Australian mining giant Rio Tinto knows that when it does business with a sovereign government, it is dealing with an entity that writes, executes and adjudicates laws on its territory. Read about the China-Rio Tinto issue in a previous post. Every multinational knows, especially those in industries such as mining and energy that operate in funky locales, that the sovereign can […]
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is on a gutsy mission in Africa. Eliza Griswold, a fellow at the New American Foundation, writes, “It is idealistic to think that Clinton’s visit might turn America’s eye more sharply on Africa. But it is also possible. Six months ago, it was utter lunacy to think that someone […]
The NYTimes published an article today detailing a set of energy deals concluded between Russia and Turkey in Ankara, with Prime Ministers Putin and Erdogan present. The deal was with Russian energy giant Gazprom, allowing state-owned Gazprom access to Turkish territorial waters, a benefit Russian czars and party chairmen since Peter the Great (pictured above […]
“Brazil’s economic rise has led it to pursue greater influence in international forums at the same time that it fosters cooperation among countries in the developing world with ‘south-south’ initiatives,” argues Stephanie Hanson of the Council on Foreign Relations. In a recent backgrounder, she details Brazil’s rise and its relations with the United States. Brazil […]
…Africa’s second largest economy and a potential rising regional power. Nigeria, with about $215 billion in GDP last year, follows South Africa and leads Egypt in Africa in terms of the size of its economy, but lags both countries in wealth per head, with roughly $1350 of GDP per capita. Nigeria relies very heavily on […]
The Russian paradox is that the country’s power rises as the price of energy resources increases, but its long-term economic prospects and geopolitical influence seem to rely on lower oil and gas prices. High prices destroy the incentive for necessary economic reforms. “Russia’s economy remains dominated by oil and gas, and its overall government policies […]
After a few weeks away, I thought this story would be a good re-entry to the world of Rising Powers. In America, a flailing economy and falling approval ratings for the President lead to an intricate campaign to reassure citizens of financial growth, long term stability and national robustness. President Obama holds a meeting with […]
In July, the Pew Global Attitudes Project published a global survey finding a vast improvement in views of the United States since the election of President Obama. The poll shows that “in most countries where opinions of the US have improved, many say that Obama’s election led them to have a more favorable view of […]
The NYTimes reported today that Russian subs were spotted nearly 200 miles off the East Coast of the United States, echoing the 1960s comedy, The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming, in which a Russian sub accidentally runs ashore off the coast of Massachusetts, causing an international incident and not a few laughs. By the mid-1960s, […]
An article on a corruption investigation in Namibia related to Chinese investment there appeared in the NYTimes on Friday. China is confronting the growing pains of being an “imperial” power, as this giant nation increases its FDI and access to raw materials and markets in Africa, Latin America and elsewhere. Just like imperialists that came before, since […]
Africa’s largest economy, with US$276 billion in GDP, is the continent’s rising power. With 48 million people, it is not the continent’s most populous, with a lower population than oil-rich Nigeria (155 million) and Egypt (80 million), the world’s most populous Arab nation. But South Africa is richer than these countries, in spite of its more skewed […]
In the first official meeting of the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue this week, which puts the Democratic stamp on the brainchild of Hank Paulson, Bush’s Treasury Secretary, Chinese Finance Minister Xie Xuren called on the U.S. to reduce its widening fiscal deficit. In response, U.S. Treasury Secretary Geithner assured the Chinese that, once growth resumed, the Obama administration would do just that. See […]
Great op-ed by Aluf Benn, diplomatic editor/correspondent for Haaretz, in today’s NYTimes. He asks, Where has Obama been on Israel? Why hasn’t he spoken to Israelis directly, the way he has addressed everyone else from Ghanaians to Egyptians, Europeans to Latin Americans? For sure, he is really busy, probably busier than any other president since […]
What should the United States do about Iran and its nuclear program? Is diplomacy still an option? Before she left on her trip to India and Thailand, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, “We remain ready to engage with Iran, but the time for action is now. The opportunity will not remain open indefinitely.” […]
If the positions of the sun and the moon influence the future global balance of power, the solar eclipse seen today in Asia could mark the dawn of a new Asian century. This was the longest eclipse since July 11, 1991 (only months before the official dissolution of the Soviet Union) and there won’t be […]