Latest reports
The U.S.-China trade tug-of-war, status report
U.S. President Trump’s administration may find it possible to clinch the first phase of a comprehensive trade deal with China as a way to harvest the low-hanging fruit. The real challenge will be completing Phase Two, which will cover more contentious issues, especially as the presidential campaign gains speed in 2020.
A fragile alliance in the DRC
President Felix Tshihekedi came to power thanks to an agreement with former president Joseph Kabila, who ruled the DRC for nearly two decades and who still holds sway over much of the country. If their pact holds, President Tshihekedi could implement reforms that will tap into the country’s economic potential, ...
Looking for compromise on Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam
Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan are struggling to strike a deal over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a $4.8 billion project in the works since 2011. Situated on the Blue Nile, the dam would triple Ethiopia’s electricity production and generate much-needed economic growth. But Egypt has ancient ties to the great river, ...
Will the EU change its focus and reshape its budget?
Despite a disappointing economic track record, the European Union still has significant support among voters. However, this popularity is mostly due to a lack of trust in national politics. To live up to the public’s expectations, the EU will need to make significant adjustments to its spending patterns to tackle ...
Blockchain in shipping, more than a buzzword
Blockchain could considerably lighten the administrative load of the maritime transport industry, in addition to preventing devastating cyberattacks. However, companies are hesitant to adopt the technology because of the legal uncertainty that surrounds it. The current lack of comprehensive regulations is perceived as a security liability, but there are also ...
Taxing the digital economy
An ongoing international effort to rewrite the global tax rules for the digital economy would be a dramatic shift with potentially damaging consequences. Fear of countries unilaterally levying their own digital taxes has led to an alternative at the OECD, motivated by both fiscal and political factors. The new proposal would abandon the ...
GIS Dossier: The seemingly intractable drama of the Northern Triangle states
Central America is a region with autocratic states spanning generations, stunted economic growth and violence hounding its societies. As if these challenges were not enough, the last two decades have witnessed the entry of another dreadful actor in the region. Pressed hard over the Caribbean Sea by the U.S Drug ...
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Teresa Nogueira Pinto
Teresa Nogueira Pinto is an African Affairs expert. She is ...
Henrique Schneider
Henrique Schneider is the Chief Economist of the Swiss Federation ...
Professor Dr. Amatzia Baram
Dr. Amatzia Baram is Professor Emeritus at the Department of ...
Professor Dr. Blerim Reka
Ambassador Professor Dr. Blerim Reka was Pro-Rector for International Relations, ...
Dr. Frank Umbach
Dr. Frank Umbach is the research director of the European ...
Dr. Junhua Zhang
GIS Expert Dr. Junhua Zhang is a senior associate at ...
Dr. Thitinan Pongsudhirak
Thitinan Pongsudhirak teaches at Chulalongkorn University's faculty of political science ...
Dr. James Jay Carafano
James Jay Carafano, a leading expert in America’s national security ...
Global Trends Video Reports
The long ‘bridge’ of carbon capture and storage technology
There is no single magic bullet for turning global energy consumption patterns toward a cleaner future. Greening energy is not just about developing alternative sources of energy or ending the fossil-fuel era. Any technology that aims to reduce the environmental ...
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GIS on target predictions
Islamic State’s next target: Europe
GIS experts have frequently mentioned that once Islamic State (also known as ISIS or Daesh) was defeated in Iraq and Syria, it would not go away. Instead, it would spread its message – and send its fighters – across the world, with a special focus on Europe. With the organization claiming responsibility for a recent terror attack in London, those predictions seem to be coming true. As GIS expert Dr. Bernard Siman explained in a July 2017 report, one “child of Daesh” would comprise “the ongoing blowback of foreign fighters, especially from Syria, into Europe, which poses a sustained, long-term terrorist threat to mainland Europe itself.”
After Mosul and Raqqa, risks multiply
As the battle for Mosul concludes, the battle for Raqqa is entering its initial phase. From a military perspective, the fall of these twin bastions of Daesh was never in doubt. But tactical victories can only be turned into long-term strategic gains if a political process is put in place. ...
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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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Goodbye freedom, democracy and the rule of law