Skip to main content

Chris Patten

Chris Patten

Writing for PS since 2000
157 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).

Sort by: Show:
  1. A Smidgen of Hope
    patten157_ANTHONY WALLACEAFP via Getty Images_jimmylai Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images

    A Smidgen of Hope

    Aug 30, 2023 Chris Patten highlights the crucial role of free speech in ensuring citizens' well-being in open societies.

  2. The Crisis of American Leadership
    patten156_Charles OmmanneyGetty Images_bushiraq Charles Ommanney/Getty Images

    The Crisis of American Leadership

    Aug 3, 2023 Chris Patten reflects on the disastrous long-term consequences of the United States' foreign-policy mistakes.

  3. Truth and Democracy
    patten155_John KeebleGetty Images_johnsontrumplies John Keeble/Getty Images

    Truth and Democracy

    Jun 29, 2023 Chris Patten explains why a commitment to an open, fact-based discourse is necessary to preserve political freedom.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

Follow Chris Patten

Never miss a commentary by Chris Patten

  1. ito31_EVELYN HOCKSTEINPOOLAFP via Getty Images_modibidenlulag20 Evelyn Hockstein/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

    Whither the G20?

    Takatoshi Ito

    Following the latest G20 summit, the G7 should be thinking seriously about deepening its own ties with more non-aligned countries. If the Ukraine war drags on, and if China continues to threaten to take Taiwan by force, the G20 will be split between friends of the BRICS and friends of the G7.

    sees the grouping as increasingly divided between friends of the G7 and friends of China and Russia.
  2. kitaw1_Per-Anders PetterssonGetty Images_africamining Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images

    Making the Most of Africa’s Strategic Green Minerals

    Marit Kitaw explains how the continent can move beyond resource extraction to build green industry.
  3. frankel128_ plus49Construction PhotographyAvalonGetty Images_emissions plus49Construction PhotographyAvalonGetty Images

    America Must Join Europe’s Climate Club

    Gary Yohe & Roger Kuhns urge US policymakers to create a carbon-pricing policy in line with the bloc’s emissions-reduction plan.
  4. ydeng1_ Feng LiGetty Images_chinapolicecorruption Feng Li/Getty Images

    Measuring Corruption in China

    Yongheng Deng & Shang-Jin Wei outline a novel approach to assessing the extent and scope of the country's graft problem.
  5. tyson115_ Chip SomodevillaGetty Images_local reporters Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    To Protect Democracy, Revive Local Journalism

    Laura Tyson & Lenny Mendonca identify promising new models and philanthropic initiatives geared toward supporting independent media.
  6. sjohnson2_ GHIEducation ImagesUniversal Images Group via Getty Images)_chemo GHI/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    How to Achieve Universal Cancer Care

    Sonali Johnson urges governments worldwide to include the disease in national health-insurance schemes.
  7. roubini181_mmxxmmGetty Images_digitalclimate mmxxmm/Getty Images

    What Climate Finance Needs

    Nouriel Roubini & Reza Bundy

    To prevent catastrophic climate change and accelerate the global transition to a net-zero economy, policymakers and asset owners urgently need to rethink how we channel capital at scale. The key is to develop new financial instruments that are profitable, liquid, and easily accessible to savers and investors globally.

    explain what it will take to channel private capital and savings toward sustainable development.
  8. galbraith28_ Chip SomodevillaGetty Images_biden Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    Down on the Biden Economy

    James K. Galbraith thinks the failure of wages to keep up with inflation explains much of the public’s dour mood.
  9. norloff2_PM ImagesGetty Images_dollar PM Images/Getty Images

    The Dollar’s Full-Spectrum Dominance

    Carla Norrlöf foresees the greenback’s continued global hegemony owing to network effects and opportunism.

Edit Newsletter Preferences

Set up Notification

To receive email updates regarding this {entity_type}, please enter your email below.

If you are not already registered, this will create a PS account for you. You should receive an activation email shortly.