Economics
Argentina Has Nearly 140% Inflation. Its Economy Minister Just Finished First.
Argentina voted today in the first round of its presidential election, and the result initially appears almost impossible to reconcile with the country’s economic conditions. Economy Minister Sergio Massa finished first with roughly 37% of…
Ukraine’s Greatest Long-Term Vulnerability May Not Be Western Military Capacity. It May Be Western Political Patience.
Slovakia voted yesterday in an election whose consequences extend beyond a country of roughly 5.4 million people. Former prime minister Robert Fico’s Smer party finished first with about 23% of the vote, placing him in…
India Did Not Choose Between the West, Russia and the Global South at the G20. That May Be Exactly Why It Mattered.
The G20 summit concluded in New Delhi today with an outcome that looked surprisingly conventional considering how divided its members have become. The group produced a consensus declaration despite disagreements over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,…
BRICS Is Getting Bigger. That Does Not Necessarily Mean It Is Becoming More Powerful.
BRICS decided this week to invite six additional countries into the organisation. Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been invited to join Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa…
China’s Economic Model Helped Produce One of History’s Greatest Growth Stories. It May Now Be Becoming the Problem.
China’s economy is sending increasingly uncomfortable signals. The property crisis that began with heavily indebted developers such as Evergrande has spread towards Country Garden, previously considered one of the healthier major private developers. Consumer spending…
Argentina’s Economy Has Failed So Repeatedly That Radical Change Is Starting to Look Less Risky Than the Status Quo.
Argentina voted today in its unusual nationwide presidential primaries, and the strongest individual performance came not from either of the political movements that have dominated the country for decades but from Javier Milei, a libertarian…
Spain Has Voted. The Party That Came First May Still Not Govern.
Spain voted today in an election that has produced a result simultaneously clear and inconclusive. Alberto Núñez Feijóo’s conservative People’s Party has emerged as the largest force in parliament, defeating Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s governing…
NATO Says Ukraine Will Join. It Still Will Not Say When.
NATO leaders met in Vilnius this week only around 30 kilometres from the Belarusian border, with one question dominating much of the summit: what exactly does the alliance mean when it says Ukraine’s future belongs…
France’s Riots Began With a Police Shooting. They Are About More Than One Police Officer.
France has spent much of this week experiencing its most serious urban unrest in years. On Tuesday morning, police stopped 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk while he was driving in Nanterre, a western suburb of Paris. Video…
Modi’s Washington Visit Was Not Really About Friendship. It Was About Who Builds the Technologies That Will Define the Next Twenty Years.
Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington this week produced all the symbolism expected from one of America’s highest forms of diplomatic recognition. President Joe Biden hosted him at the White House, Modi addressed a joint…
India and America Are Getting Closer. That Does Not Mean India Is Becoming an American Ally.
Narendra Modi will travel to Washington this week for a state visit hosted by President Joe Biden, including a state dinner and an address to a joint meeting of the US Congress. The ceremony will…
The Kakhovka Dam Has Been Destroyed. Modern Wars Are Increasingly Fought Through the Systems Civilians Depend On.
The Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine was destroyed early on Tuesday, releasing an enormous volume of water from the reservoir behind it into communities along the Dnipro River. Thousands of people have been evacuated from…
