Reports

Despite increasing support for net-zero emissions targets and the rapid development of green technologies, global temperatures are still likely to rise by more than 3 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. Countries worldwide must now accelerate decarbonization and switch to green technologies. But despite the expansion of renewables, ...

For the last decade, external sponsors and non-state actors have pursued conflicting interests in Libya, turning the initial civil war into a protracted conflict with no end in sight. However, recent events suggest that the country is once again on Washington’s radar. Given the wide-ranging regional security risks posed by ...

The Biden White House may be repeating old mistakes by turning its back on Saudi Arabia, an ally, and offering leverage to Tehran, a foe. Undermining the powers that be in Riyadh – just as progress on reforms is being made – could have disastrous consequences

India will rely on targeted supply-side spending to help resurrect the country’s Covid-battered growth. Narendra Modi’s government also hopes to implement critical but long-delayed structural reforms that could become possible if economic recovery is as strong as expected. The plan hinges on a stretch goal: exceeding 14 percent nominal GDP ...

The story of what happened with GameStop shares in January is simple: certain investors made the wrong bet and lost. The market worked just as it should have. Regulators and many established financial players do not see it that way, though. Already, they are working together, using the episode to ...

As oil grows out of fashion, Saudi Arabia is banking on natural gas. Not only can it help the country generate electricity, it can also provide a crucial basis for a robust petrochemical industry. Riyadh wants to become a gas exporter by 2030 as well, but that goal may be ...

The new Executive Board of the European Central Bank has shown remarkable unity under President Christine Lagarde’s leadership, even during the bitter trials of the 2020 pandemic. However, the team will face challenges. With respected economists working for her, the president – a lawyer and politician – could find herself ...

When it is in dire need, Italy has a history of reaching for figures outside the political spectrum to right the ship of the state. The coming to Rome of former ECB President Mario Draghi fits that pattern, but only to a point. 

Tehran retains both economic and security dominance over Iraq. The new prime minister in Baghdad, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, came to power on a wave of anti-Iranian sentiment and is working to slowly chip away at the institutions that secure Iran’s stranglehold. To achieve that goal, however, he will need his supporters ...

Even before Covid-19 struck, many governments had dangerously high debt levels. Now that they have been given a new excuse to spend, the public sector is becoming even more bloated. Such a strategy will prove unsustainable in the long run, and inflation will inevitably appear. But meanwhile, states keep on ...

Many expected the security situation in East Asia would be shaped by the special relationship between U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. However, with new leadership in both countries, an adaptation period will likely follow. Japanese expectations for the Biden administration will include security guarantees against ...

When it comes to trade policy, the Biden administration's biggest departure from its predecessor's stance will be an emphasis on climate change issues. It could even use some of the same tools to pressure trade partners into more environment- and labor-friendly policies. Tariffs are likely to remain in place, however, ...

In Namibia, the three decades after independence saw a long and not entirely successful struggle to build a democratic governance system. The ruling party has failed to address corruption and abuse of power. Disillusioned, young citizens are radicalizing and getting drawn into bitter ethnic rivalries – a process that could ...

While Covid-19 has hamstrung global trade and delivered a brutal blow to several crucial industries, it has also accelerated change and created opportunities that could reshape modern transportation. These new developments also highlight how China’s strategic investments have given it a big advantage in the geopolitical landscape of the post-pandemic ...

Last year’s 44-day war between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region ended in a decisive victory for the former. Not only does the result jeopardize Armenia’s territorial integrity and increase its dependence on Moscow, it has also stalled a crucial reform process that its people had hoped the government ...

In their dealings with Washington, Moscow and Ankara, European powers and also Brussels make little attempt to understand the other side. Behaving as if they were morally superior, shortsighted leaders ignore geopolitical realities and put Europe’s vital interests at longer-term risk

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt officially ended their diplomatic and economic boycott of Qatar. Riyadh’s attempt to get in the Biden administration’s good graces has led to a truce between strategic U.S. allies in the Gulf, but Qatar has made only vague promises to change policies that its ...

Economic downturns, political mismanagement and natural disasters have sharply increased poverty rates and inequality. As discontent grows, populist politicians could make big gains. China will look to increase its influence in the region, challenging the Biden administration’s commitment to cooperation and multilateralism.

In early 2020, France began considering government reforms meant to boost efficiency and reduce centralization. While the pandemic delayed the project, Paris will soon return to the task and attempt to give local governments more freedom. However, the plan could face backlash from the left, and could easily be derailed ...

For most of the 20th century, Japan and Australia had little reason to develop a relationship. However, China’s rise as a regional hegemon has the potential to bring the two countries closer. Ties have been established via the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, in which both countries take part. Closer cooperation could ...

In some parts of the world, Covid-19 set off new economic or political trends. In sub-Saharan Africa, the pandemic sped up those that were already in place. Indebted countries are sinking deeper in debt, but Africa’s technological leapfrogging also accelerated. Perhaps most importantly, China’s influence on the continent is set ...

The slow start to Europe’s vaccination program has set off a round of unhelpful political finger-pointing. A levelheaded analysis shows the EU should prioritize testing and vaccine procurement, while empowering local governments to decide more on health policy. It should also allow businesses to open and encourage innovation in developing ...

Fossil fuels are a significant part of the Australian economy, but the country is now taking big strides toward renewable solutions. It also has the capacity to become a crucial exporter of green energy and the materials needed to produce it. Its growing spat with China is a double-edged sword ...

The European Union took bold initiatives in 2020 to fight the Covid-19 pandemic and lay the foundations for economic recovery. This year the EU’s crisis management capacities will be tested by the need to deliver on these commitments amid acrimony over delays in delivering vaccines, political uncertainty in key member ...