Global Memos

The revelations by former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden that the NSA is conducting broad surveillance in both the United States and abroad, as well as spying on foreign leaders' communication, proved to be an important turning point for the future of Internet governance. To protect the openness of the Internet while assuaging tensions, three major reforms should be undertaken, writes expert Annegret Bendiek.

Since the 2002 bombings in Bali, the Indonesian government has developed a counterterrorism strategy that seeks to address both the immediate threat and underlying causes of terrorism. Indonesia's multipronged approach to counterterrorism and continued efforts to thwart radicalism provide valuable examples for other nations, writes expert Iis Gindarsah.

The impact of the drugs trade and the failure of the prevailing narcotics control system to bring it under control are shocking, but debate is intensifying over putting more emphasis on demand reduction, writes expert Virginia Comolli.

International meetings on nuclear security, Internet governance, and climate change headline a series of summits that could yield significant policy changes, says CFR's Stewart Patrick.

With the Doha round stalled, regional talks offer the best channel for advancing trade liberalization and contributing to world economic growth, write Jaime Zabludovsky Kuper and Sergio Gomez Lora.

In the absence of governmental initiatives to ease tensions, civil contacts between Japanese and Chinese opinion leaders could make a difference, says expert Yasushi Kudo.

The African Union has achieved some peacekeeping successes but needs to improve coordination with the UN to strengthen African security, writes expert Alfredo Tjiurimo Hengari.

The Internet's growing role in economies and societies also poses new threats. The time has come for states and private partners to set global norms for web conduct, says expert Andrea Renda.