In postwar France, two men had a bold, even utopian idea: a peace-loving network of ‘world cities’. [...] The symbol of the global city remains an effective one. As the idea of globalisation falters and tensions between nations ratchet up once more, is the world ready to revisit the older idea of global cities?

Teenager Malala Yousafzai — who earned a Nobel Peace Prize for promoting the rights of girls — now holds the highest honor bestowed by the U.N. chief on a global citizen. “It is important for girls to realize that their action and their voice is important, and it is needed right now,” the 19-year-old said after an April 10 ceremony where she was officially designated a U.N. Messenger of Peace. She is the youngest person to be so honored.