Via the Lowry Institute, an article on a a quest to modernise dilapidated infrastructure in Central Europe which has quickly transformed into a geopolitical contest: A new infrastructure connectivity initiative in Central Europe is the latest stage for a geopolitical contest. A diverse group of European Union member states in the traditional “buffer zone” between Western Europe […]
Read more »Via Silk Road Briefing, a look at eight (8) BRI projects in Africa: China’s official Belt and Road website lists 42 African countries who have signed MoU with the Belt & Road Initiative. Africa is considered a key part of China’s infrastructure build efforts, due to its potential for rail, roads, and energy. Many African countries […]
Read more »Via the Carnegie Middle East Center, a look at how the Egyptian military’s involvement in the economy has come at a high cost, contributing to underperformance in development: The historical pattern of Egypt’s development model puts the military at the center as economic savior. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi did not invent the military’s fixation […]
Read more »Via NHIP CAU, a report on Vietnam’s economic growth: The Southeast Asian country’s GDP in 2020 is estimated to reach $340.6 billion, exceeding Singapore with $337.5 billion and Malaysia with $336.3 billion. The organisation has forecast Vietnam’s 2020 GDP growth at 1.6 percent, while Singapore’s economy will contract 6 percent Meanwhile, Thailand’s GDP this year […]
Read more »Via The Diplomat, an article on how – since U.S. sanctions kicked Ericsson out of Iran – Huawei, the Chinese telecom giant, is poised to win the 5G race in the country: The Chinese high-tech giant Huawei is apparently capitalizing on Beijing’s major 25-year partnership deal with Iran to gain a monopolistic position in the development […]
Read more »Via Asia Times, a report on Ankara’s hints that EU allies seeking to diversify from Russian gas should see Karabakh hostilities as a wake-up call: Turkey’s support for the war for Nagorno-Karabakh, a strategic mountainous enclave overlooking two Turkish-backed pipelines, is being propelled by a gas competition with Russia. “Russia is neither an ally, nor an […]
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