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A coup d'état, or coup, is the seizure of physical and political control of state machinery by a small group of people. This is often a forcibly military-imposed rule which has a goal of replacing the government. Coups have a long and widespread history in Africa. Since the independence of most African states during the 1960s, there has been an upsurge in Unconstitutional Changes of Government (UCGs) which in many cases, lead to coups. The number of coups across the continent’s fifty-four countries has ranged between eight and twenty-six every decade.

The long-awaited Peace Summit to explore the possibilities of resolving the Russia-Ukraine war will take place in Switzerland on the 15th-16th of June. The Peace Summit is the result of the Ukrainian government’s intensive diplomatic campaign for gathering support for its vision of long and enduring peace based on the United Nations Charter, international law, and justice. The Summit is expected to discuss the Ukrainian Peace Formula (UPF), introduced by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who articulated Ukraine’s perspective on the political-diplomatic settlement that could become a solution to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Over the past decade, Teaching Excellence has risen right up the agenda of universities around the world. It’s worth pausing a moment to consider, and reflect on, from whence this concern began. Dating back to the 1990s, nations around the globe had either established or were in the process of establishing quality assurance frameworks which outlined baseline standards for education. Such frameworks were used to audit universities' educational offer, and external requirements to address accountability, value for money, and support for students’ credit transferability.

International cooperation to strengthen research and economic competitiveness in critical technologies while promoting resilient supply chains is perhaps one of the greatest challenges currently facing the European Union, the United States, and Japan today. This message was most recently underlined by Tokyo at the May 2024 OECD ministerial meeting in Paris where Japan unveiled a framework for the global regulation of generative artificial intelligence alongside convening a Japan-EU High Level Economic Dialogue where a Transparent, Resilient and Sustainable Supply Chains Initiative was agreed.

From the outset, the United Nations (UN) has been, and continues to be, closely intertwined with the displacement of the Palestinians, their right to return, and the political and practical crises that have arisen from the “Palestinian problem”. Since the adoption of the United Nations General Assembly’s Resolution 302 , the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has operated within the region, providing essential services and global political representation for the 5.9 million Palestinian refugees. The legitimacy and existence of UNRWA has been repeatedly called into question, especially during episodes of armed conflict within Israel; this time is no exception.

On 26 January 2024, the ICJ delivered its Order on the request for provisional measures submitted by South Africa via the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel). This case was brought to the ICJ by South Africa, who alleges that Israel has during this most recent assault on the Gaza Strip, precipitated by the 7 October 2023 Hamas incursion and terror attacks into Israel proper, violated the principles of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

In a historic first, the European Parliament approved on March 13, 2024, the Artificial Intelligence Act. The vote is one of the final steps before a process - that started more than three years ago with the European Commission’s April 2021 proposal - is brought to an end by May or June of this year. Adopting a risk-based approach, which according to EU officials ensures the future proofing of the legislation, the EU AI Act has the potential to become an important AI governance model. That is both good and bad news.

The Council of Europe’s draft Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, aims to become a “first-of-a-kind treaty” according to an announcement that marked the finalization of the convention’s draft text. This effort to conclude a multilateral treaty on AI aspires to set global standards for artificial intelligence that are consistent with human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.

Entering its third year, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has shifted into a war of attrition, diminishing the prospects of a swift diplomatic resolution any time soon. The multitude of peace proposals from different states, scholars and experts often resulted in neglecting the views and needs of Ukraine itself, thereby risking side-lining or overlooking a broader Ukrainian vision for peace and the post-war settlement.‍

Misinformation and disinformation have become this year’s buzzwords as voters in over 40 countries head to the voting booths in 2024 along with dozens more scheduled to be held in 2025. Not everyone shares the concern or the outlook, but there is no doubt that the next two years will be decisive for the future of democracy and societies around the world.