Why Europe Will Struggle to ‘De-Risk’ From China
Buzzwords in Brussels come and go. In 2021, the concept of “strategic autonomy” was all the rage in Europe’s corridors of power. In theory, it...
What Does ‘De-Risking’ Actually Mean?
De-risking is the new buzzword in Washington. This marks a notable shift, because until April, when U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan gave a speech...
China’s Threat to Ban Critical Minerals Exports Is a Bluff
Weaponizing commodities is in fashion. In September 2022, Russia cut off gas flows to Europe in a bid to weaken European economies after its invasion...
Aid Is the Next Battleground Between China and the West
When around 50 country leaders gather in Paris on Thursday and Friday for the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, the main question on...
No, Russia Is Not Massively Skirting Sanctions
Reading media reports, one could get the impression that Moscow is easily skirting Western sanctions. Articles abound describing how murky firms in Kazakhstan, Turkey, or...
Don’t Trust Russia’s Numbers
Why do so many people in the West—who should probably know better by now—trust the data of authoritarian governments conducting an information war? The latest...
Russia Sanctions: 10 Lessons and Questions for What Comes Next
This week marks the first anniversary of not only Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but also the imposition of stringent sanctions on Moscow in response to...