Diplomacy

Top OECD Negotiator, Michael Plowgian, Rejoins KPMG LLP

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火曜日, 4月 16, 2024
Pillar, Negotiation, Harvard Law School, Economy, Denison University, KPMG, Organization, Treasury, Tufts University, Diplomacy, Human, Legislation, KPMG LLP, OECD, Renewable energy

New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - April 16, 2024) - KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax, and advisory firm, today announced that Michael Plowgian, a leading voice in international tax policy, has rejoined the firm as a principal in Washington National Tax.

Key Points: 
  • New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - April 16, 2024) - KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax, and advisory firm, today announced that Michael Plowgian, a leading voice in international tax policy, has rejoined the firm as a principal in Washington National Tax.
  • He will also serve as the International Tax Policy Lead for the Americas and on the Global Policy Leadership Team.
  • "Michael's first-hand experience negotiating at the OECD will be invaluable to our multinational clients grappling with its implementation," said Rema Serafi (@remaserafi), Vice Chair - Tax, KPMG LLP.
  • "The new international tax landscape is extraordinarily complex, with far-reaching impacts on companies' tax positions, compliance, operations and more," said Danielle Rolfes , partner in charge - Washington National Tax, KPMG LLP.

Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue Unveils World’s First Tech Diplomacy Academy, Pioneering a New Era of Global Leadership

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火曜日, 4月 30, 2024
Education, Technology, White House, Federal Government, State, Local, Security, Training, Other Defense, Defense, Internet, Public Policy, Government, Continuing, Science, Partnership, ARI, Public diplomacy, Veritas Capital, German Marshall Fund, Purdue University, Knowledge, Diplomacy, Semiconductor, The German, United, Assistant, NYCU, Civilization, Security Commission, Computer science and engineering, The Business Council, Comprehension, National Chengchi University, Artificial intelligence, Freedom, Engineering, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Multimedia, Child, Lead, Tech, Hoover Institution, Policy, Authoritarianism, University, Curriculum, STEM, Krach, NCCU, Commissioner, ASPI, Quad, Renewable energy

Pioneered by the Krach Institute, Tech Diplomacy is a groundbreaking category that integrates technology, commercial and foreign policy expertise to guide the trajectory of trusted tech toward advancing freedom, security and prosperity worldwide.

Key Points: 
  • Pioneered by the Krach Institute, Tech Diplomacy is a groundbreaking category that integrates technology, commercial and foreign policy expertise to guide the trajectory of trusted tech toward advancing freedom, security and prosperity worldwide.
  • View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240430522409/en/
    Krach Institute launches Tech Diplomacy Academy (Graphic: Business Wire)
    “Technology shapes every facet of our personal and professional lives, and the destiny of nations,” said Keith Krach, former Under Secretary of State, and Co-founder and Chairman of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue.
  • “With the launch of the Tech Diplomacy Academy, we are not merely responding to this reality; we are shaping it.
  • To join the Tech Diplomacy Academy and see what others are saying, please visit TechDiplomacyAcademy.org .

C.K. McWhorter Calls On Prince William in an Effort to Redirect Global Defense Spending Towards Humanitarian Advancements

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木曜日, 4月 11, 2024
Education, Health, SIPRI, Diplomacy, Hunger, Partnership, Support, William, Prince of Wales

McWhorter, American businessman/philanthropist & the McWhorter Foundation, extend a request to Prince William of Whales.

Key Points: 
  • McWhorter, American businessman/philanthropist & the McWhorter Foundation, extend a request to Prince William of Whales.
  • The call for this monumental shift in priorities builds upon McWhorter's "Proclamation Of Peace," issued earlier April 10, 2024.
  • Recognizing the power of unity and collective action, McWhorter invites Prince William to join forces in a mission that transcends traditional boundaries.
  • The McWhorter Foundation looks forward to engaging with Prince William, global leaders, and communities worldwide to advance this transformative action.

Energy Transition Accelerator Advances with New Secretariat, Expert Consultative Group

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金曜日, 4月 19, 2024
Jeff Bezos, Rockefeller Foundation, SCALE, Energy transition, Partnership, Policy, Face, Environment, Private sector, Secretariat, Climate, EnergySolutions, Chairperson, LEAF, COP28, United, International Energy Agency, UN, CEEW, World Bank Group, Management, Sustainable energy, Developed country, Temperature, Government, World Bank, COP27, ETA, Diplomacy, Poverty, Ministry, Senior advisor, Renewable energy

"We must deliver innovative finance solutions at the speed and scale needed to transition to clean power and keep 1.5 degrees within reach.

Key Points: 
  • "We must deliver innovative finance solutions at the speed and scale needed to transition to clean power and keep 1.5 degrees within reach.
  • "Investment in the energy transition needs to rise seven-fold by 2030," said Dr. Andrew Steer, President and CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund.
  • The Energy Transition Accelerator, by insisting on the highest standards, can usher in a new phase of high integrity carbon crediting.
  • The Philippines also hopes to inform the global energy transition dialogue through its unique perspective of a privately-owned, market-driven, and unsubsidized power sector.

