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Carl Bildt

Carl Bildt

Writing for PS since 2009
122 commentaries

Carl Bildt was Sweden’s foreign minister from 2006 to 2014 and prime minister from 1991 to 1994, when he negotiated Sweden’s EU accession. A renowned international diplomat, he served as EU Special Envoy to the Former Yugoslavia, High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, UN Special Envoy to the Balkans, and Co-Chairman of the Dayton Peace Conference. He is Co-Chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations. 

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  1. The Indo-Pacific Strategy’s Fatal Blind Spot
    bildt121_PAVEL BYRKINSPUTNIKAFP via Getty Images_putinxi Pavel Byrkin/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

    The Indo-Pacific Strategy’s Fatal Blind Spot

    Mar 20, 2024 Carl Bildt worries that Western strategists are not paying enough attention to the incipient Russia-China axis.

  2. Russia Will Honor Navalny Someday
    bildt120_VASILY MAXIMOVAFP via Getty Images_navalny VASILY MAXIMOV/AFP via Getty Images

    Russia Will Honor Navalny Someday

    Feb 21, 2024 Carl Bildt reflects on the murdered opposition leader’s success in challenging Vladimir Putin’s regime.

  3. Extremism From the River to the Sea
    bildt119_MAHMUD HAMSAFP via Getty Images_gazawar Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images

    Extremism From the River to the Sea

    Jan 23, 2024 Carl Bildt laments the outsize role of one-state chauvinists on both sides of today's Israeli-Palestinian divide.

  4. Putin’s Dead-End
    bildt118_OLEKSII FILIPPOVSPUTNIKAFP via Getty Images_putin Oleksii Filippov/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

    Putin’s Dead-End

    Dec 19, 2023 Carl Bildt thinks the Russian leader's war against Ukraine is still destined to fail, irrespective of what America does.

  5. There Is Only One Way Forward in Gaza
    bildt117_J. DAVID AKEAFP via Getty Images_arafat rabin oslo J. David Ake/AFP via Getty Images

    There Is Only One Way Forward in Gaza

    Nov 20, 2023 Carl Bildt argues that the choice for Israelis and Palestinians has always been a two-state solution or eternal war.

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  1. lboone2_Celestino ArceNurPhoto via Getty Images_ukraine Celestino Arce/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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    Europe’s Red Tape Is Helping Russia

    Laurence Boone & Nicu Popescu

    The European Union’s cumbersome and narrowly defined regulations for public procurement and spending are not simply inadequate; they are dangerous. They weaken the bloc’s ability to protect itself from a broad range of Russian hybrid attacks while prolonging Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

     propose a European Defense Production Act to help fast-track processes for public procurement and spending.
  2. posner31_Spencer PlattGetty Images_trumptrial Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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    What to Look for in Trump’s First Trial

    Eric Posner

    The intricate legal issues and colorful characters in Donald Trump's criminal trials will undoubtedly keep the media and the viewing public enraptured for months to come. But when it comes to the 2024 election, all that really matters is how the defendant appears to a narrow sliver of undecided voters.

     points out that optics, more than the law or the facts, will be what matters most for the election.
  3. nixonsaintil2_shark_749Getty Images_AIdataclimatecity shark_749/Getty Images
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    AI Holds the Key to Resilient Cities

    Justina Nixon-Saintil surveys the technology's foreseeable applications in promoting urban sustainable development.
  4. ito36_ KAZUHIRO NOGIAFP via Getty Images_boj KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images
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    How Risky Is Japan’s Monetary-Policy Normalization?

    Takatoshi Ito considers the implications of the central bank’s exit from negative interest rates and quantitative easing.
  5. bansal1_Getty Images_family Getty Images
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    As Families Change, So Must the Safety Net

    Neha Bansal urges governments to implement policies that promote intergenerational integration and solidarity.
  6. skidelsky200_Getty Images_speech Getty Images
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    The Language of Political Control

    Robert Skidelsky views recent linguistic innovations as manipulative efforts to compel “correct” thought and perception.
  7. basu101_Alfonso Sangiao iStock Getty Images Plus_voting Alfonso Sangiao/iStock / Getty Images Plus
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    Globalization vs. Democracy

    Kaushik Basu highlights the contradictions and vulnerabilities inherent in the current international order.
  8. coyle36 Alishia AbodundeGetty Images INFRASTRUCTURE Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images
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    The West’s New Infrastructure Imperative

    Diane Coyle explains why a broader conception of the term could reflect a renewed interest in investing in the future.
  9. bp iran israel Photo by Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images
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    An Iran-Israel War?

    Iran’s mass ballistic missile and drone attack on Israel last week raised anew the specter of a widening Middle East war that draws in Iran and its proxies, as well as Western countries like the United States. The urgent need to defuse tensions – starting by ending Israel’s war in Gaza and pursuing a lasting political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – is obvious, but can it be done?

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