China viewed from Japan: weakness with stability
What worries Japan is China’s internal weakness, and especially that this might induce it to throw its weight around abroad.
Global Spectator
Europe: too many crises for so little leadership
The EU is accumulating crises without managing to resolve them. Too many for a Europe lacking leadership.
Globalisation: factors of unity or division, depending on the circumstances
Are we moving towards the end of globalisation or a multipolar world (not necessarily the same thing as multilateral, or even close)?
Middle classes cut down to size
It may seem contradictory that the middle classes in emerging economies are growing like never before, but they are in free-fall in Europe and the US.
European prose for David Cameron: not much changes
David Cameron emerged with his spoils. He secured a special status in the EU. But he already had that, and things have scarcely changed
Is the world economy seizing up? It’s not just because of China
Is the world economy grinding to a halt? We are probably in the midst of a long cycle or facing a worldwide readjustment or purg.
The US: votes of rage
Of the various terms used to describe the mood of voters, ‘rage’ emerge with the greatest frequency in the analyses and surveys of the elections in the US.
The EU’s limits in the face of Poland’s retrograde step towards illiberalism
The effect of the Juncker Commission's initiative in the face of Poland's retrograde step towards illiberalism remains to be seen.
Global risks: are they really not economic?
The 11th edition of the World Economic Forum Global Risks report forecasts the risks for 2016 and beyond and not only individually but also interconnectedly.
Venezuela: struggle for power with a backdrop of economic disaster
Venezuela is moving into a period of transition, but the question is how, who with and whence. The answers are anybody’s guess.
Saudi Arabia vs Iran: the real rivalry in the Middle East
The clash between Saudi Arabia and Iran –two regional superpowers which are both theocracies– is the greatest geopolitical rivalry in the Middle East.
The discreet burial of the Doha Round
Late last year the ministerial meeting in Nairobi of the WTO quietly consigned the Doha Round to the grave, after 14 years of more or less futile efforts.