The importance of the religious factor today from the lives of millions of individuals up to global dynamics does not need to be pointed out any longer. Neither does it need to be argued that our world is affected by many kinds of violence from the domestic to the global level. The link between religion and violence, conflict, extremism and terrorism gets a lot of attention, is extensively reported, researched and increasingly taken into account in policymaking and international relations. However, the other side of the coin, namely the link between religion and peace, gets far less attention. Given the obvious presence of religion on the world scene today and its role in stimulating, supporting or legitimizing conflicts and violence, it is rather surprising that within the international community and the academic world attention is rising so lately and sporadically to the role of religion in peacebuilding.

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The landscape of technological innovation across the world is changing, and doing so rapidly. The extent of competitive challenge faced by European enterprises in the knowledge economy from the emergence of Asian technology powerhouses, and in particular by the likes of China and India, is a genuine reflection of the changes now taking place in the international economy.

European politicians and business leaders need to become more aware of the current and future innovative capacity that these countries are creating for themselves. To be sure, Europe continues to enjoy singular competitive advantages in the sophistication of its knowledge industries, but this is most certainly no time for complacency. Instead, an outward facing strategy is required in order to grasp opportunities for partnership with Asia, whilst also recognising and responding to potential threats to Europe’s current advantage in innovation from Asia. Read the rest of this entry »