and the Anvil / Undraa Agvaanluvsan
Dr. Undraa Agvaanluvsan, a former member of Mongolia’s Parliament recently explained her country’s challenges in coping with a changing global order. *** Russia’s invasion of Ukraine changed how global politics works. Instead of peace, prosperity and globalization, the scenario became war, recession and “near shore.” Suddenly, the world was separated into a conflict between the […]
Looking for Real Justice: Sam Muller and Hiil
“All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law.” Article 7, Universal Declaration of Human Rights Practically every country in the world has long since signed the Universal Declaration; indeed, who doesn’t purport to believe in universal access to justice, even if sometimes it is […]
Ask ChatGPT: How worried should we be? / Mark Abdollahian & Juan Enriquez
Mark Abdollahian and Juan Enriquez help us understand not only what’s technically called generative artificial intelligence, but to think together about the impact on jobs, on creativity, and innovation, on how we live or could live in the not-so-distant future. *** It’s still early in 2023, but we already know the word of the year: […]
Looking for Justice, One Person at a Time / Sam Muller
Sam Muller and his colleagues at HiiL are in the business of building “people-centered justice” that works for everyone. 2023 looks likely to be a year of recession, inflation, social and labor unrest, war, the ravages of climate, food insecurity, rising inequality. One casualty of that mess is likely to be the rule of law; […]
Dialogue of the deaf: Europe and China / Andrew Small
Andrew Small explain how and why he thinks that the Chinese challenge is dramatically and dangerously changing. As recently as September 2021, outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel described economic relations between Europe and China as “win-win.” Within nine months, the EU’s de facto Foreign Minister Josep Borrell described EU-China relations as “a dialogue of the […]
Winners Celebrations
The celebration of six extraordinary leaders with the courage, wisdom, creativity and values to operate in–and try to improve–a global world beset by challenges that too many others find overwhelming. Two truly inspiring ninety-minute sessions, first with our established winners and then with the winners in the emerging category. If you missed the celebrations the […]
Navigating the World, One Charity at a Time / Michael Thatcher
Michael Thatcher, President and CEO of Charity Navigator, whose purpose is to bring transparency to philanthropy, regularly examines and rates 200,000 American nonprofits, aiming to provide objective criteria to guide giving. But how to know whether your charity is impactful? Whether the money you aim for refugees or cancer research or policy advocacy hits its […]
America Votes; Democracy Wins (Maybe) / Richard Gephardt & Scott Miller
On this podcast episode, Richard Gephardt and Scott Miller sift through the evidence and speculate on the future of democracy in America. Is the absence of wild allegations of fraud too low a bar for a country that likes to think of itself as the gold standard of representative democracy? What are the implications of […]
The Tällberg Foundation Celebrates the 2022 Tällberg Leadership Prize Winners
Stockholm and New York, November 22, 2022 — Six extraordinary people with the courage, wisdom, creativity and values to operate in–and try to improve–a global world beset by challenges that too many others find overwhelming will be honored in two virtual ceremonies. The Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes—named in honor of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) […]
Announcing the 2022 Winners Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes – Emerging Leaders Category
Chido Govera, Lala Lovera and Elias Mastoras awarded Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes For Emerging Leaders Stockholm and New York, November 16, 2022—Today the Tällberg Foundation announced the winners of this year’s Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes for emerging leaders. These prizes are awarded annually to leaders working in any field and any country whose leadership shows […]
Announcing the 2022 Winners of the Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes
Yevgenia Albats, Sam Muller and Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka Awarded Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes Stockholm and New York, November 9, 2022—Today the Tällberg Foundation announced the winners of this year’s Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes, awarded annually to well established leaders working in any field and any country whose leadership is courageous, innovative, rooted in universal values and […]
The U.S. Midterms: What happened? What next?
The US elections are (almost) over. Now the United States and the world can look forward to a divided government, another Trump campaign, a supposedly resurgent Biden—and endless politicking. What does it all mean? Watch the recorded post-election webinar with former Democratic Congressman and House Leader Dick Gephardt and political guru extraordinaire Scott Miller, both veterans of […]
What Does a Franco-German Split Mean for Europe? / Laure Mandeville & Friedbert Pflüger
Laure Mandeville, a senior reporter at Le Figaro and Friedbert Pflüger, a former German parliamentarian joined Tällberg’s Alan Stoga for this conversation about Europe through the lens of France and Germany. Can Europe recover if the French and Germans can’t figure out how to work together? What ails Europe’s traditional leaders? Can this marriage be […]
Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble: Europe Looks at a Complicated Future / Jakob Hallgren & Ana Palacio
Jakob Hallgren and Ana Palacio discuss how Europe might get from where it is to where its citizens need it to be. Arguably, Europe in general (and the EU in particular) is a mess. Is there leadership at the national level or at the European level that instead of merely muddling through could find new pathways […]
Can a Broken Democracy Fix Itself? / Isabel Aninat
Isabel Aninat is fundamentally optimistic that Chilean democracy is headed in a good direction. She is the Dean of the Law School of the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, in Chile and has been a keen observer of the constitution-writing process and, more generally, of Chilean politics. What lessons can others learn from Chile’s efforts to reimagine […]
Webinar: The Future of Europe at a Time of Crisis
Did you miss the webinars? Here you can watch Part I and Part II *** Part I was recorded on October 27 with speakers, Jakob Hallgren, the Director of the Swedish Institute of International Affairs and Ana Palacio the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain. *** Part II was recorded on November 3 with […]
No Normal is the New Normal / Tom Armstrong & Diane Osgood
Diane and Tom, are in the business of thinking about converging crises and they help corporate leaders not only peer around the corner, but formulate strategies that make sense in our changing world. *** We live in a world of converging crises. War in Europe, food and energy insecurity, historic flooding in Pakistan and historical […]
Who is Vladimir Putin? / Philip Short
Listen to Philip Short discuss how Putin looks at the world, what turned him away from a partnership with the West, and the risk that his war could go nuclear. *** As the Russian invasion of Ukraine ebbs and flows, the whole world is watching—and wondering. What does Putin want? How far will he go […]
Unwrapping the Riddle That Is Mexico / Jorge Castañeda
Jorge Castañeda thinks Mexico is in trouble, but almost half of all Mexicans say their country is on the right path. Mexicans, not known for being optimists, apparently are optimistic. Why? *** Winston Churchill famously described the Soviet Union as “A riddle wrapped in an enigma, inside a mystery.” That seems equally to apply to […]
Asia for the Asians — but which Asians? / C Raja Mohan
Listen as C Raja Mohan explains how India can cope with a dangerous world and a dangerous neighbor. *** We live in a complicated, conflicted world. Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine. US and European efforts to punish Russian aggression in ways that challenge the basic rules of financial and commercial globalization. China’s growing geopolitical and […]
From the Lab to Your Kitchen: Growing Tomorrow’s Dinner / David Kaplan
David Kaplan believes that the food he and other scientists are growing in their labs can eventually feed a hungry world. *** At least one in nine of the almost eight billion people who live on earth are undernourished. As the 18th century economist Robert Malthus forecast, we seem on a path where the planet […]
Can Tech Save Us? / Scott Cohen
Our world has become a weird combination of dangerous, existential challenges and of almost magical, potential solutions. Can innovations be transformed into practical realities at the necessary speed and scale, and in ways that allow mankind to flourish? Scott Cohen believes the answer is a resounding, “Yes!!” He co-founded New Lab, an American based initiative […]
Should We Be Celebrating Erdogan’s Leadership? / Ambassador Michael Sahlin
What President Biden calls leadership Michael Sahlin, a former Swedish diplomat with deep experience in Turkey thinks is more like a cat landing on its feet after falling out a window. *** At the recent NATO summit in Madrid, US President Joe Biden made a joint appearance with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Speaking of […]
Code Red: not for Earth, for Humanity? – Johan Rockström
“For the first time in human history, we face a planetary emergency.” Those words were written by Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. Scientists tend to be sober, measured in their assessments and with a preference for others to draw the big picture conclusions. So, when an earth scientist as […]
The Great Restart
The Tällberg Foundation hosted a workshop in Vamvakou, Greece on May 7 – 8, 2022. The workshop program centered on two full days of conversation about how to get from where we are as the pandemic loosens its grip to where we need to be as a functioning, global society. What have we learned in […]
Are You Listening?
Too many people seem voiceless or, at least, don’t think their voices are heard by those whose decisions shape their lives. Is the problem that too many are voiceless or that too many are not listening? Maybe unanswerable, but we asked some people to try. Please listen to the conversation among Baiqu Gonkar, Francis (Pacho) […]
Don’t Fool With Mother Nature!
