According to Judy Dempsey, nonresident Carnegie fellow, the election of Andrej Babiš as the Czech Republic’s next prime minister says much about the state of politics in this part of the European Union. Read more of her thoughts on Central Europe here.
In a world of bullies and macho leaders, Angela Merkel - with a calmer demeanor - still manages to retain her power. Andreas Kluth, Handelsbalatt Global's editor in chief, deconstructs how through the science of body language. "She makes herself large and small at the same time. She does not lunge at an opponent but waits until her opponents fear looking weak and attacks, thus initiating their undoing." Read more here.
David Goodhart writes in The Guardian that strengthening regional identities could be the key to keeping communities united and persuading the able and ambitious to stay. He concludes that what is needed [to bring Somewheres and Anywheres together] is a common project or a common threat to bind the interests of the two value groups.
Coming in at 43 per cent, Berlin - with its low rents and high living standards - has the highest number of immigrant-founded start ups after Silicon Valley. Featured in Wired UK's recent list of best startups in Berlin are two of the companies that joined us at this year's meeting: Mimi and N26. Philipp Skribanowitz, managing director of Mimi, says that the company's aim is to become the standard for personal sound. Read more here.
In a post for Project Syndicate, Bill Emmott writes about dealing with North Korea. "Donald Trump has chided China for failing to take responsibility for its dangerous neighbor. But America's president should be careful what he tweets for: If China launched a military invasion of North Korea, it could work – and China would gain greater strategic parity with the US in East Asia." Read the full article here.
The Teatro del Lago will host their Festival Gala this coming November 2-5 in Frutillar, Chile. G50 member and president of Fundacion Teatro de Lago, Nicola Schiess, invites you to this weekend full of incredible arts and culture events and performances. To attend or for more information please email Teatro del Lago. You don't want to miss out on this exclusive and awe-inspiring festival.
The G50 Annual Meeting is just two months away. Even though the registration period has closed, stay tuned for instructions to register for your concurrent sessions. And our full program will be published one month prior to the meeting. We look forward to sharing it with you!
Open English, the main online language school in Latin America, just announced the launch of Open English Junior, a new platform to teach English to kids ages 8-14. "Helping kids learn with a methodology like Open English Junior is an investment in their future. For Open English, this is a new way of democratizing access to high-quality education without letting go of the human element," said CEO, Andrés Moreno.
Referendums, elections, legislative projects... they are all terms that we associate with democracy. But we are now seeing a worrying tendency: the democratic tools are being transformed in tools for concentrating power and limiting civilians' freedom. Andrea Kendall-Taylor reveals why personalism is booming and how this threatens democracy at at global level.
Efecto Naím, 31 July 2017
Latin America is the world's most deadly region. Eight of the ten most violent countries are Latin American. And even though the region only represents 8% of the world population, 37% of homicides occur in the region. Steven Dudley, the co-founder and co-director of InSight Crime, a journalistic organization dedicated to the investigation of organized crime in Latin America, speaks to Moisés Naím about this plague.
Efecto Naím, 24 July 2017
Economic sanctions on oil could could be the perfect alibi for Chavismo.
El País, 23 July 2017
We lie to pollsters, to our family members, to Facebook...but not to Google. Discover the surprises that our searches in that white box of the Internet can reveal.
Efecto Naím, 17 July 2017
They don't move from poor countries to rich ones. They don't look for better jobs. And they don't send remittances. The foreigners that retire in Latin America break all stereotypes about immigrants.
Efecto Naím, 10 July 2017
The history of the past 500 years shows a striking trend: whenever a nation has risen to compete with the dominant power, the result has most often been war.
El País, 8 July 2017
Western democracy became the world's most successful political idea. But this ideal is under threat today. Moisés Naím talks to Bill Emmott, former editor in chief of The Economist and author of a new book, The Fate of the West, which argues that the fight is not yet lost.
Efecto Naím, 3 July 2017
Jaime Bayly is irreverent and irresistible. His humor, his intelligence, and his total contempt for privacy (of others...and his own) have transformed him in one of the most famous and controversial people of Latin America. In this unfiltered conversation with Moisés Naím, he talks about his career, the mistakes he has made and his difficult relationship with the people he loves the most.
Efecto Naím, 26 June 2017
Every second, one person escapes poverty.
Homi Kharas, this week's guest, wants everyone to understand the battle against extreme poverty...and what countries are losing. For this reason, he created the world poverty clock.
Efecto Naím, 19 June 2017.
Trump ended the idea that corruption and nepotism at the highest level of government only flourished in dictatorships.
El País, 17 June 2017
Javier Solana, former Secretary-General of NATO, warns of the fragility of the EU. "The looming British exit from the EU has reminded us of something fundamental that had been hidden until now: the EU’s tendency to expand is not irreversible, and the EU’s continued existence as a political entity cannot, and should not, be taken for granted." Read his full article here.
Bill Emmott, former editor-in-chief of The Economist writes about the importance of remaking the established British political parties. "We live in a politically turbulent age. Parties barely a year old have recently swept to power in France and in the huge metropolitan area of Tokyo. A party less than five years old is leading opinion polls in Italy. A political neophyte is sitting in the White House, to the profound discomfort of establishment Republicans and Democrats. So where will the political earth shake next? The answer could be – indeed, should be – the United Kingdom." Read his full column here.
