Reflections

At the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) in Dubai, youth emerged as pivotal players in global climate negotiations, marking a significant shift in their influence and participation. Despite the skepticism towards the host country and outcomes, the event underscored the growing importance of youth voices. Initiatives like the ‘Youth Circles’...

At the end of December 2022, tensions between Serbia and Kosovo were reduced, but the situation remains unresolved. The Serbs living in the northern part of Kosovo do not accept the existence of that State and are questioning decisions introducing new license plates and documents. The government in Pristina, in...

In 2013, President Xi Jinping brought back the traditional Silk Road Spirit of “peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit”. Beijing jointly initiated the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, also known as the Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI). Since then,...

Voices are becoming loud to regulate social media and other digital communication platforms. Under pressure, Facebook, Twitter, Google, and others are putting in place measures to minimize misuse of their platforms, but the White House of the United States and some other influencers believe that self-regulation by social media organizations...

The coronavirus pandemic and ensuing economic crisis have weakened democracy and made societies much more vulnerable to the spread of a ‘digital pollution’ – false information on the Internet. The rapidly growing challenges have been exacerbated by the political and social polarization that can be seen everywhere – from the...

New media and instant messaging apps have taken over our professional, social and even political life. We are permanently connected, and when we are offline for a while, we feel uncomfortable. When recently Facebook, Whatsapp and Instagram (owned by the same company) crashed for hours, the entire world froze. Modern...

Social media is distorting democratic institutions. Earlier, the ‘ruled’ needed safety and security, and now, the ‘rulers’ need safety and security. So, the power objectives and structures are inverted for grabbing power and aided by the internet and social media tools, and it is far easier but dangerous in the...