Political Pandora

The story of climate technology transfers reveals both the pitfalls of older North–South models and the opportunities that new forms of cooperation present. Traditional approaches have been constrained by credit rating biases, intellectual property barriers, and the chronic underdelivery of international climate finance. While China has forced technology transfers in a way that few other countries can, this has not been without its pitfalls.

In previous conflicts between India and Pakistan, there was a general sense that it was our governments who were at war and not the people. But this time, it seemed different. There was a parallel war being fought on social media. It was clear that the governments on both sides wanted to shape public opinion through controlling the flow of information. 

Water is a fundamental feature of the African continent, and it is often unequally distributed. As noted by the WWF, countries around the African continent normally share important water basins, yet the increasing construction of dams and reservoirs exacerbates droughts and floods, and centralizes water collection and supply. 

An inflection point exists with India's suspension of the IWT that echoes beyond the immediate Indo-Pakistani dyad. It brings an urgent inquiry into whether international law allows suspension of treaty obligations based on persistent non-state violence.