Dr. Robert Farley has taught security and diplomacy courses at the Patterson School of Diplomacy and Commerce at UK since 2005. His most recent book is,” Waging War with Gold: National Security and the Finance Domain Across the Ages. “ Establishing the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions were creative initiatives to provide stability and mechanisms to peacefully resolve conflicts. It would be extremely dangerous to move from the dollar to a cryptocurrency as the major currency. In the future, there are four potential scenarios, one in which the US remains a financial hegemon, a second in which we see a relatively orderly transition to another hegemon, a third that looks at the development of a bipolar finance domain and a fourth that witnesses the development of a multipolar financial commons. Regarding tariffs, the customer pays the tariff increases, not the country of origin or distributor, which raises overall costs.

John R. Wilmoth is the Director of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division at the UN. The Population Division has a myriad of excellent reports, studies and conferences, many of which can be viewed at: www.un.org/development/desa/pd/ Health is a human right and a centerpiece of sustainable development, recognized in various United Nations commitments, including the outcome of the International Conference on Population and Development held in 1994 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted in 2015, commonly called the Sustainable Development Goals. Despite earlier gains, progress on many health indicators has stalled in recent years. These issues were discussed at the recent 58th session of the Commission on Population and Development that took place from 7 to 11 April 2025 at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. One of several themes was to focus on health care for all, which is a universal right.

Dr. Desmond Dinan is a professor of public policy in the Schar School of Policy and Government and holds the Jean Monnet Chair in European Public Policy at George Mason University. His most recent book is,” A Concise History of the European Union.” The EU concept grew out of WW2, but the EU was relaunched in the 1990s to deal with monetary issues, the end of the Cold War, globalization, and the unification of Germany. Putin’s illegal attack on Ukraine and the Trump administration’s belligerency toward the EU and NATO have helped refocus European interest in cooperation and multilateralism. Few Europeans realized how negative Trump2.0 would be for the continent, especially through undermining the Trans-Atlantic System, partnerships and shared values. In response to a variety of threats, the EU is starting to improve its defense procurement industry and organizing a military response, while ramping up its potential international peacekeeping activities.