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One hundred years ago, a formal international civil service was first created. Its aim was to promote and maintain a rules-based world order. So has it stood the test of time? Henning Melber thinks so, and explains why.
Minerals are widely held to be at the heart of ongoing conflict in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. That's because the mines they come out of are believed to be controlled by armed groups who use revenue to fund their activities, earning them the label "conflict minerals". Responsible sourcing initiatives are meant to address the problem. Peer Schouten explores whether they do the job.
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Top stories
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Henning Melber, University of Pretoria
An international civil service matters for global governance. Without it, it would be impossible to promote and maintain a rules-based world.
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Peer Schouten, Danish Institute for International Studies
Responsible mineral sourcing programmes in the DRC have their flaws.
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Environment + Energy
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Chris Changwe Nshimbi, University of Pretoria
Cyclone Idai showed just how unprepared SADC is to respond to major natural disasters.
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Thomas Daum, University of Hohenheim
Agriculture is well placed to provide employment for millions across the African continent.
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Science + Technology
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Shüné Oliver, National Institute for Communicable Diseases
Researchers are only beginning to understand the impact of pollution and increased temperatures on the biology of mosquitoes.
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Betony Adams, University of KwaZulu-Natal; Francesco Petruccione, University of KwaZulu-Natal; Maria Schuld, University of KwaZulu-Natal
Quantum machine learning is an exciting and rapidly growing field.
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Arts + Culture
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Gwen Ansell, University of Pretoria
Speculative writers flesh out our passing thoughts into complete, functioning societies and explore how they might unfold.
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David Paton, University of Johannesburg
A new donation of artists' books to a South African art gallery constitutes one of the largest exhibitions of artists' books held globally.
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From our international editions
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Greg Asner, Arizona State University
A new study lays out a road map for protecting and restoring 50% of Earth's surface, targeted to preserve biodiversity and maximize natural removal of carbon from the atmosphere.
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Andreas Kern, Georgetown University
President Trump has been attacking the Federal Reserve for months and recently said he might nominate two political allies to its board. An economist explain what typically happens next.
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