Belgium currently exists as a microcosm of the multicultural cooperative effort that is modern Europe. Like the broader EU, it faces the same rising tides of nationalism and populism. Will Belgium survive?
Opposition came from within the government itself, especially through political competition at the municipal level and institutional blockage at the national level.
The climate moonshots of this past week will only be feasible if the public sector’s primary decision-makers have the literacy to think about the underlying problems relatively scientifically — understanding the long-term impact, recognizing the value of technological innovation to solve specific problems, and mobilizing to enable the systems-wide approach necessary to prepare and respond for any issue of such a magnitude.
In August of last year, the Beirut Port explosion evinced the tragedy of Lebanon’s demise — yet another misfortune in a country already felled by rampant corruption, institutional paralysis, and gross financial malfeasance.
Non-fungible tokens, despite being a distant reality, are a valuable thought experiment: What does the world look like when individuals can purchase a stake in that which others create?
In the end, Pérez Jiménez transformed the city, but he did not transform hearts and minds. Although the buildings still stand, his government’s legacy most certainly does not.
Much like the challenges that plagued the United States last year, many of the problems we are facing in 2021 will require us to find synergy between systems and perspectives that often clash — including between the public and private sectors, the individual and the greater population, and federal and state governments. Understanding these three sets of dynamics will ensure a better approach toward accelerating pandemic mitigation and recovery.
