The quarrel in the US and elsewhere over controversial monuments and the debate over mask wearing as a means to contain Covid-19 highlight the tension between individual rights and communal good. Societies must find the common threads that bind us or risk a break-up.

Even after lockdowns, periodic outbreaks of Covid-19 mean we need more sustainable, resilient economic models. Governments must work with businesses and communities to encourage the mass experimentation needed to shockproof the world.

If the US president carries out his threat, the latest dismaying development under his watch, it would mean invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807. Such a move would spell disaster for not just the US but also the world order.

Differing views on “one country, two systems” have made political compromise almost impossible. Renouncing violence and pursuing peaceful resolution is the way forward.

In the US, new technology has divided society into technocratic and industrial classes, and the pandemic has thrown this divide into sharper relief. In the post-coronavirus economy, the question of social fairness must be addressed.

The global pandemic shows us the interconnected reality of our existence, where problems easily cross borders and morph. The virus cannot be contained through force alone, but depends on us working together to respond and adapt to changing conditions.

Deciding whether capitalism or socialism is more suited for pandemic management is a false binary. The real issue is whether officials under each system are able to test, trace and contain the virus, and work out how to reopen economies

We must support medical workers by ensuring they have enough protective gear and practising social distancing. Governments must keep a clear head and make hard choices between lives and livelihoods.

This crisis is truly different. The pandemic has exposed the myth of false binaries, that complex modern problems can be solved by either purist markets or governments.

Inequality and fake news are undermining trust worldwide. Out of the coronavirus crisis will come the winners – the institutions able to inspire trust.

A survey of workers and consumers in 22 advanced economies sheds light on the lack of retirement protection and job security, even as income inequality rises to extreme levels. The social contract promised in an open society, alongside a free market, is broken.

In an increasingly interconnected world, those of us who enjoy the fruits of globalisation must also bear its risks: climate crisis, drug resistance and emerging epidemics. As the Wuhan outbreak shows, we must work together.

A blog post by Boris Johnson’s chief adviser inviting ‘weirdos and misfits’ to get involved in government policymaking reflects a yearning in many societies for solutions to the intractable problems we face, such as inequality and climate change.

Small nations may be helpless against big power politics but every country can adopt technology to meet its challenges. For a vision to work, the political leadership needs everyone on board.

Protests around the world and the rise of populist politics are rooted as much in climate change as in economic factors. Instead of lending to wealthy borrowers at negative interest rates, central banks could use quantitative easing to invest in green infrastructure.

Mass protests from Hong Kong to France to Ecuador are just the symptoms, reflecting the underlying problem of polarisation in society. But the proliferation of bad information and the rise of social media that amplifies discontent is complicating our search for a solution.

Negative interest rates have not encouraged spending and have fuelled inequality. Instead of relying on central bankers to tweak monetary policy, governments must initiate structural reforms. However, with a global slowdown in the offing, this is unlikely to happen.

For decades, the US dominated coastal areas needed to contain great power rivals, but this is now under threat. Hong Kong is one such area, and the protesters are inserting themselves into this conflict by calling for US support.

Free speech and the rule of law are built on an understanding of civil deliberation and a good-faith search for truth. With online falsehoods turning us against one another, often violently, is it time for governments to step in?

Protesters in Hong Kong are demanding greater democratic freedoms when democracies across the Western world are increasingly in crisis, as the rule of law starts looking like the rule of the “swarm”. This mob democracy cannot be what Hong Kong really wants.

As Asia urbanises and industrialises, there is a pronounced trend in regionalism – with trade and tourists staying within the area. But in a multipolar world, the region is unlikely to be dominated by any single country.

Stock exchanges trying to stay competitive in the wake of technological advances and structural changes may have profit on their mind, but they should expect regulatory and geopolitical considerations to take precedence.

Whether it is building a digital economy or preparing for climate change, Asean countries are busy putting long-term plans into action. They have a trump card in the form of their youthful, digitally savvy and upwardly mobile populations.

Hong Kong’s current political structure has none of the advantages of effective delivery through autocratic administrative means, but all the defects of democratic politics. A bipartisan consensus is the only realistic way forward, along with using social media to unite, not divide.

The US is playing hardball with other economies now, but without cooperation it can’t devalue its dollar, and it will need other countries’ help when the good times come to an end.

From the ‘yellow vest’ protests in France to the anti-extradition demonstrations in Hong Kong, race and identity lie at the heart of the recent wave of populism. Such is the outcome when economic inequlaities aren’t tackled early enough.

If everyone resorts to protests to hold the rest of society to ransom, how is it possible to implement reforms or govern effectively? Beyond demonstrations, we need solutions to problems, from widening inequality to climate change and technological disruption.

At the heart of the mass protests is a defence of Hong Kong’s freedoms under ‘one country, two systems’, which expires in 2047. The critical issue is to agree on how Hong Kong can evolve towards that date – or risk extreme views tearing the city apart

With its actions against Huawei, the US is effectively threatening to segregate the internet. Chinese companies have operated at a speed and scale that threatens US dominance in tech, and Washington’s response will shape the knowledge economy.

Heads of large corporations, not governments, need to recognise the urgency of the climate crisis and focus on the planet’s long-term survival instead of short-term profit, while economists must factor the cost to the Earth into GDP calculations.