A crisis-prone period

Global conflict: A file picture of Sofia, Bulgaria shows the sun rising behind chimneys of a thermal power station. As global temperatures rise, the potential for human conflict over water, food, energy and resource stresses is rising by the day. – AFP

FORMER US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was supposed to have joked that “there can’t be another crisis – my calendar is full”.

This July has been full of surprises – the hottest summer in Europe, a drought in California, a full blown Greek crisis, China A-share almost meltdown, and continued conflict in the Middle East. Touring the region recently, one felt that almost every incumbent politician is facing his or her brick walls, with push-backs in policies, polarised discourses and squabbles everywhere.