Broader Middle East and North Africa

Perspective

Space diplomacy is an important subject, but countries in the Global South are often left out conversations in this area despite growing capabilities in space technology. This piece looks at space diplomacy from a Global South perspective.

Perspective

Lawrence Susskind and Shafiqul Islam’s work on water diplomacy has expanded since their piece was published in 2012. In this piece, they present some of the lessons learned and a water diplomacy framework for more effective water management.

Perspective

Sir Peter D. Gluckman is conscious of the several failures of the last decade but puts faith in “track 2” multilateralism. He argues that science diplomacy must be nimbler to address the problems of tomorrow.

Perspective

As we celebrate a decade of S&D, Princess Sumaya acknowledges that, while the present may not be what we hoped, the challenges that the world has faced over the last ten years have made it stronger, and there are still reasons to be hopeful.

Perspective

Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith reviews how research facilities like CERN and SESAME foster international cooperation where relations are strained. With today’s complex geopolitics, he stresses the need for scientific collaboration across divides.

Perspective

From the water crisis in Yemen, the focus of his 2012 piece, to the continuing threat of nuclear proliferation, Mark Jansson stresses the value of science in building policy solutions to address some of the globe’s most pressing challenges.

Article

Authors explore vulnerabilities in Artificial Intelligence and challenges for the meaningful human control of autonomous weapons. 

In the Field

In this letter from the field, authors propose that person-to-person (P2P) science diplomacy can bring positive change between Israelis and Palestinians, as illustrated by the work of an organization called STEP (Science Training Encouraging Peace).

Article

As countries in the Arab world grapple with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public health, the economy, and society in general, the author argues it could be a pivotal moment to address deeply rooted structural weaknesses in the region.

Article

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, academies of science in Africa and its role in providing credible, independent, and evidence-based scientific advice came into sharp focus.

In the Field

This text details efforts in building capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship among scientists and engineers in developing countries. 

Article

As the world moves to a militarized space, the European Union may have the tools to assist in the establishment of confidence building measures between China, Russia, and the United States in the domain of space.