Ocean Resilience and Climate Alliance Continues to Gain Momentum as it Reaches $300 Million in Commitments and Announces New Director

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水曜日, 4月 17, 2024
Carbon, Organization, Indigenous peoples, Climate change, Conservation International, Biodiversity, Climate, Survival, Diplomacy, Innovation, Research, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, COP28, Blue Ventures, Front line

ATHENS, Greece, April 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Ocean Resilience and Climate Alliance (ORCA), a funder collaborative of leading climate and ocean institutions, announced several exciting milestones just four months after its launch at COP28, including the appointment of Dr. Alasdair Harris as its Director and an additional $50 million in commitments, bringing ORCA's total investment to over $300 million. The coalition is also announcing several of the lead grantees that are receiving funding and will support efforts to accelerate ocean-climate and marine-based initiatives.

Key Points: 
  • Most recently, he served as the founding Executive Director of Blue Ventures, an organization dedicated to rebuilding tropical fisheries with coastal communities.
  • "I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to join ORCA and help advance the work of this remarkable portfolio of ocean-based climate solutions," said Dr. Harris, newly-announced Director of ORCA.
  • "From the high arctic to the tropics, ORCA grantees demonstrate the vital role of our oceans and coastal communities in addressing the climate crisis.
  • "Climate change certainly isn't the only threat facing our ocean, but is a truly existential one.

Longtime Higher Education Leader Joins Lumina Board

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木曜日, 4月 11, 2024
Education, Public, University, Social Science Research Council, American Council, Human, Council, Arizona State University, Science policy, Book, War, Jigsaw (company), Passion (emotion), Learned society, Diplomacy, Columbia University, Research, Hispanic-serving institution, True Story, University of La Verne, Mahdavi, Pardis, Pomona College, Occidental College, Anthropology, Philosophy, Foreign policy, Democracy, Student, Human rights, Diana Villiers Negroponte, Feminism, Management

INDIANAPOLIS, April 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Pardis Mahdavi , president of the University of La Verne , a private, nonprofit Hispanic-Serving Institution in the Los Angeles area, has joined Lumina Foundation's Board of Directors , which concluded its spring meeting today.

Key Points: 
  • INDIANAPOLIS, April 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Pardis Mahdavi , president of the University of La Verne , a private, nonprofit Hispanic-Serving Institution in the Los Angeles area, has joined Lumina Foundation's Board of Directors , which concluded its spring meeting today.
  • "Pardis' background and unwavering dedication to education will invigorate our efforts to create opportunity for today's college students," said Jamie Merisotis, Lumina's president and CEO.
  • "Her experiences position her to contribute fresh perspectives that align with our shared commitment to democracy, diversity, and service."
  • Mahdavi joins Teresa Lubbers , president of Sagamore Institute and former leader of the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, as a new member of Lumina's board, serving a four-year term.

Christine Lagarde: Unlocking the power of ideas

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火曜日, 4月 23, 2024
CHIPS, Reproduction, International Energy Agency, Friends, Face, Learning, Theodore Roosevelt, CIT, The New York Times, Printing, History, Pleasure, Commerce Clause, Frankfurt, Artificial intelligence, Commerce, Wine, Congo, European Commission, Rail transport by country, USD, Inflation, Courage, Speech, Congress, Liberty, Hidden champions, ECB, Gibbons v. Ogden, Shock, Diffusion, Observation, Communication, International Monetary Fund, Ambition, GDP, Coal, IEA, McKinsey & Company, Electricity, EDS, European University Institute, Public policy, CHIPS and Science Act, Research, News, AI, EMU, Competition (economics), Robotics, Oxford University Press, Single market, Machine learning, Book, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Solow–Swan model, European Central Bank, Democratic republic, Brain, Growth, Brookings Institution, European Council, Supreme, Steel, Natural Resources, Society, University of Chicago Press, Literacy, Necessary, Life, Diplomacy, Heart, Optimism, Economic growth, European Investment Fund, Renewable energy

Since 2022 rising housing costs have, on average, largely been offset by growth in household income, leading to stable housing cost to household income ratios.

Key Points: 
  • Since 2022 rising housing costs have, on average, largely been offset by growth in household income, leading to stable housing cost to household income ratios.
  • The housing cost burden has, however, increased slightly for both renter and mortgage households at the upper end of the income distribution.

China’s new world order: looking for clues from Xi’s recent meetings with foreign leaders

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金曜日, 4月 19, 2024
Xi, Negotiation, Policy, Child, Wind, Freezing, Diplomacy, G7, UN, Arms industry

This has also meant that Chinese foreign policy has become more personalised and that Xi’s own diplomatic engagements offer potentially important clues about its direction.