We live in an era of accelerating, disruptive climate change, with catastrophic consequences that every credible forecast says will worsen. To look for answers we recently organized a conversation with Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Francisco Hildebrand and Tero Mustonen. All are deeply knowledgeable about the realities of their ecosystems, and even more deeply committed to finding solutions […]
Speaking Truth to Power in the Real World
Listen as three of the good “guys” discuss the reality in the trenches of the fight for human rights. Kenyan poet Sitawa Namwalie, Bangladeshi photographer and activist Shahidul Alam, and American human rights lawyer Jared Genser. At a time when autocrats are rampaging and, by many measures, our democracies are weakening, the need for citizens […]
Ukraine Changes Everything
This war is far from over and its reverberations will be with us for a long time. Most importantly, the war seems to be the straw that is breaking the camel’s back of the post-Cold War world order, with unpredictable consequences. The Tällberg Foundation recently hosted a discussion that touched on many of these issues. […]
Sweden Burning? Really? / Lars Åberg
Listen as Lars Åberg explains what Sweden has done right, but also what it has done wrong. We live in the age of the refugee. Arguably, no country in the West has been more welcoming to refugees over the years than Sweden has. Progressive, secular, social democratic, Swedes have worked hard to integrate migrants into […]
Them vs Us: What Ukraine Is Really About
Leopoldo López, a Venezuelan patriot, explains how the fight to save Ukraine reflects a much bigger, existential fight for freedom everywhere. As Russia’s war grinds on with no end in sight, what’s at stake may be changing. It’s becoming about how the world works, about democracy versus autocracy, about free versus not free. Leopoldo López […]
Poland to the Rescue
Marta Górczyńska is a human rights lawyer from Poland specializing in the protection of migrants, refugees and victims of human trafficking. Conducts monitoring missions to the borders and detention facilities for migrants and reports on human rights violations. Advocates for human rights-based approach for migration. Author and co-author of numerous publications in the topic of […]
How Worried Are You?
Dr. Tytti Erästö’s key assumption has long been that rational leaders would never use nuclear weapons. But now she is asking, what about irrational ones? Dr Tytti Erästö is a Senior Researcher in SIPRI’s Nuclear Disarmament, Arms Control and Non-proliferation Programme. Her research interests include the Iran nuclear deal, the Treaty on the Prohibition of […]
Searching for Leadership: Meet the 2022 Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize Jury
The beating heart—never mind the conscience—of the Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize process is the jury. The jury members themselves are global leaders, coming from a variety of countries, backgrounds, occupations and cultures. “When we recruit jurors we are looking for people who are fundamentally global in worldview and outlook,” said Alan Stoga, Tällberg’s chairman. “We […]
The Great Reset
To truncate Charles Dickens: these seem to be the worst of times. Pandemic, recession, war, mass migration, the ravages of accelerating climate change, food shortages, spiking inflation. We need a reset; we need to step back and look for emerging patterns and imagine new solutions. That is why the Tällberg Foundation is heading to a […]
Does China Have Russia’s Back?
Tough question that may be impossible to answer, but Alicia Garcia-Herrero recently offered some possibilities. Alicia García Herrero is the Chief Economist for Asia Pacific at Natixis. She also serves as Senior Fellow at the Brussels-based European think-tank BRUEGEL and a non-resident Senior Follow at the East Asian Institute (EAI) of the National University Singapore […]
The Whole World is Watching!
At great personal peril, Russian journalist Yevgenia Albats tells it like it is—to the Russians who depend on her and to us, who need her. Yevgenia M. Albats is a Russian investigative journalist, political scientist, author, and radio host. She has been a non resident Senior Fellow, Davis Center for Russian & Eurasia Studies, Harvard […]
Is China Complicit in Ukraine?
Why did Xi apparently green light Putin’s war? What does China potentially gain from war in Europe? How does this war fit into China’s long-term strategy? Jonathan Ward has been studying Russia, China, and India for nearly twenty years since his undergraduate days in Russian and Chinese language at Columbia University. Dr. Ward is the […]
The Faces of War
Janine di Giovanni has spent much of her celebrated career witnessing the worst of what mankind can do to itself, but also the best that people under extraordinary circumstances can do for others. Listen as she discusses her experiences and, in particular, the work she has done on the lives of Palestinians in Gaza. Janine […]
Special Edition: War in Europe
The Tällberg Foundation recently hosted a conversation about the conflict in Ukraine and its implications. This conversation featured Jan Eliasson, former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Pierre Lellouche, former French parliamentarian and minister, and Dalia Bankauskaitė, a strategic communications expert at Vilnius University in Lithuania, and was moderated by Alan Stoga, Tällberg’s chairman. ABOUT […]
Talking About Talking
The Russian attack shattered the European security structure. Listen to Emma Ashford’s thoughts and speculation about a new security structure for Europe. Emma Ashford is a resident senior fellow with the New American Engagement Initiative in the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council, a nonresident fellow at the Modern War Institute […]
Changing the World, One Leader at a Time
The Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes—named in honor of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) and the global diplomat, Jan Eliasson—are given annually to outstanding leaders from any country and any discipline whose work is innovative, courageous, rooted in universal values and global in implication or consequence. Prize winners may be nominated by anyone, anywhere and are […]
Watch the webinar “War!”
Most of us thought the war in the Balkans would be the last conflict in Europe; the last time that armies would invade, civilians dies and borders changed by force. We were wrong. A revanchist Russia, led by President Putin, is trying to redraw borders, roll back history, and change Europe’s security reality. This is […]
Is it the End of Democracy?
Joel Kotkin argues that the withering of democratic process and institutions reflects the deeper transformation of American and European societies: the emergence of a ruling technocracy; the use of the pandemic and the environmental crisis to constrain individual rights; the new concentration of power in governments, and the growing distance between the governing and the […]
What’s Next for the Climate: A Post Glasgow Perspective
No one is better positioned to answer those questions than Denmark’s Climate Ambassador Tomas Anker Christensen. Tomas was deeply engaged in the European and global run-up to Glasgow, in the negotiations in Scotland, and in the effort since then to translate words into action. Tomas Anker Christensen is the Climate Ambassador of Denmark at the […]
Rave On: A New Saudi Arabia?
A Conversation with Neil Quilliam Imagine hundreds of thousands of young men and women, partying through four days and nights in the desert. Where? Maybe Burning Man in the Western United States? Some place near Marrakesh (in a flashback to the 60’s)? No, try Saudi Arabia last December. The Saudi Arabia that murdered Kamal Khashoggi […]
Saving Democracy, One New Leader at a Time
Alice Barbe, a French political activist, recently shared her ideas, hopes and solutions on how politics ought to work. Do you think she is headed in the right direction? Alice Barbe is a French social entrepreneur, mostly known for having co-founded and managed Singa, an international organization supporting refugees’ inclusion in Europe and Canada. She […]
Ukraine: Between a Rock and a (Not Very) Hard Place
A conversation with Constanze Stelzenmüller During the past months, Russia has steadily ratcheted up military pressure on Ukraine and tried to leverage that build-up to demand that Washington revamp the European political and security map that has evolved since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Almost daily, American, British, and European officials warn of new […]
Will There Be War?
Listen as Constanze Stelzenmüller—an expert on Germany, geopolitics and trans-Atlantic relations – shares her views on what is at stake. Hostile troops massing on the border of a Central European democracy. Russia’s threats against Ukraine and its demands for new security and arrangements in Europe sound all too familiar. Of course, the huge difference today […]
Looking for Change in All the Right Places: The New Middle East
What’s going on? Has the Middle East of strict Islam suddenly turned into something more modern? Listen to Neil Quilliam, a deeply knowledgeable, experienced expert in the region, discuss how the Middle East is changing Dr Neil Quilliam is an energy policy, geopolitics and foreign affairs specialist, with extensive knowledge and experience of the Middle […]
Democrats Versus Dictators: Who will Win?
The world as seen from Washington or Paris or Berlin looks starkly different than the one seen from Moscow or Beijing or Teheran or Caracas. The democracies and their leaders seem tentative, unsure of their voters, worried about their ability to deliver security or prosperity, often at odds with each other. The autocracies seem emboldened: […]
Are the Bad Guys REALLY Winning?
Listen as Anne Applebaum discusses how this new world(dis) order might evolve. What does she mean by “the 21st century is, so far, a story of the reverse”? Anne Applebaum is a journalist, a prize-winning historian, a staff writer for The Atlantic and a senior fellow at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, where […]
Overcoming Hunger, One Empowered Farmer at a Time
According to the United Nations, approximately 10% of people on the planet are undernourished, while 30% lack year-round, reliable access to adequate food. Hunger and food insecurity have both worsened as a result of the disruptions caused by the pandemic—but also by the consequences of climate change and political catastrophes like those that have devastated […]
Searching for New Leaders
Great leaders may or may not be born that way, but their skills and abilities certainly evolve and mature over time. That is why we established an Emerging Leader category for the TSEGL Prize. The jury selected two leaders. Pashtana Durrani, an Afghan activist and educator. Christian Ntizimira, a Rwandan who champions palliative care in […]
Looking For—and Finding—Real Leaders
The only hope for a world awash in troubles is that leaders with vision, universal values, and determination will seize the moment. But just bemoaning the lack of leaders accomplishes nothing. That’s why we established the Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize. This year, our global jury selected two amazing leaders: Asha de Vos, a Sri Lankan […]
What does it take to be a leader today?
Watch the interactive, virtual celebration of the 2021 Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize winners. The program combines interviews with the winners, roundtable conversations about leadership, and COP26. Participating are the four extraordinary winners of the Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes, with the courage, wisdom, creativity and values to operate in — and try to improve — a […]
Give Peace a Chance (this time in the Middle East)
Listen as Ambassador Dina Kawar parses the possibilities, good and bad, in the Middle East Ambassador Dina Kawar was appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the United States of America in June 2016. Ambassador Kawar also served as the Permanent Representative of Jordan to the United Nations from […]
Save the Seas
Do you care about the future of the oceans? Can we save the oceans? Oceanographers Sylvia Earle from the US and Asha de Vos from Sri Lanka talkes about water, the oceans, threats, and solutions. Sylvia A. Earle is a pioneering ocean scientist, explorer, author, influential speaker and conservation leader known as a global “ambassador […]
Cyber Defenders: Protecting Human Rights Online
Ronald Deibert is fighting back against digital predators to protect citizens and civil society. Listen as Ron explains how Citizen Lab does the voodoo they do so well. Ronald J. Deibert, Director of the Citizen Lab (CL) at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto, Canada. At a time when […]
China: On the Road to Perdition?
