Anne-Marie Slaughter

Though published nearly one month ago, this piece captures many of the risks and challenges in Georgia's current political climate. The points hold today, and will remain relevant from now through the forthcoming parliamentary elections. Worth the read. https://lnkd.in/ddmNT_G4

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In particular, please consider submitting an abstract to session T80, Geociencias en las Américas/Geosciences in the Américas, the first bilingual Spanish-English session in the history of GSA! You can give your talk in Spanish or English: the only condition is that you present research taking place in the Americas. Presenta tu geociencia en nuestra sesión! Angel Garcia Elizabeth Long Aaron Velasco

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The University of Georgia and UG Security, Policy & Nationalism Research Center are organizing their fifth annual conference on June 13-14, 2024. Titled "Hunt on Democracies: Unmasking Radicalization and Navigating the New World Order", this year's conference will explore the profound geopolitical shifts and challenges faced by democracies globally.

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Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program - Lithuania DS Lithuania is pleased to announce an open call for proposals aimed at strengthening the enduring bond between the United States and Lithuania. ✨ Grant proposals should incorporate elements of American history, culture, or common values. Alignment with priority program areas is essential: 1️⃣ Strengthening Lithuania's safety and security, including bolstering regional security and addressing challenges posed by Russia's aggression. 2️⃣ Building capacity for crisis response, particularly in the face of natural disasters. 3️⃣ Supporting Lithuania's transatlantic orientation by highlighting the rich history and promising future of Lithuanian-American relations. 4️⃣ Deepening understanding of NATO and regional security challenges. The deadline for grant applications is June 15, 2024.Applicants may apply for funding in amounts between $2,500 and $25,000.  https://lnkd.in/dwmvgGY2 #GrantOpportunity #Lithuanian

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Talks of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas are at a decisive juncture. And while the details have not been made public yet, neither side will be fully satisfied by its terms. Yet no better deal is likely to emerge that can both end the fighting that has devastated Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages. Israel and Hamas need to accept this deal. Continued war will neither destroy Hamas as Israel wants nor strengthen Hamas's hand. It guarantees only greater suffering to a people who desperately need relief. https://lnkd.in/eFjtb2uT 

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Recent updates from Georgia: During her Independence Day speech today, President Salome Zurabishvili invited political parties to sign the "Georgian Charter," a roadmap designed to unite for a European future ahead of the country's crucial parliamentary elections this fall. What does this mean? To resolve Georgia's political crisis and return to the European path, the president views the upcoming elections as key. She urges to maintain the same enthusiasm before the elections, with the fall vote being a referendum whether Georgia chooses Europe. By agreeing to and committing to specific criteria (see below), the signatory parties of the Georgian Charter will guarantee a return to the path of European integration. Therefore, in this fall elections, a vote for these parties will be a vote for a European future. The objectives of the Charter signatories align with the 9 priorities previously tabled by the European Commission. The President stressed unity for a European future, clarifying it doesn't mean unifying political parties as electoral forces but focusing on Charter implementation. She emphasized that Charter consensus doesn't mandate political alliances. If the signatory parties secure popular support in the October 26, 2024 elections, they pledge to fulfill the outlined objectives/criteria by the spring session and organize early fall elections in 2025, ensuring a free and fair electoral environment. The President's offer includes propose a non-partisan technical government. The 10 objectives outlined in the Georgian Charter by the President are: 1. The laws detrimental to the European path will be withdrawn and abolished (including Russian law, offshore law and others) 2. Those penalized or detained during the 2024 protests will receive amnesty 3. Substantial reform of the Justice system 4. The Parliament will elect the Prosecutor-General with a high threshold and they will serve only one term 5. The State Security Service and the Ministry of Interior will undergo substantial reform 6. The Special Investigative Service will be reformed to ensure true independence 7. The Anti-Corruption Agency will transform into an independent body with investigative authority, with its Chair appointed by Parliament 8. The autonomy of the National Bank will be restored 9. Regulatory bodies will be liberated from political influence 10. The electoral system will undergo remodeling including changes to the rules of composition and election of the Central Election Commission, lowering of the electoral threshold, etc. President sets a deadline for the political parties to sign the Georgian Charter until June 1; She is soon heading to Brussels to present the Charter to the European Commission, aiming to reinvigorate the EU integration process and initiate EU accession negotiations. Read more about the Georgian Charter and its objectives here: https://lnkd.in/diBQUs4E

