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Chris Patten

Chris Patten

Writing for PS since 2000
154 commentaries
3 videos & podcasts

Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong and a former EU commissioner for external affairs, is Chancellor of the University of Oxford and the author of The Hong Kong Diaries (Allen Lane, 2022).

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  1. The Myth of Western Decline
    patten154_ Stefan Rousseau - PoolGetty Images_g7 summit Stefan Rousseau - Pool/Getty Images

    The Myth of Western Decline

    May 29, 2023 Chris Patten argues that Chinese leaders’ characterization of liberal democracy as decadent betrays their fear of it.

  2. Macron in China
    patten153_LUDOVIC MARINAFP via Getty Images_macronchina Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images

    Macron in China

    Apr 24, 2023 Chris Patten urges the leaders of liberal democracies to stick together in the face of rising authoritarianism.

  3. Nursing the Iraq War Hangover
    patten152_Leon NealGetty Images_BBC Leon Neal/Getty Images

    Nursing the Iraq War Hangover

    Apr 3, 2023 Chris Patten urges British leaders to address the legacy of mistrust between liberal democracies and the Global South.

  4. Chris Patten on Rishi Sunak, Taiwan, Chinese diplomacy, and more
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    Chris Patten on Rishi Sunak, Taiwan, Chinese diplomacy, and more

    Feb 21, 2023 Chris Patten assesses the challenges British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces, anticipates more policy mistakes from Chinese President Xi Jinping, highlights two delusions that have distorted Western policymaking on China, and more.

  5. The Necessity of Morality in Foreign Policy
    patten149_OZAN KOSEAFP via Getty Images_uyghurprotest Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images

    The Necessity of Morality in Foreign Policy

    Jan 30, 2023 Chris Patten shows why “realism” requires heeding the lessons of history and defending democratic values.

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    Revisiting the Behavioral Revolution in Economics

    Antara Haldar assesses the legacy of the intellectual challenge to the view that rational self-interest guides our actions.
  2. varoufakis104_Andrew LichtensteinCorbis via Getty Images_amazonunion Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

    New AI Germ Busters Can Also Bust Unions

    Yanis Varoufakis shows how an AI-driven biomedical breakthrough could rob workers of what little power they have left.
  3. james206_anilakkusGetty Images_globalization anilakkus/Getty Images

    Globalization’s Warring Narratives

    Harold James examines the analytical disagreements that are hampering management of an unavoidable phenomenon.
  4. op_nagymohacsi2_Namthip MuanthongthaeGetty Images_CBDC Namthip Muanthongthae/Getty Images

    The Digital Economy’s New Monetary Imperative

    Piroska Nagy Mohácsi

    In a rapidly digitalizing world, central banks are staring down a future in which they may lack the tools necessary to manage crises, and in which they may no longer be able to protect their monetary sovereignty. They should recognize that digital currency is a source of institutional salvation.

    thinks governments must embrace central bank digital currencies or risk a fundamental loss of control.
  5. pisaniferry145_ Thierry MonasseGetty Images_eu green deal Thierry Monasse/Getty Images

    Europe’s Climate Quandary

    Jean Pisani-Ferry assesses the inevitable trade-offs the European Union must confront in achieving its clean-energy targets.
  6. basu92_Win McNameeGetty Images_samaltmanopenaisenate Win McNamee/Getty Images

    Governing the Unknown

    Kaushik Basu suggests a few principles to guide policymakers as they try to keep up with rapidly advancing technologies.
  7. oyebanji2_ PIUS UTOMI EKPEIAFP via Getty Images_lassa fever PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP via Getty Images

    Fast-Tracking a Lassa Fever Vaccine

    Oyeronke Oyebanji outlines what West African governments can learn from the development and distribution of the COVID-19 jab.
  8. schleussner1_David McNewGetty Images_heatwave David McNew/Getty Images

    Climate Science Beats Climate Fatalism

    Carl-Friedrich Schleussner, et al. show that the more ambitious 1.5º target for global warming is still feasible – and more necessary than ever.
  9. benami202_Burak KaraGetty Images_erdogan Burak Kara/Getty Images

    Turkey’s Pragmatic Islamist

    Shlomo Ben-Ami expects Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s latest electoral victory to have little impact on Turkish foreign policy.

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