Is China’s leadership acting out of strength or weakness? Is war possible? Is war avoidable? Listen as Kevin Rudd assesses where China is today, and where it wants to be tomorrow. Kevin Rudd became President and CEO of Asia Society in January 2021 and has been president of the Asia Society Policy Institute since January […]
Meet the 2021 Winners
Asha de Vos and Tero Mustonen awarded 2021
Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson global leadership prizes. Pashtana Durrani and Christian Ntizimira
named in the emerging leader category To be honored on December 8 Stockholm and New York, November 9, 2021—Today the Tällberg Foundation announced the winners of the 2021 Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes, awarded annually for extraordinary leadership—in any field […]
Webinar: Save the Seas
Do you care about the future of the oceans? Are you worried that pollution, acidification and warming of the seas could transform the planet as much as—maybe more than what’s happening to the rainforests? Watch the conversation recorded on November 16 with oceanographers Sylvia Earle from the United States and Asha de Vos from Sri […]
Electrify Everything!
Do we have the technologies in hand to decarbonize economies in ways that are compatible with how people want to live? Saul Griffith, inventor, entrepreneur, and engineer, is founder and chief scientist of Rewiring America, a nonprofit dedicated to decarbonizing America by electrifying everything. He is also founder and chief scientist at Otherlab, an independent […]
“Tällberg’s Jazz for the Planet” Goes Live!
Stockholm and New York, November 1, 2021—Today the Tällberg Foundation released “Tällberg’s Jazz for the Planet,” a 60-minute recording of newly created and arranged music about the urgent need for urgent action demanded by the global climate crisis. The project brings together world-class, Grammy-winning jazz musicians to create and perform new compositions and new arrangements, […]
Greta’s right: less talk, more action
What is actually being done about climate change? As the Rainforest Alliance’s chief executive officer, Santiago Gowland oversees the organization’s strategic, programmatic, financial, and operational leadership. Gowland has dedicated his career to driving organizational innovation and sustainability strategies for some of the world’s leading brands and organizations, including The Nature Conservancy, Unilever, Nike, Inc., and […]
All That Jazz: Tällberg’s Jazz for the Planet
“Climate change” isn’t really about climate. It’s about people, migration, food, water, access, health, education, and fairness of opportunity,” declared Fio Omenetto, a director of the Tällberg Foundation. If we don’t fix our climate now, there will be too much to fix later.” That spirit underlies “Tällberg’s Jazz for the Planet,” an initiative created under […]
Tällberg’s Jazz for the Planet
TÄLLBERG FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES CLIMATE INITIATIVE TÄLLBERG’S JAZZ FOR THE PLANET AIMS TO ENCOURAGE POSITIVE CLIMATE ACTIONS Stockholm and New York, October 15, 2021 — Today the Tällberg Foundation announced Tällberg’s Jazz for the Planet, an initiative that seeks to encourage people — and their leaders — to act with the urgency and the focus […]
Announcing our Finalists for the 2021 Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize
Tällberg Foundation Announces Finalists for 2021 Leadership Awards Introduces New Award for Emerging Leaders Stockholm and New York, October 5, 2021—Today the Tällberg Foundation announced finalists for the Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize, which is given annually to leaders from a wide range of disciplines and countries whose work is global, based on universal values, […]
Escaping the Taliban
The Taliban’s surge to power in Afghanistan is one of those events that will have repercussions for years to come. Listen as Jamila Afghani talks about escaping the Taliban, and what she expects for her country. Jamila Afghani, president of Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF) Afghanistan and civil society activist, has […]
Can We Unearth Solutions to the Climate Challenge?
Tero Mustonen is a climate scholar who combines indigenous knowledge with academic research. Listen to his insights on how to promote positive change on a damaged planet. Tero Mustonen, President and Co-Founder of the Snowchange Cooperative, Finland Despite its green global image, Finland has long relied heavily on the exploitation of Nature for income […]
Latin American Democracy: Dead or Alive?
Why hasn’t liberal democracy developed deeper roots in Latin America? Why are institutions under pressure in so many places? Why do many Latins seemingly embrace “strong man” rather than democratic solutions to their social, economic, and political problems? Brian Winter is editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly and the vice president for policy at Americas Society/Council […]
New World Order: Middle East Chapter
Iran sits at the center of this emerging new reality. Rapprochement among Arabs and peace with Israel is one thing if it is aimed at a united front against Iran, but quite another if it is about finding new ways to work with Iran on common objectives. That really would be New Thinking for a […]
Can Brazil’s Democracy Survive Bolsonaro?
Can Bolsonaro bully his way into reelection? Will the country’s democratic institutions be so badly damaged by him that Brazil’s future stability could be at risk? Most importantly, what do the Brazilian people actually want? Ambassador Sergio Silva do Amaral was born in São Paulo, Brazil. He received a law degree at the University of […]
Cyber (In)Security in a Connected World
Cyber insecurity is a reality of life in the digital age. We all worry about being hacked, about losing personal or corporate secrets to online bandits. But what happens when nations do it? Is that war? Marcus Willett CB OBE, has extensive experience of advising governments and companies on cyber, in the UK and internationally. […]
Can We Innovate Our Way to Better Times?
Can we really innovate our way out of the mess? Are we smart enough to translate fantastic discoveries into tangible benefits for people? Livio Valenti is a sustainability entrepreneur leveraging scientific discoveries to build innovative companies in the healthcare, biotechnology and material science field. He is the co-founder of Vaxess Technologies, a biotechnology company developing […]
Who Cares About Migrants?
here do they go and who will take them? What rights do migrants seeking safety have? Who worries about them in a world that is focused on coping with Covid? Becca Heller is the co-founder and Executive Director of the International Refugee Assistance Project. IRAP provides legal assistance to refugees all over the world. She […]
A German Millennial Looks at a New — Or, at Least, Different — World
For all practical purposes, the 20th century ended when the Berlin Wall fell, followed by, rather quickly and relatively quietly, the collapse of the Soviet Union. Dr. Ulrike Franke is a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). She leads ECFR’s Technology and European Power initiative. Her areas of focus include […]
Understanding—and Protecting—Neurorights
“What we’re talking about is mentally enhancing humans…about building a new type of species, a hybrid human, in which part of our brain will be devices that would be running artificial intelligence algorithms and connected to huge data databases.” — Rafael Yuste “Setting global expectations around how this technology can be developed and how the […]
Are Your Thoughts Safe?
Where is neuroscience taking us? Rafael Yuste works at the forefront of neuroscience. In an effort to protect your individual neuro-identity and neurorights, he is joined by Jared Genser, a leading international human rights lawyer. Jared Genser is an international human rights lawyer who has spent his career practicing law, engaging in serious scholarship, and […]
“Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore” – Reflections on a Changing Culture
Recently, I had the opportunity to podcast with Shirin Neshat, acclaimed visual artist, and Jonathan Burnham, one of the leading New York-based book publishers. The idea was to talk about culture in the (almost) post-pandemic West: identity politics, cancel culture, how the pandemic is impacting artists and writers, what our culture is telling us about […]
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
If art is a window on the soul of a nation, what does ours look like? Who do we, defined loosely as the West, think we are in the sense of identity? What’s our mood? Jonathan Burnham is President and Publisher of the Harper Division at HarperCollins, overseeing imprints which include Harper, Harper Paperbacks, Harper […]
War With Russia?
“It doesn’t matter if it’s Russia or if it’s China or if it’s Iran, it’s a threat against all of us, and we should do something together to secure ourselves from all these complex threats.” — Marius Laurinavičius “There’s a flood of illegal migrants crossing the Lithuania border….now the border is used as a tool […]
Hot War, Cold War, New War
Lithuania is a frontline state in the growing confrontation—some think it is already war—between East and West. Dalia Bankauskaitė, a defense and security expert at Vilnius University, and Marius Laurinavičius, a journalist and analyst at the Vilnius Institute for Policy Analysis, are both in that camp. Dalia Bankauskaitė is a Partnership Associated Professor at Vilnius […]
Reimagining the Middle East
“There was a moment where Israel was contemplating annexing lands in the West Bank. I thought that was going to have a drastically negative impact, not just on the region, but on Israel and on America, because America was going to have to defend an incredibly unpopular decision. So what we were trying to do […]
A New Middle East
Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba, the United Arab Emirates long serving ambassador to the United States and also a key player in the process of creating this new Middle East, discusses the future of the region. Yousef Al Otaiba is the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United States and Minister of State. His […]
Democracia en Peligro
Latin America is in trouble. From the Rio Grande to the Drake Passage, angry and violent partisanship is rising; citizens feel their governments have failed to provide peace, prosperity or security; courts and the media—the usual counter-balances to autocrats—are weakening; and too many politicians are proposing radical, rather than centrist, solutions. So, what is the […]
Does Democracy Have a Future in Latin America?
