Big Ideas

Mark Carney’s Reith lectures chart how we have come to esteem financial value over human value and how we have gone from market economies to market societies. He argues this has contributed to a trio of crises: of credit, Covid and climate.

Has Covid 19 created a new world order? At the beginning of the pandemic China took a step back but is now on the front foot. America , meanwhile , is still deep in Covid hell. Can a vaccine and a new president restore America’s place in the world? CNN foreign affairs analyst Fareed Zakaria looks at the future balance of power.

Has Covid 19 created a new world order? At the beginning of the pandemic China took a step back but is now on the front foot. America , meanwhile , is still deep in Covid hell. Can a vaccine and a new president restore America’s place in the world? CNN foreign affairs analyst Fareed Zakaria looks at the future balance of power.

Political protest is a form of free speech and is seen as fundamental to democracy. In a time of COVID, however, large public gatherings are considered potentially hazardous. And governments have banned certain forms of protest.  Is the right to protest being undermined?

Political protest is a form of free speech and is seen as fundamental to democracy. In a time of COVID, however, large public gatherings are considered potentially hazardous. And governments have banned certain forms of protest.  Is the right to protest being undermined?

International cooperation is critical as the world wrestles with the impact of COVID 19. It’s just as important when tackling climate change or security threats by terrorists or cyberattacks. A panel of European Ambassadors reflects on the state of global affairs and international cooperation. Can multilateralism survive emerging regional tensions? How can trust in international organisations be restored.

International cooperation is critical as the world wrestles with the impact of COVID 19. It’s just as important when tackling climate change or security threats by terrorists or cyberattacks. A panel of European Ambassadors reflects on the state of global affairs and international cooperation. Can multilateralism survive emerging regional tensions? How can trust in international organisations be restored.

No-one wants a repeat of last summer’s devastating bushfires but the risks are increasing due to climate change. So we need to use all the tools at our disposal to manage the size and scale of the fires. An indigenous geographer says we should tap into 60,000 years of indigenous knowledge which uses fire to shape landscapes and other practices to preserve biodiversity.

No-one wants a repeat of last summer’s devastating bushfires but the risks are increasing due to climate change. So we need to use all the tools at our disposal to manage the size and scale of the fires. An indigenous geographer says we should tap into 60,000 years of indigenous knowledge which uses fire to shape landscapes and other practices to preserve biodiversity.

Roll on the end of 2020. Next year has to be better! With three Covid vaccines in the starting gate, life can begin to be normal again. But we can’t avoid the legacy of the pandemic. How will it shape our future and the way we respond to the next emergency? Can we make up for lost time in universities, the arts and the economy?