Bi-Weekly Geopolitical Report
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Afghanistan, Part III: Russia and Central Asia (September 27, 2021)
by Patrick Fearon-Hernandez, CFA | PDF In Part I of this report, we reviewed the history of Afghanistan and why great powers have fought over it for centuries. In Part II, last week, we examined how the United States exit from Afghanistan will affect Pakistan, India, and Iran. This week, our focus is on how… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Afghanistan, Part II: Pakistan, India, and Iran (September 20, 2021)
by Bill O’Grady | PDF Afghanistan is a landlocked nation that sits at the crossroads of central Asia. As our history noted last week, it was part of the “Great Game” in the 18th and 19th centuries when imperial powers Russia and Britain vied for control of the region. It continued to hold that role… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Afghanistan, Part I: History (September 13, 2021)
by Bill O’Grady | PDF The American exit from Afghanistan has created a crisis in the region. For two decades, the U.S. has propped up a government in Kabul. The U.S. withdrawal has led to the rapid collapse of that government and the restoration of the Taliban. The media has been closely tracking the situation… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The Storm Before the Calm: A Review (August 30, 2021)
by Bill O’Grady | PDF (N.B. Due to the Labor Day holiday, the next report will be published on September 13.) Although we maintain an official reading list with capsule reviews, occasionally we come across a book that we think is important enough to review as a report. George Friedman’s newest book, The Storm Before… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Data and Geopolitics: Part II (August 23, 2021)
by Patrick Fearon-Hernandez, CFA | PDF In Part I of this report, we discussed why today’s political leaders and governments are now paying such close attention to the control of data and information, and what that means for geopolitics. In Part II, we will show how China is perhaps the best example of modern state… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Data and Geopolitics: Part I (August 16, 2021)
by Patrick Fearon-Hernandez, CFA | PDF For decades now, the post-industrial “information age” has been a key topic of interest for economists, business leaders, financial managers, and investors. All have come to appreciate the implications of silicon-based semiconductors and the opportunities they create for mass data management, storage, communications, and analytics. In recent years, data… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – August 15, 1971 (August 9, 2021)
by Bill O’Grady | PDF Next week, we will observe the 50th anniversary of President Nixon’s decision to exit the Bretton Woods agreement. This choice was part of a broader package of policy actions designed to deal with a series of issues, including inflation, unemployment, and a balance of payments problem. As is often the… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Power, Influence, and Leadership in Geopolitics (August 2, 2021)
by Patrick Fearon-Hernandez, CFA | PDF Xi Jinping. Donald Trump. Vladimir Putin. Ronald Reagan. Nelson Mandela. When it comes to understanding geopolitics, most of us probably focus on the powerful, visionary leaders who can drive events forward toward their goals. But few of us really try to think systematically about the characteristics that make a… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The Protests in Cuba (July 26, 2021)
by Bill O’Grady | PDF Over the past two weeks, Cuba has been racked with widespread protests. As this map suggests, the civil unrest was scattered across the island nation. The widespread nature of the protests suggests some degree of coordination (and, it appears there was). Two groups, the San Isidro Movement and the 27N… Read More »