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Is the Aras Corridor an Alternative to Zangezur? Vali Kaleji, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute - Silk Road Studies Program- American Foreign Policy Council, February 5, 2024 Iran and Azerbaijan recently agreed to establish a transit route called the “Aras Corridor.” It is intended to pass through the Iranian province of East Azerbaijan and connect the village of Aghband in the southwestern corner of the Zangilan District to the city of Ordubad in southern Nakhchivan. Bypassing Armenia, the Aras Corridor could present an alternative to the Zangezur Corridor with the potential of reducing Iran’s concerns for its common border with Armenia. However, if Armenia and Azerbaijan sign a peace treaty and Armenia and Turkey establish diplomatic relations, the current advantages of the Aras Corridor will be reduced. These equations will change only if Nikol Pashinyan’s government falls and the nationalist and conservative movements opposing peace with Azerbaijan and normalization of relations with Turkey come to power in Armenia..... Full text of this analytical article is accessible on the following link: https://lnkd.in/drBi2sqr

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Pleased to share essay on #democracy at the mid-point of what’s been dubbed the #yearofelections. With the year halfway done, three trends are emerging: Authoritarian regimes such as Russia and Iran continue to rely on sham elections to create the illusion of legitimacy. Frontline democracies such as Taiwan are offering important lessons about how to inoculate citizens from the challenge of foreign information manipulation. As concerns about the impact of new generative-AI tools on elections become widespread, it is becoming apparent that the real threat of AI may not be its capacity to deceive people to switch their votes, but instead the way it undermines trust in elections and democracy. https://lnkd.in/eFa5gw4W

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The #SBP must publish voting history of #MonetaryPolicy Committee publicly--who voted for what--for a more transparent decisions making. Importantly, analysis of #MPC voting records can help assess how are external and SBP members thinking about future course of #inflation.

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The United States and Europe can and should facilitate Central Asian regional integration and development,сomposed Dr. Azeem Ibrahim OBE ,Senior Director at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy in Washington DC in his article The fall of the Soviet Union granted the five Central Asian States independence a little over thirty years ago. The region was largely ignored by the world’s great powers, even though its southern neighbor, Afghanistan, was the theatre of NATO’s twenty-year war. However, geopolitics and geoeconomics have changed since then. The five countries have come of age, both domestically and regionally, working together to unleash the region’s potential as a key mineral and infrastructural hub for energy security and global trade. The region has close historical ties to Russia and is positioned along China’s Belt and Road. Still, it also offers significant opportunities for U.S. and European companies to access the key precious metals for the energy transition. Consequently, the region has seen a steep change in engagements, with frequent gatherings of heads of state, visits by foreign ministers, and an unprecedented number of bilateral agreements signed, vying for access to this new prime geopolitical and economic real estate. But it was the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 that caused a foreign policy pivot in Western capitals to begin in earnest. This regional community should include, in the long term, the two final “Stans,” Afghanistan and Pakistan, which would open up routes for a “southern corridor” to a deep warm-water port in the Arabian Sea, integrating the landlocked nations of the continent’s center within the global maritime economy. It would also offer Afghanistan a proper future, with economic and political integration with its neighbors. That is the only way to ensure that Afghanistan doesn’t become an exporter of terrorism again. Policymakers in Washington, London, and Brussels must therefore leverage their expertise and help the seven “Stans” come together more formally with the establishment of a regional “S7 Union,” backed by a S7 Infrastructure and Investment Bank and S7 Critical Minerals Authority. A stronger multilateral organization would facilitate dialogue and turn the region into a legally and regulatorily independent bloc, able to represent its own interests more effectively. Read: https://lnkd.in/dmiC7zcw

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Honored to give the Key Note address today at the regional conference on “Addressing the Prevailing Digital Information Disorder: Countering the Use of the Internet by Terrorists & Violent Exteemists” hosted by the OSCE & Government Mongolia, and share perspectives from Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT), including on the importance of integrating human rights into industry efforts to address terrorist content online, and support for Global Network on Extremism & Technology (GNET). Important discussions today among government, civil society, industry & multilateral actors on understanding risks and opportunities in the digital space, connections between offline and online dynamics, and lessons learned and proposed solutions. Always great to hear and engage with rich expertise and diverse perspectives, and ensure we remain apprised of evolving dynamics that shape and inform the content we see online. #terrorism #counterterrorism #tech #online #humanrights #VERLT #publicprivatepartnerships #AI #emergingtechnologies #multistakeholdersolutions

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ı will speak at the panel: "Investing today for a more resilient tomorrow"

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From #TheCI Network: ...this study can help policymakers to more efficiently target relevant groups to limit the spread of misinformation." https://lnkd.in/ggAyyiYq #fakenews #misinformation #socialmedia #LMICs #study

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This is a really valuable reflective paper on the gap between evidence and discourse, and offers a strategy to reduce the gap. It is a kind of meta paper that takes the conversation beyond de Haas's important recent book 'How migration really works', entering the realm of discourse strategy. How do we move beyond simplistic narratives and the convenient formulations of what he calls 'the new migration consensus', he asks, and answers. An essay that should provoke serious reflection.

