By H. T. Goranson and Beth CardierBRISBANE — COVID-19 is hitting everyone hard, and behind the scenes, defence and government leaders are viewing the pandemic as an example of the type of blow from which modern societies must be able to recover.

By Michael Chertoff, Latha Reddy and Alexander Klimburg WASHINGTON, DC — The recent discovery of the devastating Sunburst hacking campaign against US and global targets is once again challenging the international community to respond to an increase in cyber attacks.

By Mohamed Nasheed and Loren Legarda MALÉ/MANILA — Jamaica, Rwanda, the Marshall Islands and Mongolia are among the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, and account for just a small percentage of global emissions.

By Carl Manlan and Efosa OjomoLOMÉ/BOSTON — In the United Nations’ 2020 World Investment Report, Secretary General António Guterres noted that global foreign direct investment (FDI) this year is “expected to fall sharply from 2019 levels of $1.5 trillion” to below the trough

By Shamshad Akhtar, Kevin P. Gallagher, Stephany Griffith-Jones, Jörg Haas and Ulrich VolzISLAMABAD — A global debt crisis is looming.

By Xu Han, Sebastian Lewis and Shaun Roache NEW YORK — At the United Nations General Assembly this September, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that China aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.

By Anders Åslund and Djoomart Otorbaev BISHKEK — Global indebtedness has never been greater than it is today. With interest rates so low for so long, anyone who could borrow has done so.

By Michael Spence and Danny LeipzigerMILAN — Increased government spending during the pandemic is essential for managing public health, supporting households that have lost income and preserving businesses that otherwise may fail and thus cause longer-term damage to output and em

By Mariana Mazzucato, Josh Ryan-Collins, and Asker Voldsgaard LONDON — “Mission creep”, the gradual or incremental broadening of an organisation’s objectives beyond its original scope or focus, is typically regarded as undesirable.