By any measure, Latin American democracy is in trouble. Will things get worse before they get better? Patricio Navia, Eduardo Amadeo, Sergio Guzmán, all think (and certainly hope) that democracy will survive in their countries and in their region. Eduardo Amadeo has served his country in many capacities, most recently (2015-19) as an elected member […]
Welcome to the High-Tech Barbecue
Can we produce enough food to meet humanity’s growing needs and wants, without further environmental damage? Is it possible to move the center point of the production process from the farm or the sea into the laboratory? Didier Toubia is the co-founder and CEO of Aleph Farms, a cultivated meat company that is shaping the future […]
Understanding Africa
“The first draft of history is always going to be very messy.” — Michela Wrong Human life originated in Africa, and humanity’s future will be intensely African: by 2100 one in three people on earth will live on the continent, including almost half of the young people. How to understand 1.4 billion people, more than […]
Heart of Darkness
How is Africa doing? Can Africa produce the food, energy, economic activity, education, and social and political stability that all those people, especially all those young people, need and deserve? And is democracy the best means to that end? Michela Wrong has spent nearly three decades writing about Africa, first as a Reuters correspondent […]
Mirabilis annus secundus
“The second part of the second years prodigies being a true additional collection of many strange signs and apparitions which have this last year been seen in the heavens and in the earth, and in the waters” — Anonymous, 1662 In American college basketball the phrase “one and done” refers to a young athlete […]
Leadership Special: Fio Omenetto and Bright Simons
Two prize winners and friends, Fio Omenetto and Bright Simons, discuss how great leaders can change everything. Fiorenzo G. Omenetto is the Frank C. Doble Professor of Engineering, and a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Tufts University. He also holds appointments in the Department of Physics and the Department of Electrical Engineering. His research interests […]
The hope of our future
Youth is the hope of our future. When it comes to governance, is that a good thing in a world where there is a growing body of evidence that youth’s satisfaction with democracy is declining in many countries? Listen as Cristóbal Marín Rojas and Julien Richard discuss the challenges of making democracy work. Julien Richard […]
Leadership Special: Jan Eliasson, Former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations
The Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize is named in honor of Jan Eliasson, one of the most accomplished global diplomats of our era. In this special episode, Jan discusses how great leaders can change everything. Jan Eliasson (Stockholm, Sweden) is a Swedish and international diplomat. He most recently served as the Deputy Secretary-General of the United […]
Are we really all in this together?
The global pandemic was a test of the proposition that global problems not only need global solutions, but that if the crisis is big enough, then those global solutions will be forthcoming. If so, we failed and—as the pandemic continues to roil countries, ruin lives, and damage futures even while “mission accomplished” celebrations break out […]
Fixing what’s broken
Is democracy in trouble? The evidence so far this year is troubling: January 6th in Washington, coup in Myanmar, widening arrests in Hong Kong, presidential interference with the judicial systems in El Salvador and Mexico, Polish and Hungarian EU lobbying against “gender equality”—the list is long and global. Some of the sins are big, some […]
Alone together: China and America
We seem to be moving from a world where markets ruled to one where politics rules: the politics of nationalism and confrontation, of East versus West instead of East and West. Weijian Shan, economist, businessman, investor, shares his unique perspective, not just on global markets, but on how the world really works. Weijian Shan is […]
Teach Your Children Well
“Malala Fund has a very, very simple philosophy…the right of every citizen to have 12 years of safe, quality, and free education available to them.” “We’re predicting that almost 20 million more secondary school girls will drop out of school by the end of the crisis.” — Dr. Maliha […]
Presenting the 2021 Prize Jury and Pre-Jury
LEADERS AND LEADERSHIP IN A POST-PANDEMIC WORLD As the worst of the pandemic starts to recede, it is leaving a mess: not just the millions of dead, but democracy under stress, whole societies buckling, health care systems broken, children’s development stunted—the list goes on. Leaders were tested, and many were found wanting. That reality gives […]
Girls, Interrupted
Dr. Maliha Khan, one of the leaders of the Malala Fund, talks about how the pandemic has made the goal “all girls, everywhere should have free, safe, quality education”, even more difficult to achieve. The global pandemic affects almost everyone on the planet—but it especially affects children. And what’s bad for kids is worse for […]
‘The Fortune You Seek is in Another Cookie’
“If China can rise smoothly to the top of the world without firing a single bullet, it will certainly be able to claim the moral high ground. This may sound harsh, but the truth is that peace is not a godsend. It often has to be earned, sometimes at the cost of war.” China Daily, […]
Leadership Special: Nithya Ramanathan, Engineer working to improve human health with sensory intelligence
Today’s world is short of a lot of things—sustainable environment, peace, prosperity, equality—but what we lack most is innovative, global, values-based leadership. If we can find and nurture that kind of leadership, the rest will follow. In this special episode, you will meet Prize winner Nithya Ramanathan as she is interviewed by Cecilia Weckstrom. Nithya […]
Join the Webinar: Sustainable Democracy?
A panel of young leaders from Hungary, Venezuela, Poland and South Sudan, who are on the front lines of fighting for real, sustainable democracy, will discuss what they have learned in their struggles and how we can make the forces for good governance more muscular. Date: Wednesday, May 5, 2021 Time: 11am EST, 5pm CEST […]
The Chinese Puzzle
What does China—or, more particularly China’s leadership and the Chinese Communist Party— want from the rest of the world? Domination or collaboration? Allies or subjects? War or peace? Dr. Jonathan D. T. Ward is an internationally recognized expert on Chinese global strategy and US-China competition. He earned his PhD in China-India relations at the University […]
For Every Child
“I do fear we will look back on the disruption caused by the pandemic on children’s education—which has been at unprecedented scale, length and duration—we will be looking on this period as indeed something that will be with us for many years to come.” —Robert Jenkins As the intensity of the pandemic slowly and […]
Social Media, Social Discord
“What we’ve seen happening is the acceleration of the spread of hate, based on political leadership, on political conversation, on groups who have an agenda to spread that hate.” — Sarah Durieux “If it’s human relationships that so often get people into a place where they are perpetrating harm to the world, it is so […]
The kids are not alright!
“All children of all ages and in all countries are being effected in particular by the socioeconomic impacts and in some cases, by mitigation measures that may inadvertently do more harm than good. This is a universal crisis. And for some children, the impact will be lifelong.” Robert Jenkins, Chief, Education and Associate Director, Programme […]
Leadership Special: Jared Genser, international human rights lawyer
In this special episode, you will meet Jared Genser, one of the three 2020 Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership prize winners. Listen, as he is interviewed by Shahidul Alam, photographer, writer, curator and activist and a member of the 2020 prize jury. Jared Genser is an international human rights lawyer who has spent his career practicing law, engaging […]
The best of times, and the worst of times
Even as the pandemic, like some giant glacier, slowly and unevenly recedes, the world seems frozen in place as it deals with the mess left behind. But is this crisis or opportunity? This week’s guests are dedicated to the latter proposition. They both are trying to make the world the kind of place it could […]
Fighting for Democracy
“The Hungarian illiberal regime…is extremely cynical. So in that sense, anything can be put on the agenda and at any given day, just the exact opposite could become the top of the agenda.” — András Léderer “What happened during the four years of the Law and Justice ruling in Poland is that many reforms were […]
¿QUÉ PASA CUANDO LA DEMOCRACIA MUERE?
“Venezuela se ha convertido en una amenaza para la seguridad, la estabilidad y la democracia del hemisferio”. “Creo que cualquier opción… es legítima para proteger a millones de venezolanos que sufren del hambre, que sufren de las enfermedades, que sufren de los crímenes contra la humanidad, que sufren de las violaciones de derechos humanos” -David […]
If it’s illiberal, is it democracy?
Europe is increasingly divided: between the frugal North and the Club Med South; between the illiberal East and the progressive West. In many ways, the latter is more profound at a time when democracy is under pressure almost everywhere. Listen as our guests discuss the profound conflicts that will shape their countries—and perhaps Europe—for decades […]
Leadership Special: Sylvia Earle, world-class oceanographer and educator
In this special episode, you will meet Sylvia Earle, one of the three 2020 prize winners. Listen, as she is interviewed by Ashok Mirpuri, Singapore’s ambassador to the U.S and a member of the 2020 prize jury. Sylvia A. Earle is a pioneering ocean scientist, explorer, author, influential speaker and conservation leader known as a […]
What Happens When Democracy Dies?
“[Venezuela] has become a threat to the security and stability and democracy of the hemisphere.” “I think that any option…is legitimate to protect millions of Venezuelans that are suffering from starvation, that are suffering from disease, that are suffering from crimes against humanity, that are suffering from human rights violations.” — David Smolansky Sometimes […]
The Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Joins the Tällberg Foundation in Presenting the Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize Stockholm and New York, March 29, 2021—Today the Tällberg Foundation announced that it has renamed its flagship leadership prize as the Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize, which incorporates the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) as a partner in the Tällberg […]
Casas Muertas
Venezuela has been in a death spiral for years. The country have been devastated by political repression and economic depression; its people suffer from hunger, malnutrition, shortages of food, medicine and, perhaps worst of all, opportunity. David Smolansky is the special envoy of the Organization of American States to address the Venezuelan Migration and Refugee […]
Speaking Freely
“Free speech is counterintuitive…That’s why we have it as part of the Bill of Rights. We have to have courts that stop the government and the society from doing what they’re inclined to do. It’s more natural to suppress free speech than it is to protect free speech. This has been true forever and will […]
Do you believe in Magic?
