Policy

Chinese EVs sustain European growth despite tariff barriers Price competitiveness remains intact as regulatory workarounds emerge EU broadens pressure across trade relations with China Chinese electric vehicles have captured a record share of th

Big Tech capital spending accelerates data center construction race More than 500 local governments impose moratoriums on new permits Community opposition mounts over electricity rate hikes and environmental costs America’s artificial intellig

Expanded Chinese and Russian military activity in Arctic intensifies security burden along Northwest Passage First deliveries targeted for 2034 as trilateral construction, maintenance and training network takes shape Canada accelerates rebuilding of Arctic deployment capacity and generational renewal of undersea fleet

Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan Sign Mutual Defense Pact in Mecca Saudi Arabia Seeks Regional Primacy Through Diplomatic Influence and Partners’ Military Strength Middle East Power Map Poised for Realignment Across the US, China, Russia and Other Major Powers

Japan doubled defense spending in three years; Europe still argues over percentages Germany faces the same China shock Japan absorbed decades ago, only slower Japan's soft power now outpaces France's, a shift Europe has barely noticed

50% steel and aluminum tariffs crush the price competitiveness of imports AI data centers and power infrastructure investment generate massive steel demand Tariff protection and the AI boom revive the U.S.

The EU got Japan's tariff rate in 2025, ranking it a managed market, not an equal Chinese EV tariffs failed; car exports rose 26% the next year anyway Japan's faster defense buildup is a playbook Europe hasn't seriously adopted yet

Iran and Oman Near Agreement on Service Fees for Strait of Hormuz Transit Europe Signals Willingness to Compromise as Cost of Upholding Freedom of Navigation Rises Gulf States Face Diverging Fortunes Depending on Access to Bypass Infrastructure Ir

Korean Job Seekers Turn to Japan’s Employment Market Japan’s Foreign Workforce Surges, but Job Quality Remains in Question Reports of Mistreatment Proliferate Amid Broker and Staffing-Agency Involvement The number of young Koreans seeking employmen

China’s Manufacturing Sector Contracts for the First Time in Five Months Amid Weak Domestic Demand and Investment Cut-Price Exports to Clear Inventories Encroach on Core Markets in South Korea, Germany and Japan Industrial Policy Fallout Spills Into Falling Corporate Profits and Trade Frictions

China’s export-first strategy delivered a record $992 billion surplus in 2024 Heavy subsidies helped Chinese industries, especially EVs, outpace Western competitors China and the West are now managing rivalry, not pursuing convergence

Trump Cancels Massive Strikes on Iran Without Prior Notice to Israel Three Gulf States Urge Restraint Over Fears of a Strait of Hormuz Blockade and Attacks on Oil Facilities Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Emerges as a Key Middle East Power Broker After Spearheading 14-Nation Maritime Defense Coalition

U.S. launches comprehensive review of European defense posture European allies pressed to assume greater responsibility for conventional defense Strategic focus shifts to the Indo-Pacific to counter China The U.S.

China counters Western “overcapacity” claims with market-economy logic Automation and supply-chain clustering underscore genuine manufacturing competitiveness U.S.

Professional civil services limit the economic damage linked to populist rule Patronage replaces expertise with loyalty and weakens public performance Merit-based hiring protects growth, contracts and institutional stability

Occupational licensing has expanded far beyond high-risk professions Entry barriers can raise incumbent income while restricting competition Reform should preserve necessary licences but remove rules that no longer protect the public

Widening Attack-Defense Cost Gap Created by Low-Cost, Mass-Produced Drones Intensifying War of Attrition in Russia’s Rear Areas Through Saturation Strikes and Dispersed Operations Rapid Growth in Global Military Drone Market Shifts the Center of Gravity in Modern Warfare

Three countries, one pattern: delay and resource wealth turns violent Nigeria, Mozambique and Peru all had warning and ignored it Unmediated resource wealth is what destabilizes, not resource wealth itself

Oil price shocks redraw local power, not just budgets Conflict clusters around oilfields even when national numbers stay calm Governments are watching the wrong map Between February and April 2026, the pric

Nvidia Launches AI Security Alliance with Industry Partners Rising AI-Driven Security Threats Accelerate Responses from Leading AI Companies U.S.