Regions
GIS reports provide insight into the geopolitical trends that are critical for decision-makers to understand. Typically, these are written by experts based in the region concerned who are able to provide the latest on the ground intelligence. Focusing on politics, defense, energy and economics, they are published daily in English.
Europe
Geographically, Europe is not a continent. However, the area is bonded by common historical and religious heritage. Through a combination of its Roman-law legacy and Christianity, Europe developed a culture of individualism and self-responsibility that allowed the area’s staggering economic and scientific development over the last 300 years. As a result, the European system spread across the globe.
‘Repowering’ the European Union
France’s politics of mistrust
The untapped potential of the Three Seas Initiative
This ‘soft landing’ means stagflation
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Russia/Central Asia
This area covers most of the north Eurasian landmass, excluding territories commonly regarded as belonging to Europe. The core of this region is Russia, which has exerted a strong influence for centuries. The Soviet Union’s collapse allowed several new states to emerge. Other parts of this region are the Caspian basin, Central Asia and Mongolia.
How to deal with Russia
Kazakhstan gives Russia the cold shoulder
U.S. and Russia cannot reconcile their worldviews
China is not coming to Russia’s rescue
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North America
The three countries that cover almost 90 percent of North America – the United States, Canada and Mexico – are economically very closely intertwined. The U.S. has the dominant position. It is the world’s largest economy and strongest military power. Shielded by oceans to the east and west, it projects influence globally. The continent is so rich in natural resources that it is practically self-sufficient.
U.S. foreign policy after the midterms
Biden’s Indo-Pacific economic push lacks punch
Transatlantic relations after the Ukraine war
Big government is back under Biden
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South/Central America
Like North America and Africa, the region is blessed with ample natural resources, water and farmland. It features climatic variety and easy access to the oceans. Its countries have avoided participation in major wars. The region is plagued, however, by inefficient governance and a lack of fiscal discipline, which has led to political instability, corruption and abrupt regime changes.
Colombia seeks radical change by electing Gustavo Petro as president
The Russian invasion and Latin America
Troubles in Costa Rica’s tropical paradise
Mercosur divided
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Middle East/North Africa
The contrast between richly endowed oil-and-gas economies and resource-poor countries is an important marker in the region. Its strategic location between the East and West, along with its energy wealth, make it vulnerable to the clashing policies and interests of local and global powers, including the United States, Europe and Russia. Foreign interventions tend to exacerbate local conflicts.
Two prime ministers further destabilize Libya
North Africa’s natural gas: No panacea for the EU
Breaking away from Iran (Part 2): Iraq
Breaking away from Iran (Part 1): Lebanon
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Sub-Saharan Africa
This area stretches from the Cape Verde islands on the Atlantic to the Horn of Africa on the Indian Ocean, and north to south from the Upper Nile and the Sahara Desert to the Cape of Good Hope, where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet. The continent’s main assets are abundant natural resources and a young population.
The Somalian president’s ‘mission impossible’
Can Zimbabwe emerge from its crisis?
South Africa confronts cascading fallout of Russia’s war
Africa as an alternative energy source for Europe
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East Asia
The leading power here is China, with the world’s biggest population and second-largest economy, which is now striving to establish its hegemony throughout the Pacific Rim. Taiwan, South and North Korea, and Japan are all groping for ways to resist Chinese expansion while maintaining strong economic ties with the region’s colossus.
The Somalian president’s ‘mission impossible’
Failing aircraft venture highlights strains in Chinese-Russian relations
U.S., UK try to synchronize China, Indo-Pacific policy
Multitasking for Japan’s strategists
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South Asia
South Asia refers to the Indian subcontinent, which stretches from the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean. India, the second-largest country in the world by population, is the dominant state here, with Pakistan in the west, Bangladesh in the east, Nepal and Bhutan in the Himalaya mountains and Sri Lanka to the south. Due to higher fertility rates, India’s population will soon surpass China’s.
India has limited ability to feed a hungry world
Crisis and instability threaten Pakistan’s economy yet again
As Russia’s war grinds on, India-U.S. relations set to strengthen
North Korea ramps up its nuclear threats
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Southeast Asia/Australia
The region stretches from the Indochinese Peninsula through the Indonesian archipelago all the way to Australia, forming the dividing line between the Pacific and the Indian Oceans. This area is very diverse – geographically, culturally and historically. What the region’s countries have in common is their largest trading partner: China. Beijing’s assertive policymaking is the most important strategic issue in the region.
France’s strategy in the Indo-Pacific
Japan and Australia close ranks against China
The geopolitics of CPTPP enlargement
Scenarios for a post-Duterte Philippines
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Global Matters
The 20th century’s international order, which installed the United States, Europe and Japan in dominant positions, is ending. New powers are emerging to challenge a system arranged within the framework of U.S. and European multilateralism. Transitional processes necessarily breed chaos and uncertainty. This is the global situation to which our economies and political systems must adapt.
The contest over the Black Sea in the new Cold War
The value of data
How small Swiss firms keep innovating
Borderless money in a hot, flat and crowded world
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