Our world is a mess. Pandemic, recession, accelerating climate change, refugees frustrated in their search for better lives, political frustration spilling into the streets: stress and distress are almost everywhere. What can we do—as individuals and as leaders—to change the play, to break out of a truly vicious circle? How about some magic? Not the […]
When is too much freedom too much?
Lee C. Bollinger, President of Columbia University, is widely considered one of America’s leading legal scholars on freedom of speech and has written extensively about the evolution of that fundamental freedom in the digital age. Lee C. Bollinger became Columbia University’s 19th president in 2002 and is the longest serving Ivy League president. He is […]
The (non) Future of Europe
“I don’t see us Europeans taking hold of our future…technologically and economically we are totally torn up between United States and China. We may turn out to be only the battlefield for that competition. That’s tragic for what we represent as a civilization in Europe.” — Pierre Lellouche When Pierre Lellouche, veteran French politician and […]
“Expect to have very violent reactions after the pandemic”
Pierre Lellouche worries that bad is likely to get worse. Listen as he discusses how Europe got stuck between the United States and China, the future of democracy, and the tragedy of social movements focused only on race and gender. Pierre Lellouche, after a long career in the French Parliament (five consecutive terms, 1993-2017) and […]
Persian Delights; Persian Dangers
“After all of these years of sanctions and containment…is it not time to stop wondering when the Islamic Republic is going to fall and instead think about how the Islamic Republic might change?” — Sanam Vakil “[Ayatollah Khamenei’s] legacy will be: do not believe the Americans, do not negotiate with the Americans.” — Sima Shine […]
Iran’s Annus Horribilis
2020 was an awful year for Iran. A year that started with the assassination of the country’s widely popular, leading general ended with the assassination of its most important nuclear scientist. Answers are difficult to find, but this week’s guests are in the business of looking for them. Sima Shine leads the Iran program at […]
Hiding in plain sight
“One of the worst things you can give to the human brain is chronic uncertainty. And the name of the game since March 2020, is uncertainty.” — Mike Niconchuk “With the virus, we see a breaking of social bonds and those have not been reestablished. But I think basic trust has to be the starting […]
High Anxiety
There is mounting evidence that the pandemic is generating a global mental health crisis. How do we cope with the results? Dr. Jonathan DePierro and Michael Niconchuk try to answer questions about our mental health in this episode. Jonathan DePierro, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount […]
Online Conversation: Long COVID
International health expert and physician Dr. Kees Rietveld worries that instead of a fast exit from COVID we are entering a twilight scenario of Long COVID. We recently published his opinion piece, in which he makes the case that we might be looking at years, not months, before something resembling “normal” is once again actually […]
Magical thinking (about Zoom)
Since the onset of the pandemic, most people have been forced to put their lives on hold or online. Work, education, entertainment, exercise—almost everything has largely moved from the real world to the virtual world. One result is near universal groans about “Zoom fatigue.” But is it the tool or how we are using the […]
Do you believe in Magic?
Magician Mark Mitton explores how magical thinking (or, at least, a magician’s thinking) can help us through this crisis Mark Mitton is a magician who is fascinated by using magic to better understand how we see the world. In addition to performing and producing events all over the world, Mark explores the theme of “Misdirection” […]
Opinion: Long COVID
It is time for society to bite the bullet and accept that SARS CoV 2, the virus that causes COVID, is here to stay. It has become an endemic pandemic, mutating in the direction of becoming a part of the annual winter respiratory onslaught. Some countries might achieve temporary eradication, but the world won’t. The […]
Looking for a New Normal (or something like it)
We live at a time of pandemic, recession, growing doubts about the future and form of capitalism, challenges to democracy, shifts in global power. Sandra Breka is Member of the Board of Management of the Robert Bosch Stiftung, one of the major foundations in Europe. Since joining the Board of Management, she spearheaded the […]
Democracy Now?
“I have never been in my whole life as worried as I was on that day…about whether or not we could survive as a democracy. I think we’re as divided and in danger of losing the democracy as we were in 1860.” — Richard Gephardt Dick Gephardt is a democrat; he firmly believes that democracy […]
“A republic, if you can keep it”
Congressman Gephardt, a Democrat, firmly believes America needs bipartisanship to cope with the divisive spirits that are tearing at the country. Listen as he talks about some of the things that urgently need to be done, not just in the United States, but everywhere that democracy is under pressure. Richard Gephardt served for 28 years […]
Lines in the sand
“There are more red lines right now, more lines between countries, between ideologies, between peoples than have ever really existed at any single time in history.” “We need to master all of that [history] if we’re going to go forward and figure a way of either working with these red lines or dismantling them.” […]
Lines in the Sand
History is replete with leaders drawing real or metaphorical lines in the sand, challenging opponents to cross only if they dare. David Andelman, an American journalist and author, believes that one way to understand global risks and challenges is to explore the nexus of red lines that define global politics. David A. Andelman, a columnist […]
Celebrating or Cursing Democracy?
This week the United States inaugurates a new President, much to the joy of many Americans, but to the utter dismay of millions of others. And the swearing in takes place in a Washington, DC locked down, not by fear of pandemic, but by fear of domestic terrorists. Only two weeks ago, a mob encouraged […]
Welcome to the Brave New (digital) World
We explore living online with a woman whose job it is to make the experience as productive and pleasant as possible. Jaime Teevan is Microsoft’s Chief Scientist for Experiences and Devices. Jaime Teevan, Chief Scientist, Microsoft Experiences and Devices and helps Microsoft create the future of productivity. Previously she was the Technical Advisor to Microsoft’s […]
European Renaissance
“By tradition, by history, by culture, by philosophy, the model of the way of life in Europe is better for people, better for nature.” “It’s a question of whether we have the three ingredients of global influence: namely weight, ambition and know-how. — Pascal Lamy At a time of Brexit, political uncertainties in many continental […]
Online Conversation: American Agonies
January 6, 2021 is now one of those days seared in our memories. What happened in Washington was awful, but perhaps inevitable—maybe necessary—eruption; a catharsis to bleed off the poison. Donald Trump is all but finished, and the most virulent brand of Trumpism has been revealed in all its base, vile thuggery. That’s good, not […]
Why Europe?
Pascal Lamy is arguably one of the most prominent, thoughtful and enthusiastic supporters of a global leadership role for Europe. Pascal Lamy served two terms as Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) from September 2005 to September 2013. Mr. Lamy holds degrees from the Paris based Ecole des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC), from […]
Online Workshop: Making Democracy Work
On December 8 and 9, 2020, the Tällberg Foundation celebrated the 2020 winners of the Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leadership Prize during a virtual workshop. The theme of the meeting was “Making Democracy Work” which encompassed a range of interviews, panels, and performances. See the program for both days here. Day 1 Global Leaders! Meet the winners […]
Follow the Science
2020 will probably be remembered as the year of COVID. Our guest has long worked at the intersection of science, politics, and policy. Dr. Ali Nouri, a molecular biologist, is the President of the Federation of American Scientists Dr. Ali Nouri, a molecular biologist, is the President of the Federation of American Scientists, an organization […]
Gorillas (and people) in the Mist
A few days ago we were visiting the gorillas and you could see that they were actually quite happy to see visitors coming back. Some of them even tried to get close because they think, “Hey, you’re back!” How can you protect the gorillas when the communities aren’t benefiting? We’re seeing win-win situations for people, […]
Live and Let Live / Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka
Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, a winner of the 2022 Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes, believes that zoonotic disease is controllable by simultaneously working to improve the health of humans and animals, at the points where they meet. Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Uganda, a veterinarian and scientist, works at the intersection of human and animal health. Her work addresses […]
Announcing the 2020 Winners of the Tällberg Eliasson Global Leadership Prize
TÄLLBERG FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES LEADERSHIP PRIZE WINNERS Sylvia Earle, Jared Genser, Nithya Ramanathan Receive 2020 Awards Stockholm and New York, November 25, 2020—Today the Tällberg Foundation announced the winners of the 2020 Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leadership Prizes, awarded annually for extraordinary leadership—in any field and any country—that is courageous, innovative, rooted in universal values and global in application or […]
America Chooses!
“I am a Trump supporter. I supported him in ’16, voted for him in ’20, but I had a raging case of Trump fatigue myself…. I was not that sorry to see the outcome, and I think the country needed it.” — Scott Miller “I thought [you] were very cognizant of the damage this president […]
True Blue
Sylvia Earle, a finalist for the 2020 Tällberg Eliasson Global Leadership Prize, behaves like a woman running out of time, which she is. The world’s foremost oceanographer—the Jacques Cousteau of our era, dubbed “Her Deepness”—she is on the road most of the year, and has logged countless hours underwater since her first dive, in a […]
Democracy in America
The U.S. election has come, but not quite gone as President Trump continues to resist the otherwise apparent victory of Joe Biden. Notwithstanding that drama, what did the voting tell us about America, Americans, and democracy? Scott Miller is a leading strategic and marketing consultant to some of America’s most important companies and most important […]
Objections Sustained
Sara Hossain can sound ambivalent about her role as honorary executive director of BLAST, the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust. “I don’t like running a large organization and I really don’t want to keep on doing that,” she says, “because there are many aspects of it that a lawyer is not best skilled for […]
Save the Date – December 8-9, 2020!
