Foreign Policy Blogs

Regions

Pre-salt reserves make Brazil ripe for investment, but risk remains

Pre-salt reserves make Brazil ripe for investment, but risk remains

On October 27, 2017, new auction rounds for the eight pre-salt blocks in Brazil were launched. As the Brazilian government approved a new regulatory framework for the bidding process to allow more investors, 14 foreign companies and two Brazilian entities were qualified to participate in the auction. As a result of the auction, The National Agency […]

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Disagreements on Eurozone reform impact economic outlook

Disagreements on Eurozone reform impact economic outlook

Emmanuel Macron’s ambitious plans to reform eurozone institutions received a further setback when German chancellor Angela Merkel toed her party’s line and rejected some of his bolder proposals when the two met in Berlin last week. Merkel’s stance makes it unlikely that any meaningful structural reform of eurozone institutions will be agreed upon at the […]

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China Abolishes Presidential Term Limits To Increase Economic Stability

China Abolishes Presidential Term Limits To Increase Economic Stability

China’s move to abolish its limit on presidential terms aims to increase economic stability, thereby increasing the government’s domestic legitimacy for the long-term.

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Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates – The proposition “Negotiations Can Denuclearize North Korea”

  Presented by Intelligence Squared U.S. in partnership with Georgetown University live at the first Georgetown University Women’s Forum

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New European GDPR Rules Affect Everyone

New European GDPR Rules Affect Everyone

The new General Data Protection Regulations, or GDPR that has recently come into effect inside the European Union may have as much of an influence inside the EU as it will internationally. Any companies that do not adhere to the new data privacy protection rules may find themselves in violation of the GDPR if they […]

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Ratings upgrade puts pressure on next government to maintain Brazil’s economic recovery

Ratings upgrade puts pressure on next government to maintain Brazil’s economic recovery

Amidst political chaos and uncertainty, Brazil’s economy continues on its path to recovery receiving a vote of confidence by ratings agency Moody’s. There is hope Brazil will be able to continue the necessary economic reforms once a new President takes office next year. On 9 April, two days after former President Lula’s arrest, ratings agency Moody’s improved the […]

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China’s strategic influence is growing in the Americas

China’s strategic influence is growing in the Americas

Last year Panama became the second Central American country to establish diplomatic ties with China. This is the latest example of how Chinese investment in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region has afforded Beijing closer political ties. As the US reduces its influence south of the border, China’s economic ventures will pay dividends at […]

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Colombia presidential elections: the rise of right-wing candidate Iván Duque

Colombia presidential elections: the rise of right-wing candidate Iván Duque

Colombian presidential elections will be held on 27 May. Among its candidates, a new-born star is rising with the right-wing candidate Iván Duque, a strong opponent to the peace agreement. Iván Duque: future President of Colombia? According to the latest poll from Polimétrica, run by Cifras & Conceptos earlier this month, right-wing candidate Iván Duque appears most likely to […]

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India, France, and their new security agreements

India, France, and their new security agreements

Regional power struggles and maritime security are at the heart of new security agreements between France and India. India is especially worried about being geopolitically isolated by China, and is seeking to expand its presence in the Indian Ocean. Between 10 and 14 March, India and France signed a series of agreements to strengthen their […]

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Trump, Kim, and the Breaking of Coalitions

Trump, Kim, and the Breaking of Coalitions

As you have probably heard. President Donald J. Trump has accepted an invitation to visit North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.* People who were genuinely worried that Trump was going to start a needless war with North Korea now seem to be nearly as worried that he is going to talk to them and inadvertently trigger […]

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Bosnia and Herzegovina is on the brink of a constitutional and political crisis. Simply put: If it happens, Russia wins and the United States and Europe lose.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is on the brink of a constitutional and political crisis. Simply put: If it happens, Russia wins and the United States and Europe lose.

In December 2016, the Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Constitutional Court ruled in the “Ljubic” decision that elements of the country’s electoral legislation undermines the rights of the country’s Constituent People’s – the Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats – to elect their own representatives, as enshrined in the Dayton Accords.  What makes this decision so important? The court […]

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2018 Iranian Protests: A Second Revolution on the Way in Iran?

2018 Iranian Protests: A Second Revolution on the Way in Iran?

What started off as protests spurred on by the deteriorating economic conditions in Iran and the inflation in prices of basic necessities, escalated into a rebellion against the Islamic Republic itself. But to what extent are these protests threatening the theocratic regime, and could such an upheaval foreshadow a second Iranian revolution? The latest protests, […]

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Putin’s next 6 years: shadow of stagnation or light of reform?

Putin’s next 6 years: shadow of stagnation or light of reform?

After his record landslide victory on 18 March, Russian President Vladimir Putin likely knows he cannot rest on his laurels. With oil prices unlikely to rise anytime soon, national economic stagnation, a still heavily State-and-oligarch-controlled economy and an ever-growing shadow of confrontation with the West, Putin has his work cut out for the next six […]

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U.S.-ROK Annual Military Drills Again Signal Kim Jong-un Punishments for Deception

U.S.-ROK Annual Military Drills Again Signal Kim Jong-un Punishments for Deception

This year’s U.S.-ROK annual joint military drills kicked off on 1 April after a delay of two months caused by the astonishingly fast-forwarded bilateral thaws between the Koreas, U.S. and China. The first part of the drills, Foal Eagle, will involve a field training exercise of 11,500 U.S. and 290,000 ROK troops and the remaining […]

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Israel and Iran on the path to escalation

Israel and Iran on the path to escalation

Iran has been ratcheting up the rhetoric while Haaretz warns of the consequences of Iran’s ambitions in Syria. It all started back in February, when an Iranian drone and an Israeli F-16 were shot down at the Syria-Israel border. More incidents and additional quarrels over the Iran Nuclear Deal could lead to more grievous confrontations between the parties involved. […]

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