Key Points: 
  • This has also meant that Chinese foreign policy has become more personalised and that Xi’s own diplomatic engagements offer potentially important clues about its direction.
  • The international order is clearly in flux and a key driver of this change, by its own admission, has been China.
  • Read more:
    Xi and Biden spoke on the phone for 105 minutes: what does this say about their relationship?

The European dynamic

  • Engagements with Germany, however, also have a broader European, and especially EU dimension.
  • Germany now has its own moderately hawkish China strategy, aiming to reduce economic reliance on Beijing.
  • But Berlin is still considered softer than many other EU member states and therefore an important ally for Beijing within the EU and in EU-US deliberations on China policy.
  • From a German and European perspective, the Russian conduct in the war against Ukraine remains a key concern.

Scholz and Xi on diplomacy

  • These included sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the importance to explore diplomatic ways to end the war.
  • What is significant is Scholz’s statement that rather than western military support for Ukraine, diplomacy now takes centre-stage.
  • China’s approach to managing, and shaping, the fluidity of the international system relies predominantly on diplomacy, albeit with a significant coercive streak.


Stefan Wolff is a past recipient of grant funding from the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK, the United States Institute of Peace, the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK, the British Academy, the NATO Science for Peace Programme, the EU Framework Programmes 6 and 7 and Horizon 2020, as well as the EU's Jean Monnet Programme. He is a Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Political Studies Association of the UK and a Senior Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre in London.

Ecuador: raid on Mexican embassy draws international criticism – but President Noboa hopes voters approve

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水曜日, 4月 10, 2024
WikiLeaks, Vienna Convention, Private law, Associated, Associated Press, Ecuadorians, Diplomacy, Immunity, Arrest, Organization of American States, International law, Government, Violence, Drug

Ecuador’s security forces recently conducted a raid on the Mexican embassy in the country’s capital city, Quito.

Key Points: 
  • Ecuador’s security forces recently conducted a raid on the Mexican embassy in the country’s capital city, Quito.
  • Against the backdrop of rampant narco-terrorism and escalating regional tensions, concerns have been raised about Ecuador’s respect for these fundamental principles.
  • The police raid on April 5 has drawn widespread criticism targeting Ecuador’s president, Daniel Noboa.
  • The country’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, condemned what it called the “despicable authoritarian” raid which is declared to be in violation of international law.

A political raid

  • To an extent the raid on the Mexican embassy is bound up with the Ecuadorian government’s aggressive approach to the country’s problems with drugs and gang violence.
  • Noboa’s initially high approval ratings have been falling thanks to the public perception that his hardline policies have done little to address the issue.
  • But Noboa’s referendum appears to serve a dual political purpose.

Sovereignty and security

  • So the raid on the Mexican embassy has raised doubts in many people’s minds as to whether a government with apparently scant regard for international law can be trusted not to abuse its new security laws.
  • The importance of Mexico’s relationship with Ecuador is central to addressing the mobility crisis in the region.
  • To protect people’s security in the region, diplomatic collaboration between countries such as Ecuador and Mexico is vital.


The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

China has finally removed crushing tariffs on Australian wine. But re-establishing ourselves in the market won’t be easy

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水曜日, 4月 10, 2024
Pressure, Risk, Appellate Body, World Trade Organization, Hope, Wind, Diplomacy, Commerce, Wine, Treasury Wine Estates, Humour, Renewable energy

China’s Ministry of Commerce has finally ended its tariffs on Australian wine, which had been imposed for more than three years at rates as high as 218.4%.

Key Points: 
  • China’s Ministry of Commerce has finally ended its tariffs on Australian wine, which had been imposed for more than three years at rates as high as 218.4%.
  • In 2019, Australia sold A$1.24 billion worth of wine to China, surpassing France to capture a market share close to 40%.
  • Last year, US imports of Australian wine actually fell by about 20%, the UK held flat, and sales to India remain trivial.

Since we’ve been gone

  • The departure of Australian wine from the Chinese market created a gap that was quickly filled by other suppliers.
  • But the size of China’s imported wine market has also more than halved over this period, falling from A$3.3 billion in 2019 to A$1.5 billion last year.
  • On re-entry, Australian wine producers are set to face stiff competition in a significantly smaller market.
  • Major Australian producers like Treasury Wine Estates have maintained sizeable staff headcounts in China, expecting the Chinese market to return to prominence in their business.

Lessons for Australia – could it happen again?

  • Conversely, Australia used the WTO to challenge Chinese tariffs on barley and wine.
  • To maintain the WTO’s effectiveness, Australia and China have a shared interest in restoring its appellate mechanism, the Appellate Body.
  • It also offers broader lessons for Australia and is another data point confirming a positive trajectory in the overall bilateral relationship.
  • Read more:
    Positive outlook, with a dash of humour: Wang Yi's visit sets the tone for a real diplomatic reboot


The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.