Latest reports
Instability in sub-Saharan Africa: The ‘tribal’ factor
A spate of violence against foreigners in South Africa last month highlighted Africa’s struggle to overcome ethnic divisions. In many countries, tribal and religious loyalties supersede national ones, making it difficult to create a united national polity. States that have been forced to unite in conflict have done better in overcoming tribalism. The ones that do so successfully will have a greater chance of achieving stability, and therefore attracting crucial foreign investment.
Japan accelerates and expands its defense preparations
For seven decades after World War II, Japan was comfortably ensconced in a geopolitical framework that seemed both stable and predictable. With the rise of China and, more recently, new responses from the United States to economic and geopolitical challenges, this framework is evolving. More than ever in the postwar ...
The U.S.-Taliban peace process: Uncertain but not moribund
The Trump administration’s long-standing policy on Afghanistan has been that a lasting settlement there will require the involvement of the Taliban. In September, however, talks between the two sides broke down. National Security Advisor John Bolton resigned, and more personnel changes are rumored to be in the offing. With an ...
The UAE’s oil and gas investment spree
In 2018, the United Arab Emirates launched a five-year spending plan of more than $130 billion to overhaul its oil and gas sector, ultimately aiming to become gas self-sufficient. The increase in production could result in a larger share of the oil market, but only if environmental concerns do not ...
Opinion: Is Cuba entering another ‘Special Period’?
While the regime in Havana has successfully transitioned to a younger team with a new constitution, Cuba’s economic situation looks increasingly dire. Funding and petroleum from its main sponsor, Venezuela, has run dry, and Washington has ratcheted up sanctions. Can the Cuban regime weather the storm again? And if so, ...
The promises and risks of the EU’s single safe asset project
The launch of a Sovereign Bond-Backed Security (SBBS) is advocated by EU leaders as the best way to overcome the flaws inherent in the monetary union, which became notably obvious after the euro debt crisis of 2009. The SBBS is supposed to offer European investors new reliable stores of value, ...
GIS Dossier: Yemen’s civil war
Starting as an uprising by a marginalized ethnic group during the Arab Spring in 2011, the conflict in Yemen quickly gained momentum, becoming a civil war and later a proxy war between two of the region’s titans. The conflict is now a key element in the wider struggle for hegemony ...
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Dr. Junhua Zhang
GIS Expert Dr. Junhua Zhang is a senior associate at ...
Professor Stefan Hedlund
STEFAN Hedlund is Professor and Research Director at the Centre ...
Riley Walters
GIS Guest Expert Riley Walters is a policy analyst for ...
Dr. Svyatoslav Kaspe
Svyatoslav Kaspe (Moscow) is Professor at National Research University – ...
Captain James E. Fanell
GIS guest expert Captain James E. Fanell retired from the ...
Dr. Joseph S. Tulchin
Dr. Joseph S. Tulchin is a student of Latin American ...
Dr. Udo Steinbach
Professor Dr Udo Steinbach is a Middle East specialist who ...
David Alton, Lord Alton of Liverpool
David Alton was a Member of the House of Commons ...
Global Trends Video Reports
The enduring value of Japan’s emperor
Japan’s monarchy is unique: Its dynasty is the world’s longest-reigning, yet the country lacks many attributes associated with having a king or queen. In the allocation of political power and in the character of its institutions, Japan resembles a republic ...
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Xi-Trump meetings amid tensions
Throughout the ups and downs of the U.S.-China trade dispute, GIS has maintained that the two countries would eventually come to an agreement. We stuck with that prediction even after the November 2018 APEC meeting, when rhetoric on both sides became very heated. In a comment that same month, GIS Founder and Chairman Prince Michael of Liechtenstein posited that the antagonistic rhetoric used at the summit could allow both countries “to climb down and make a deal.” He noted that U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had agreed to meet face-to-face at the G20 summit, “showing their intention to come to an understanding.” Such meetings would become more frequent, he predicted. The GIS founder was right on all counts: the two presidents declared a “truce” in the trade dispute (though it was short-lived, also as Prince Michael predicted). More meetings have taken place. Presidents Trump and Xi met again at the June 2019 G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, where yet another truce was declared.
Mounting tension in Asia
Pressure is building in relations between the U.S. and China, especially after the recent APEC summit. However, the heightened rhetoric used there could give both countries a chance to climb down and come to a deal. Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping will have a perfect opportunity to do so ...
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Geopolitics are back on the agenda
Due to the fast changing international order geopolitics are back on the agenda. I believe that GIS makes a great contribution with analyses and insights that should help businesses and governments developing their responses.
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Europe’s heedless foreign and security policies