We invite you to join the Tällberg Foundation in celebrating the 2020 winners of the Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leadership Prize on December 8 and 9 from 10:00AM-11.45AM EST / 16.00-17.45 CET as part of a virtual workshop. The theme underlying this year’s meeting is “Making Democracy Work” which will encompass a range of interviews, panels and performances. […]
Data Minded
Nithya Ramanathan won’t deny that she loves engineering puzzles. “I just find them really fun to solve,” she says. “But ultimately I get pretty bored unless I’m solving that bigger, human-centered problem.” The computer scientist and C.E.O. of the non-profit Nexleaf Analytics is talking about really big problems here—climate change, pandemics, infant mortality—and about designing […]
Burning Down the House
“Basically, we are telling our kids and our grandkids that we don’t care about them when we burn the Amazon… This is something that can’t happen anymore.” — André Guimarães Fires in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest surged in October with the number of blazes up 25% in the first 10 months of 2020 compared to […]
Amazonian Armageddon
Once again, the Amazon is burning—and deforestation may be approaching a tipping point that could turn the world’s largest rain forest into dry savanna or even dessert. What are the potential consequences? Why aren’t we terrified? Who should be doing what? André Guimarães is the Executive Director of IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute). He has […]
Online Conversation: Right/Wrong
On October 28, Juan Enriquez presented his latest book for members of the Tällberg Foundation network. How rapid changes in technology could lead to rapid changes in ethics and, more importantly, how we can have civil conversations. Juan Enriquez is one of the world’s leading authorities on the economic and political impacts of life sciences. […]
Believing It’s Possible
As founder of the Open Source Pharma Foundation, which is creating a crowd-sourced alternative to the pharmaceutical industry, Jaykumar Menon feels he may have met his moment. Just a couple of years ago, “We were considered crazy people,” he says. “And now I think we were shown to be prescient. Everybody in the world is […]
Dealing with a Dragon
“Everybody is saying, ‘Oh, why isn’t China being so meek and so docile anymore? Why is it showing his teeth?’ The simple answer is that, it is what all great powers do.” “It would be best for the world for China to emerge as a happy dragon, rather than an angry dragon…The West is handling […]
Has China Won?
The competition between China and the United States is the defining geopolitical reality of the 21st century. The evolution of its new Great Game will determine whether our collective future will be one of prosperity or disaster. Kishore Mahbubani is a veteran diplomat, student of philosophy, and author of eight books, and is currently a […]
The Ripple Effect
Jared Genser’s client list reads like a Who’s Who of democratic aspiration: Václav Havel, Desmond Tutu, Elie Wiesel, Liu Xiaobo, and Anwar Ibrahim to name a few. But the international human rights lawyer will never forget his first, James Mawdsley, who was imprisoned in Burma in 1999, with a 17-year sentence for handing out leaflets. […]
As the World Turns
Jan Eliasson—Swedish and global diplomat, former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, accomplished conflict mediator—considers himself a “concerned optimist.” As he surveyed the world in a New Thinking for a New World podcast with host Alan Stoga, sometimes he seems more concerned than optimistic—and that troubles him. “I am now very worried about where we […]
Happy (?) Birthday
The United Nations turned 75 this year—but the pandemic overwhelmed its birthday party. The UN, built in a different world, has succeeded in its core mission: preventing World War III. But is the UN, as it is now constructed, relevant to the problems of the 21st century? Ambassador Jan Eliasson is a well-known Swedish […]
Our Wildlife, Our Selves
More than two decades ago, in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka made a connection that most of the world is only now beginning to get: The well-being of humans and animals are inextricably linked. About half of the world’s endangered mountain gorillas live in the park—around 650 at the time, a population that […]
Cooperation, Competition, or Confrontation
Coping with a Dangerous World “I think that this is a period of increasing danger.” “You can draw a direct line from the unenforced red line in Syria in 2014, to the annexation of Crimea, the invasion of Ukraine and the Chinese land grab in the South China Sea.” “We always ask, ‘should we […]
Battlegrounds
General H.R. McMaster, a highly decorated U.S. military officer, discusses how he believes the U. S. and like-minded countries can maneuver through today’s complicated global realities to produce peace and prosperity for their citizens. H. R. McMaster is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. A native of Philadelphia, […]
Writing on the Wall: Bahia Shehab
Historian. Street artist. Professor of graphic design. Bahia Shehab lives the future she believes in for her students: multi-disciplinarity. “I think if I were only a historian or only an artist or only an academic, I wouldn’t have survived,” says the Lebanese-Egyptian finalist for the Tällberg Eliasson Global Leadership Prize, who lives and teaches in […]
Ugly, Uglier, Ugliest: Migration at a Time of Covid
“When I was in Lesbos, there were over 9,000, 10,000 people in the streets with little food, little water, and nothing else… literally lines of people stretched for miles and miles along the road.” – Myrto Xanthopoulou “We saw busloads of Venezuelans choosing to return to Venezuela saying that as the situation got worse and […]
Online Conversation: Triple shock
The triple shock of pandemic, lockdown and economic collapse has rocked countries, communities and citizens around the world. Imagine the impact on refugees and migrants, caught in mid flight between their dangerous homes and less-than-welcoming destinations. The dramatic burning of what had been described as Europe’s largest refugee camp in Lesbos, Greece—probably started by desperate […]
Migrants (barely) Surviving
Like a great magician, the pandemic has drawn our attention away from things that are hiding in plain sight. One of those has been the plight of millions of refugees and migrants who are in refugee camps or trying to escape from war, violence, poverty or other scourges. Myrto Xanthopoulou, Mike Niconchuk, and Megan López who […]
Announcing the 2020 Tällberg Eliasson Global Leadership Prize Finalists
Seven Global Leaders Selected From 2,165 Nominations Winners to be Announced in November Stockholm and New York, September 30, 2020 — Today the Tällberg Foundation announced seven finalists for the Tällberg Eliasson Global Leadership Prize, which is given annually to leaders from a wide range of disciplines and countries whose work is global, based on […]
Reshuffling the Global Deck
“We have entered a world which we’ve not experienced for a long time … The most populous nation in the world is acquiring the economic and military and political might to go with that size.” “You cannot make global politics or globalization something apolitical. You cannot take the politics out of human life and human […]
A World Divided
The world’s a mess. The great powers today, the Chinese and the Americans, seem to disagree on most things. In this episode, Robin Niblett looks for answers. Dr Robin Niblett CMG has led Chatham House since January 2007. Previously he was executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Center for Strategic and International Studies […]
Bearing Witness
Earlier this month, the migrants and refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos were again homeless after fires, probably set out of desperation, destroyed Europe’s largest refugee camp, Moria, on the Greek island of Lesbos. Moria, intended for 2,200, housed more than 12,000 people under horrible conditions that worsened when COVID-19 hit. Myrto Xanthopoulou, a […]
Power to the People
“What building a state and what building a society means … is for people to come together, discuss, and agree on a shared way forward.” “When they come to power through military means, they tend to then rely on those same instruments to wield power.” —Peter Biar Ajak Independence!! A war won; a people freed. […]
Africa Agonistes
In this episode we’re going to explore why democracy and good governance are so rare in East Africa and what leaders like Peter Biar Ajak can do to change that reality. Peter Biar Ajak is the Chairman of the South Sudan Young Leaders Forum, Senior Advisor to the International Growth Centre, and Founder of the […]
Europe’s Union: Better after Covid?
“The European project has suffered and suffers from a structural blame game from the member states.” —Ana Palacio “You need to have a common platform within the European Union… otherwise, things will definitely go apart.” —Magnus Schöldtz The pandemic has exposed the fragility of governmental institutions around the world, and the European Union is no […]
A Silver Lining to the Covid Disaster?
Ana Palacio, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, Magnus Schöldtz, former Ambassador at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, talk about Europes challenges in this week’s podcast. Ana Palacio is the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain and international lawyer specializing in international and European Union law. From 1994 to 2002, she was […]
Talking Turkey
“We have a neighbor who is important, big, but still very aggressive, very assertive, and looking for adventures.” “Erdoğan wants to dictate the terms of the game.” —Constantinos Filis A weird year threatens to become even weirder: war between Turkey and Greece, two NATO allies with a long, fraught history, has suddenly become a possibility. […]
War, What is it Good For?
Turkey and Greece are locked in a struggle in the Eastern Mediterranean that feels like it belongs more in 1920 than in 2020. Is war possible? In this episode, Alan Stoga looks for answers from Constantinos Filis, Executive Director at the Institute of International Relations of Panteion University in Athens. Dr Constantinos Filis is Director […]
A Turkish Game of Thrones
“You can’t play Russian roulette any longer in diplomacy. You don’t know what’s coming up next…” — Nabil Fahmy “We are now living … not in a world order, but world disorder. We will see more chaos, more disorder, and more uncertainty…” — Cengiz Çandar Power abhors a vacuum, and the combination of “America First” […]
Sometimes History Rhymes
Egypt’s Nabil Fahmy and Turkey’s Cengiz Çandar discuss what Erdogan wants as he is playing a high stakes game that some think could even lead to war between Turkey and Greece or Egypt. Cengiz Çandar is a “Distinguished Visiting Scholar” at the Stockholm University Institute of Turkish Studies and Senior Associate Fellow at UI (The […]
There is No Solution Without You
“What Covid has done is to apply an extraordinary and unusually powerful microscope to worldwide governance. And much of what we see through that lens of the microscope is not pretty.” —Cardinal Michael Czerny Covid-19 has been a world-wide disaster—one that refuses to end. Although some countries and their leaders have performed extraordinarily well, many […]
Are We Really All in This Together?
