In a moment when global cooperation is fraying and public climate ambition is under strain, one of the most consequential actors in the fight against climate change does not hold elected office, command a multilateral institution, or lead a nation. He controls capital. Tom Taylor, the president of the Bezos
BRUSSELS — At a moment when the global order is being stress-tested from Ukraine to the Middle East, one of the most consequential diplomatic voices in the world does not come from Washington or Beijing—but from Brussels. Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,
At a moment when the global economy is splintering into competing blocs and supply chains are being redrawn in real time, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala finds herself at the center of one of the most consequential questions of this decade: can global trade survive fragmentation? As Director-General of the World Trade Organization,
President, NATO Innovation Fund At a moment when technological superiority is increasingly synonymous with geopolitical stability, Dr. Ari Kristinn Jónsson has stepped into one of the most strategically significant roles in global innovation as President of the NATO Innovation Fund. His appointment in March 2026 comes as NATO accelerates efforts
When the world gathers in Antalya in November 2026 for the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference, the man at the center of the negotiations will be Murat Kurum, Türkiye’s Minister of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change. Appointed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Kurum will serve as president of COP31,
In early 2026, Nepal experienced one of the most dramatic political shifts in its modern history. At the center of it stood Balendra Shah, a former underground rapper, structural engineer, and mayor of Kathmandu who rose to become the country’s prime minister following a landslide election victory driven largely by
Leadership in a Moment of Global Disruption As war in Iran disrupts critical maritime routes and sends shockwaves through global supply chains, the importance of steady leadership in the shipping industry has rarely been clearer. The conflict has strained shipping routes across the Middle East, including the Strait of Hormuz,
Her departure marks the end of a tenure defined by global upheaval, institutional reform and a renewed effort to keep hunger at the center of world affairs. Rome — Cindy McCain, the executive director of the World Food Programme, said she will step down later this year, citing health concerns
In the Congo Basin, the argument is no longer whether forests matter. It is whether they can pay. For more than a decade, Lee White helped position Gabon not only as a conservation success story, but as a country determined to translate forest protection into fiscal leverage. Now, as Congo
In N’Djamena, climate policy is measured less in pledges than in resilience. Hassan Bakhit Djamous, who became Chad’s Minister of Environment, Fisheries and Sustainable Development in October 2024, has assumed his portfolio at a moment when environmental governance is inseparable from fiscal stability and national security. Drought, flooding and desertification