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If you need some encouragement about how to improve our world, about how to engage complex situations, while walking with your neighbor, in a manner that honors both of you, please take the time to read this story about Wade Kusack and Kazakhstan. It is the story of how Wade, a former citizen of the Soviet Union, and now a Christian, engages a Muslim-majority country looking for new ways to deepen and expand its natural tolerance. It is also a model for how to overcome the global phenomenon of polarization. https://lnkd.in/efGHRZeM

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This is an important part of the acceleration of emerging tech. Get capabilities to representative environments quickly and then diligently (but quickly) assess the tech with a strong focus on how it fits in a broader architecture.

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On May 10, 2024, I participated in the first meeting of the Interdepartmental working group took place to develop the State Target Program for the just transition of coal regions in Ukraine by 2030. The Ukrainian Ministry of Community, Territories, and Infrastructure Development outlined the key directions and timelines for the program's implementation. A fundamental principle in the development of measures for the upcoming document is their long-term impact and alignment with one of four directions: - Diversification of the local economy based on existing economic and human potential; - Mitigation of the social consequences of coal enterprises' closure and transformation, and development of human capital; - Transition to alternative energy sources and enhancement of energy efficiency; - Addressing environmental issues and combating climate change. For the Association of Coal Communities of Ukraine it is also crucial to expand the geography of just transition, thus covering not only coal mining but also coal thermal generation communities, totaling 37 communities. The preliminary deadline for presenting the first draft of the document is June of this year. The program is being developed with expert support from GIZ Ukraine and the World Bank.

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Total digital development geek out: USAID Digital Strategy as a song via #ChatGPT and Udio https://lnkd.in/eGcbXPGX Listen in - you'll love it! I figure that Allana Welch, MBA/MPP Eric Keys, PhD. (he/him/his) need a good pick-me-up from the AI at USAID event Steven Rynecki Andrew Merluzzi Lorri Anne Meils and a few of us are attending this week. Here's the full lyrics that are based on the Strategy: **Digital Harmony: A Song for USAID** (Verse 1) In this digital age, we rise and thrive, With open, secure systems, we drive, From nations afar to communities near, USAID's mission, let's make it clear. (Pre-Chorus) Innovation, bold and bright, With every click, we ignite, Human rights, prosperity, In our digital community. (Chorus) USAID, we unite, In the spirit of what's right, For a future that's so bright, Global development takes flight. (Verse 2) Empowering all, every race, every creed, With digital tools, we plant the seed, From health to education, food security, We build a world of possibility. (Pre-Chorus) Bridging gaps, making strides, Inclusion's our guide, Secure ecosystems, we defend, For a world where all transcend. (Chorus) USAID, we unite, In the spirit of what's right, For a future that's so bright, Global development takes flight. (Bridge) From Africa to Asia, and beyond the seas, Together we stand, as one we believe, In open access, in digital rights, USAID leads with all its might. (Verse 3) Adapting, transforming, every step we take, With partners and allies, we innovate, For a future where all can be free, In a digital world of equality. (Pre-Chorus) With every byte, with every code, On this interconnected road, We build, we transform, we protect, For a digital world of respect. (Chorus) USAID, we unite, In the spirit of what's right, For a future that's so bright, Global development takes flight. (Outro) So let's raise our voices, let the anthem ring, For the digital age, together we bring, A world that's open, secure, and bright, With USAID, we reach new heights.

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Today AFL-CIO and the International Trade Union Confederation - ITUC brought together unions, US government agencies, international organizations, and civil society to preview the AFL-CIO's new Pro-Worker Climate Migration Policy Framework. Informed by the experiences of unions and workers, this framework provides a roadmap for policymakers to work at the intersection of labor, climate, and migration policy to prioritize the needs and rights of all workers in the face of climate-induced displacement and migration. You can take a look here: https://lnkd.in/gCjTPtGc

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