A deal signed by the Serbian national government in 2008 has given Gazprom Neft (a Russian oil company) the right to exploit oil under Serbian land. The agreement has relegated farmers to second-class citizens, who are given no choice but to allow Gazprom Neft to seize their farmland for compensation of about US$50 per year. The Center for Anti-Authoritarian Studies produced a documentary—Under the Ground—that premiered in primetime on regional cable and quickly brought the issue to the forefront of public debate. Last week, the Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy announced her intentions to amend the Law on Mining and Geological Research and increase compensation for farmers beginning in 2023.

Like most countries, Bosnia and Herzegonia’s national government has exploited the pandemic to seize more control over the lives of its citizens. Association Multi launched their Liberal Intervention Project to serve as a counterbalance to this trend, and the initiative has defeated several COVID-19–related measures, including national borrowing from the IMF, raising the VAT rate, and raising the minimum wage.

The Senegalese Constitution reserves the right to explore natural resources for state-owned companies and affiliate foreign joint ventures. Libre Afrique Senegal engaged key stakeholders and lawmakers to allow more competition in the fishing industry in the government’s latest strategic plan for the sector. The new policy establishes a credit line worth two billion West African CFA francs (US$3.67 million) for those operating in the fishing industry, and Libtre Afrique Senegal believes more than 10,500 Senegalese have benefited from this reform through food security, job creation, and sustainable income.

Quoting John Locke, among others, Dr. Tom Palmer examines the insurrection at the United States Capitol on January 6 with AtlasNexus Host Vale Sloane. Among discussions on the difference between rule of law and rule by law, Dr. Palmer reminds listeners that “the temptations of power and of lawlessness are always with us” and advises how the liberty movement both in the United States and abroad can maintain and nourish the norms of liberty and law.

After a brief recovery following a decade-long depression prior to the pandemic, Greece finds itself once more in economic crisis. Alexander Skouras, president of Center for Liberal Studies (KEFiM) in Greece, describes his organization’s ambitious "Greece 2021—Agenda for Freedom and Prosperity" initiative to bring classical liberalism and prosperity back to its ancestry homeland in this episode of AtlasNexus.

Stand Together Foundation looks at poverty differently than most. On this episode of AtlasNexus, Matt Warner sits down with Stand Together’s Evan Feinberg to discuss the failures of the status quo, top-down remedies to poverty in the United States and highlights the disconnect between philanthropy and poverty. “If you have a deep belief in people, in their creative potential, their ability to add value to the lives of others," Feinberg noted, "then you see poverty as an innovation problem.”

Last year, voters in Chile’s national referendum elected to throw out the country’s constitution in favor of a new one. While many voices have put forward ideas, Libertad y Desarrollo has published an influential 62-page tract arguing that caution is of the essence to avoid the “constructivist trap” to mold society in accordance with a preconceived design of social interaction. The authors suggest that Chile’s population will have the last word: “to live in a country with freedom and political and economic good sense, or in one captured by the deceit of demagoguery, authoritarianism, and populism.”

“The role of think tanks is more important than ever and that is why I am excited to partner with Atlas Network to serve in new and important ways,” Veldhuis said. “I am optimistic that together we can expand our shared vision for think-tank impact both here in Canada and throughout the United States.”

From increased life expectancy to better food trends, data proves that human flourishing is increasing worldwide—and has been for some time. During this episode of the AtlasNexus podcast, Dr. Marian Tupy of the Cato Institute discusses the new book he co-authored with Ronald Bailey: Ten Global Trends Every Smart Person Should Know: And Many Others You Will Find Interesting. Tupy’s book, released last year, has already sold out four times on Amazon and leaves readers with a newfound optimism for the future. 

The executive director of the Albanian Institute of Entrepreneurship and a lecturer at the European University of Tirana, Besart Kadia was appointed to the position late last year. He was one of the earliest participants in Atlas Network’s Smith Fellowship in 2016. (Pictured, from left to right: Tom Palmer, Besart Kadia, and KEFiM President Alexander Skouras).