Cardinal Czerny argues that any approach to Covid-19 that does not include those most vulnerable among us is a non-solution. Who then seems to have overlooked these people? Card. Michael Czerny S.J. was born on 18 July 1946, in Brno, Czechoslovakia (today the Czech Republic). Following his 1963 graduation from Loyola High School in Montreal, […]
Africa on the Run
“The journey to development has been stunted.” —Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr “Because there’s less external pressure on the continent now than there has ever been, we are beginning to see African countries coming together to figure out how they’re going to solve their problems.” —Carole Wainaina Numbers can be misleading. Global health data suggest that Covid-19 has […]
African Possibilities
How can Africa cope? Are solutions—or, at least, possibilities—to be found at the local, national or regional level? Listen to Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, mayor of Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown, and Carole Wainaina, a leader of Africa50. Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE was sworn in May 2018 with a commitment to transform Freetown using an inclusive, data-driven approach to […]
You May Choose to Look Away, But Never Again Say You Do Not Know
“The demand for exploitation is not just something that is related to poverty. It is related to a certain kind of human volition, which is global and somehow we have normalized it.” — Sunitha Krishnan Why do nations, rich and poor, in the 21st century, tolerate widespread slavery and human trafficking, including the buying and […]
STOP SLAVERY NOW!
Why do nations, rich and poor, tolerate widespread slavery, human trafficking and even the buying and selling of young children in the 21st century? This episode explores the darkness of slavery—which consumes even very young children—with India’s Sunitha Krishnan. Sunitha Krishnan, Co-Founder and Chief Functionary of Prajwala, an anti-trafficking organization in Hyderabad, India. She is […]
It’s (Still) The Economy, Stupid!
“In all of the West, we run into a divided society. Those who are smart enough to play on the stock market are fine; they can live. Those who are educated to play in the digital economy are also fine. And those who were the hard-working laborers for distribution and simple workers, they will get […]
The Covid Economy: Your Bust, My Boom
What happens when the global economy collapses, but global financial markets boom? That’s one of the issues explored in the conversation with German business leader Kurt Lauk and long-time top American central banker Terry Checki. Dr. Kurt J. Lauk is the co founder and President of Globe CP GmbH, a private investment firm established in […]
Can America halt its decline — and does it want to?
“We’re shocked, for example, that trains don’t work. We are shocked that the digital infrastructure is not good … America doesn’t not just invest in itself; Americans don’t invest in each other.” —Christine Loh What’s wrong, America? What has turned the global superpower and self-defined moral leader into a nation whose president insists the country […]
“What’s happened in 2020 is very promising.”
Those words have not been spoken by many this year. But Jorge Castañeda—Mexican educator, diplomat, former Foreign Minister, and frequent critic of the United States—believes that all the turmoil of a mishandled pandemic, economic recession, racial unrest, extreme political partisanship, and palpable anger throughout society might just be providing the impetus the country needs to […]
Is America Finished?
Why has America stopped investing in itself? We speak with Christine Loh who is a Hong Kong-based academic, environmentalist, and former government official with deep ties to the United States Professor Christine Loh is Chief Development Strategist, Institute for the Environment, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She is also Visiting Professor, Anderson School […]
America: Darkness Before the Crack of Dawn?
What kind of institutional change does the United States need and can that change be achieved without revolution? Castañeda talks about some of the ideas from his latest book, “America Through Foreign Eyes” and explains why he thinks the United States is heading in exactly the right direction. Jorge Castañeda was Foreign Minister of Mexico […]
Are “we” capable of fixing all that is breaking? Or is it too late?
Looking for silver linings may be an integral part of the human condition. Even during the bleakest moments—like during a global pandemic, a global recession, leadership failures and profound social stress almost everywhere—we try to find bits and pieces of positive energy and new ideas. In this episode of Tällberg’s “New Thinking for a New […]
On the Outside, Looking In: America in the Era of George Floyd
“Do I think that the U.S. is a racist country? Oh yes. Yes. This is a country that was built on that premise of the negation of humanity of part of its people.” —Faustin Linyekula “I think the United States is a racist country … I was appalled when I went to the U.S., at […]
Is America Racist — if so, will it ever not be?
American Carnage or American Dream? It matters to everyone everywhere whether or not the United States is in terminal decline or (painfully) resetting the basis of its democracy and its society. If the former, the global order will change in incalculable ways, for better or for worse. If the latter, life after the pandemic could […]
The time for Climate Action is NOW
A recent global survey conducted by the Tällberg Foundation showed widespread enthusiasm for aggressive action to mitigate accelerating climate change*. Overwhelmingly, respondents said: Accelerating climate change is a major threat to their individual lives and is already directly affecting their communities; Two thirds believe that it’s not too late to prevent catastrophic consequences from climate […]
Shared problems; shared destinies
The global pandemic and global recession have led many leaders and countries to turn inward. But Ahmed Reda Chami, President of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council of Morocco, understands that giving up on global solutions is both shortsighted and doomed to fail. As he said in a recent New Thinking for a New World […]
First, help yourself – A Moroccan leader on coping with life after Covid
Like everywhere else, Morocco must cope with the potentially overwhelming health, economic and political consequences of the pandemic. But unlike most places, the country has a well-designed, focused strategy to mitigate the worst of what is happening and, possibly, to position itself—and the rest of Africa—for a better future. In this episode of the Tällberg […]
US decline or US reset?
It matters to all of us whether the United States is in terminal decline or just going through one of those bouts of madness and self-doubt that, from time to time, seem almost to overwhelm America’s better angels. This is more than just a challenge match between American Carnage and American Dream. Rather, it’s whether […]
Is It Possible to Be Optimistic About Climate Change?
Tomas Anker Christensen, Denmark’s Climate Ambassador, and Daniel Martínez-Valle, Chief Executive Officer of Orbia, a Mexican-based multinational operating in more than 40 countries, recently discussed the lessons of the pandemic and why they are fundamentally optimistic that catastrophic climate change can be avoided. “We’ve learned during this pandemic … that many of the things that […]
The Millennial Future
Are there possibilities for a different future to emerge from the Covid crisis? Listen to Rosario Diaz Garavito, Baiqu Gonkar and David Ross, discuss the possibilities for a different future to emerge from the Covid crisis. Rosario Diaz Garavito is the founder and Chief Executive Director of The Millennials Movement, current UN NGO Major Group […]
Climate change during — and after—Covid
In this conversation we considered Climate Change during — and after—Covid. We were joined by Tomas Anker Christensen, Denmark’s Climate Ambassador; Daniel Martinez-Valle, Chief Executive Officer of Orbia, a Mexico based global company; and Mogens Lykketoft, Danish politician and former President of the UN General Assembly. Will the intense focus of governments, corporations and—most importantly—citizens on […]
Is It Possible to Be Optimistic About Climate Change?
For the first time in 75 years, the whole world is focused on the same problem and, in the process, mobilizing unprecedented political will, state authority and fiscal resources as well as relying on scientists to build evidence-based policies. How do we transfer all of that energy to addressing even the larger, more deadly challenge […]
What is the state of the union?
Has the American dream become an American carnage? The Covid-19 epidemic has laid bare many pre-existing fissures and deep distress in American society. Can the exhausted majority reassert itself through this crisis? Will the epidemic focus minds on a culture of competence and experience with regards to leaders and their teams and more generally organizations? […]
Q&A from Disruptive Technologies Webinar
On May 6, the Tällberg Foundation co-sponsored a webinar on “Disruptive Technologies: Good, Bad and Ugly” with Kenya’s Strathmore Business School. The conversation among George Njenga, Strathmore’s Executive Dean, and Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leadership Prize winners Anne Goldfeld, Fio Omenetto and Rafa Yuste was moderated by Tällberg’s chairman, Alan Stoga. A recording of the webinar can […]
Survey: Climate Change at a Time of Covid
While we are all focused on the pandemic, climate change continues to accelerate with consequences that are likely to dwarf the impact of Covid. How are you thinking about the climate and what needs to be done? We at the Tällberg Foundation want to engage with you as we explore the parameters of the new […]
Is Europe’s Future Green or Black?
