Global Futures Initiative

The terrorist attacks of early 2015 have sparked wide-ranging debates. Why do people engage in terrible acts of violence? What has failed in their societies and in their values? What is to be done? Can economic, social, and political development counter violent religious extremism—and if so, how? What is to be undertaken against ISIS and its allies in particular, while maintaining a respectful stance towards Islam and Muslims in general?

This week we invited bloggers to address the issues of inequality and inequity that hit so squarely the core ethical challenges of fairness and opportunity. What more could development institutions do to address inequality both within and between nations? What are priority actions? And what parts of the problem are not sufficiently understood (notwithstanding many thousands of texts and equations)? What research needs to be done?

Also this week, The White House conference on violent extremism brought home the links between security and development, and at the World Bank Dr. Kim led a daylong discussion on February 18 that echoed themes from his inaugural Global Futures lecture at Georgetown. Georgetown's Katherine Marshall reflects on these connections in her Huffington Post piece.