The global Covid-19 pandemic has exposed deep fissures in the global political and economic fabric. For democracy to survive, the social contract needs to be reimagined; economies needs to be re-engineered and climate change – that is now accelerating at a pace that could quickly dwarf the consequences of the pandemic – needs to be […]
The American Condition
In this week’s podcast episode, Scott Miller and Josh Steiner explore the potential impact of the pandemic on longer term trends shaping the United States. What is the state of the Union? Has the American dream become American carnage? Covid-19 has laid bare many pre-existing fissures and deep distress in American society. Can the exhausted majority […]
Recordings from Webinars
Webinar: Disruptive Technologies: Good, Bad and Ugly Recording from Wednesday May 6, 2020 A panel of innovation leaders will discuss their efforts to create new technologies and new solutions to some of the challenges of our times–and what could go wrong, even when innovators have the best intentions. Panelists: Dr. George Njenga, Executive Dean of Strathmore, […]
Taking Democracy’s Temperature
The Tällberg Foundation deeply believes that democracy is the form of government most likely to produce the best outcomes for people everywhere. Unfortunately, it didn’t take the pandemic crisis to demonstrate that many democracies and most of their leaders are falling short. Why? We decided to ask our global network, surveying more than 500 people […]
Webinar: Global Order Amidst Global Disorder
The global architecture built in the late 1940s served mankind well. Yet the global system has evolved: Cold War, the United States as the sole superpower, the emergence of China and today’s hodgepodge of multiple power centers. What’s next—and what might be in Egypt’s and, more broadly, the Middle East’s best interests? Date: Thursday May […]
Webinar: Disruptive Technologies: Good, Bad and Ugly
A panel of innovation leaders will discuss their efforts to create new technologies and new solutions to some of the challenges of our times–and what could go wrong, even when innovators have the best intentions. Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2020 8am New York, 2pm Stockholm, 3pm Nairobi The panelists are: Dr. George Njenga, Executive Dean of […]
Tällberg SNF Fellows
The Board of the Tällberg Foundation is establishing a community of global leaders who are committed to exploring the challenges facing humanity and then imagining creative solutions that reach across boundaries and borders. The program is called the Tällberg/Stavros Niarchos Foundation Fellows, or Tällberg SNF Fellows. Fellows are individuals who have demonstrated commitment to the Tällberg Foundation’s […]
How does the pandemic offer a unique opportunity on constructive climate action?
In this session, we are joined by Tomas Anker Christensen, Climate Ambassador of Denmark and Kevin Noone, Professor of Chemical Meteorology at the Department of Environmental Science (ACES) at Stockholm University. Inspiration for the online conversation came from the “New Thinking for a New World” podcast with Christiana Figueres—climate activist, one of the key architects […]
Climate After Covid
Christiana Figueres—climate activist, one of the key architects of the Paris Climate Agreement and 2016 Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leadership Prize winner—passionately believes that the pandemic offers a unique opportunity to focus on constructive climate action. In this New Thinking for a New World podcast, she discusses the possibility of leveraging the massive political and economic resources that governments […]
Will leaders be driven by values in times of crisis and panic?
We are joined by Ambassador Jan Eliasson, Shahidul Alam and Sitawa Namwalie to talk about values. At this moment of crisis and panic, if countries, companies, religions and other organizations—but, most importantly, their leaders—aren’t driven by universal, human values, they seem destined to fail. Now more than ever, we need our moral compasses or we […]
The Value(s) of Democracy
Democracy is under huge pressure everywhere, made worse by the global pandemic. Too many governments in too many places are failing to deliver on the basic social contract with their citizens. In this podcast, celebrated photographer and human rights activist Shahidul Alam of Bangladesh discusses these issues from the perspective of a country which struggles […]
Will democracy be another casualty of Covid-19?
Democracy and democratic institutions were under severe pressure well before the novel Coronavirus appeared. Could the added burden of the pandemic break the back of democracy as we have known it? How worried should we be by governments proclaiming wartime powers and instituting new kinds of location and information tracking, all in the name of […]
Will Democracy Survive Covid-19?
Democracy and democratic institutions were under severe pressure well before the novel Coronavirus appeared. Could the added burden of the pandemic break the back of democracy as we have known it? How worried should we be by governments proclaiming wartime powers and instituting new kinds of location and information tracking, all in the name of […]
Window on the current pandemic
Anne Goldfeld, 2019 Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leadership Prize winner, a clinician and a medical doctor with long experience—in the lab and on the front lines of care—with epidemics hosted this conversation with the Tällberg/SNF Fellows. That experience will provide us a window on the current pandemic. What can we expect from the scientists, medical professionals and public […]
Understanding Coronavirus and Its Implications
In this podcast, Anne Goldfeld, a scientist and doctor with deep pandemic experience, discusses what we know about Covid-19, what we still need to learn and why it is a global problem that demands a global response. Anne, who is Senior Investigator of the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine and a Professor of Medicine […]
What Is a Thought?
Rafael Yuste, a professor of biological sciences at Columbia University and a 2018 Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leader speaks with Alan Stoga, the Tällberg Foundation’s chairman about recent and prospective progress in neuroscience. They discuss such questions as could our evolving understanding of the human brain lead to a new Renaissance? What are the implications of this […]
How do we protect our neural identities?
In this conversation, we focus on our brains, with Rafael Yuste, Columbia University professor of biological sciences (and much more) as well as a 2018 Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leader. He talks about his work and his deep concern about protecting each of our neural identities. You can listen to an interview by Alan Stoga with Rafa […]
What do we want to happen when we get to the new post-Covid normal?
Alan Stoga, chairman of the Tällberg Foundation starts off the conversation based on the article, Civilization Interrupted, which asks us to consider, what happens when Covid-19 is only a bad memory? More to the point, what do we want to happen when we get to the new post-Covid normal? The online conversation took place on Thursday, […]
Civilization, Interrupted
Written by Alan Stoga, Chairman, Tällberg Foundation “The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than fifteen cubits. Every living thing that moved on land perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind…. By the first day of the first month of Noah’s six […]
Grappling With the Unknown
In this week’s episode of the Tällberg Foundation Podcast, we listen to a conversation between Anne Goldfeld, Faustin Linyekula, and Saul Griffith who share their perspectives on the future and their relationship with it. The three 2019 Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leadership Prize winners discover how their respective expertise – medicine, dance, and fighting climate change – are all […]
Brain Guys
Q. What do hydra polyps, mice and Columbia University neuroscientist Rafael Yuste have in common? A. The Tällberg Foundation Rafa, a 2018 winner of the Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leadership Prize, is one of the most accomplished neuroscientists in the world, whose pioneering work and leadership helped launch what has evolved into the global BRAIN initiative. His lab at […]
What Is the Future of Democracy?
In our second episode of the Tällberg Foundation Podcast, we listen in on a panel conversation addressing these questions. Panelists: Kenneth Lusaka (The Rt. Hon. Speaker of the Senate, Parliament of the Republic of Kenya), David Sperling (Research Professor and Senior Research Fellow, Strathmore Governance Centre; Kenya ) and Ulrika Karlsson (Special Advisor on Global […]
Unpacking a Tällberg Workshop: Hopes, Concerns and Red Threads
Our initial podcast was recorded in Nairobi, Kenya, after a Tällberg Workshop. Three members of the Tällberg Foundation community reflect on “New Thinking for a New World.” Optimism or pessimism about the future may have less to do with facts, and more to do with filters: young or old, local or global, African or western. […]
What will the world look like in 2030?
Welcome to the 2020s! “Three things are true at the same time. The world is much better, the world is awful, the world can be much better.” Max Roser, Oxford University We asked members of the Tällberg community to define their fears, their hopes and their expectations for the new decade. Not predictions, as much […]
A Conversation with Rafa Yuste
On January 31, 2018 Winner, Rafa Yuste, hosted a group from the Tällberg Foundation network for a tour of his lab, a presentation of key aspects of his research, and a discussion of the profound ethical implications of the current explosion of knowledge about the brain. Rafa’s current work, using laboratory mice, focuses on investigating […]
Names of the Dead
Three of the intertwined strands of DNA that standout in the Tällberg Foundation’s genetic make-up are learning through conversation, leveraging cultural experiences to deepen understanding, and engaging with the natural world. The result, sometimes by design and often by accident, is a kind of experiential learning that engages the intellect as well as the emotions. […]
Celebration of Great Leadership in Kenya
During the week of November 11, the Tällberg Foundation—in partnership with the Senate of Kenya and the Strathmore Business School—celebrated great leadership and great leaders in the form of the 2019 Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leadership Prize winners. Anne Goldfeld, Saul Griffith and Faustin Linyekula received their awards in Nairobi on November 13th from William Ruto, Kenya’s […]
Tällberg Workshop in Nairobi, Kenya
Tällberg in Kenya – New Thinking for a New World The Tällberg Foundation, launched in 1981, exists to provoke thinking—and action based on thinking— about the issues that are challenging the evolution of liberal democracies. Those challenges are profound: the world that we have known since the mid 20th century, which produced unprecedented peace as […]
Shaping the Future
On April 11 at 6:30 pm at the Italian Academy, Columbia University in New York the Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leadership Prize winners Nicolas Guérékoyame-Gbangou, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Rafael Yuste had a conversation about the challenges facing leaders today. The conversation will be moderated by Vishakha Desai, Vice Chair, Committee on Global Thought, Senior Advisor for Global […]
Tällberg Workshop in Cairo, Egypt
We live at a time of profound changes in global and regional political structures, real time climate change, increasingly disruptive technologies (whose potential—good or bad—beggar the imagination), and collapsing trust in leaders as well as in institutions. Too many people in too many countries are too afraid of their futures. The workshop will parse these […]
Thought experiments
Answer: The Tällberg Foundation’s recent workshop, “Inside Every Utopia is Dystopia,” which was hosted by Fio Omenetto at Silk Lab at Tufts University in Boston, on January 17th. Prominent scientists—including two recent winners of the foundation’s Eliasson Global Leadership Prize, Omenetto and Rafael Yuste—engaged with engineers, academics, NGO leaders, investors, artists, designers, and more (see […]
Inside Every Utopia is Dystopia
We are all aware of the accelerating pace of technological innovation. What alternative futures are available, how can we choose among them, and who should make those choices?