“Big Tech” - or large multinational corporations that manufacture, own, and operate the digital ecosystems and physical infrastructure constituting cyberspace - wield state-like influence, advancing their interests with a reach that rivals powerful state actors.
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: How to Make Big Tech Accountable for its Global Influence
War on the Rocks
Great power competition between the United States and China has translated into a trade war featuring, among other issues, green protectionist policies. In the United States, this strategy is used to boost the country’s emerging green industries while reducing U.S. reliance on Chinese imports and containing China’s rise. Green protectionism is reshaping global trade dynamics and often harms Global South countries.
Reading of the Week: Great Power Competition and Green Protectionism
Stimson Center
Tunisia faces a critical economic crossroads. With external debt exceeding 80% of GDP, a budget deficit over 7%, and food inflation at 9%, its financial vulnerabilities are acute. Financing the budget through the Central Bank risks worsening inflation, making a joint agreement with the IMF and EU a more viable solution.
The Importance of a Joint IMF and EU Agreement for Tunisia: Learning from Greeces Economic Turnaround
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Over the past decade, and especially since the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020, Israel has assumed that its military, intelligence, and technological prowess can buy it allies among the Arab Gulf states. In more recent months, Israeli officials also came to believe that escalation would turn the regional equilibrium in their favor: a wider war between Israel and Iran and its proxies could force the Arab states, particularly Saudi Arabia, to finally and fully join with the Israelis.
The Saudi Solution
Foreign Affairs
The 2024 BRICS Summit made steady progress on cross-border payments and a new tier of international partners, signaling a shift in how non-Western nations approach financial cooperation. This year’s Summit reveals BRICS’ pragmatic moves toward a diversified global economy – how will shifting alignments influence the international order?
Reflections After the BRICS Summit: Membership, Payment Systems, and What Lies Ahead
Wilson Center
In February 2011, a group of teenagers in the southern Syrian city of Daraa spray painted a message on their high school wall, calling for the regime of President Bashar al-Assad to step down. Their arrest set off a chain of events that sparked a countrywide uprising a month later, with Syrians demanding political and economic reforms.
Sanctions on Syria: Irans Economic Gains and the Gulf-U.S. Divide
The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
On October 16, the European Union (EU) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are set to convene their first-ever summit in Brussels, marking a historic milestone in forging a strategic partnership between these two influential blocs. This inaugural summit underscores the mutual ommitment to enhancing economic, political, and security ties, setting the stage for a collaborative future.
Reading of the Week: Enhancing EU-Gulf Strategic Relations: An Analytical and Foresight-Driven Policy Framework
Brussels International Center
Reducing carbon emissions entails a fundamental shift in energy production and consumption. It requires significantly more mineral products, such as copper and lithium, to manufacture low-carbon and mobility products. However, accessing the critical raw materials (CRMs) and related cleantech products needed to keep global warming under the 1.5°C threshold is increasingly challenging.
Developing Green Value Chains: Collaborating for a Mutually Beneficial EU-Africa Partnership
Istituto Affari Internazionali
L’Inde, pays promoteur du mouvement des non-alignés et ardent défenseur de l’anticolonialisme, a manifesté sa solidarité pour la cause palestinienne lors des premières décennies du conflit israélo-palestinien. Les événements du 7 octobre 2023 ont toutefois mis en exergue une proximité avec Israël. La relation indo-israélienne, dont le fil rouge est le développement du partenariat de défense, leur est en réalité mutuellement bénéfique.
Le partenariat strategique entre lInde et Israel au XXIeme siècle
La Fondation Méditerranéenne D’études Stratégiques
The Africa-Europe adaptation partnership is facing significant challenges, with slow progress on the adaptation finance agenda at the heart of the issue. The optimistic rhetoric of “Two Unions, a Joint Vision” from the 6th European Union-African Union Summit in 2022 failed to reflect the underlying tensions. Africa’s frustration is growing due to the widening finance gap and lack of transparency, while the European Union appears increasingly fatigued by Africa’s criticism
How the EU Can Reset Its Adaptation Partnership with Africa
Instituto Affari Internazionali
The bilateral relationship between Morocco and India has passed through three distinct phases, culminating in the current stage of strategic partnership. Initially marked by diplomatic formalities and limited engagement, the relationship gradually transitioned into a period of economic and cultural exchange, laying the groundwork for more substantial collaboration.
This Policy Paper analyzes the historical trajectory of Morocco-India relations, tracing the development from these early interactions to the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Morocco-India partnership: Field of strength to be explored
Policy Center For The New South
After winning India’s general elections in June by a slender majority, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has encountered deepening challenges in the Middle East – a region that generously credited him many foreign policy successes in the last decade. During his first two terms in office (2014-19 and 2019-24), Modi’s renewed focus and proactive approach toward the Middle East
Modi 3.0: India Confronts New Realities in a Chaotic Middle East
The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
À l’issue du 15e sommet des BRICS, qui s’est tenu du 22 au 24 août 2023 à Johannesburg (Afrique du Sud), il a été décidé d’inviter six nouveaux pays à rejoindre cette alliance : l’Argentine, l’Égypte, l’Iran, les Émirats arabes unis, l’Arabie saoudite et l’Éthiopie. En 2024, tous ces pays à l’exception de l’Argentine sont devenus membres des BRICS+.
Il est probable que l’adhésion de ces nouveaux pays, outre des avantages politiques et économiques, contribue à leur développement scientifique et technologique.
La Russie et les nouveaux membres des BRICS. Opportunités et limites d'une coopération scientifique et technologique
Institut Français des Relations Internationales
In July, Iran and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) resumed diplomatic relations after eight years of a bilateral nadir. The agreement was already signed in October 2023, but the new Iranian ambassador, Hassan Shah Hosseini, was only received by SAF’s chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who dispatched a Sudanese ambassador to Tehran more than half a year later.
A New Old Player in Town: Reconciliation between Sudan and Iran and its Regional Implications
Brussels International Center
Japan’s relationship with Africa is changing rapidly. While Tokyo has maintained its traditional aid-focused approach to the continent, it is also encouraging more engagement from the Japanese private sector and a stronger focus on critical minerals.These shifts come amid growing tensions between the G7 advanced economies and the People’s Republic of China.
This policy insight shows that concern about Chinese influence in critical mineral supply lines, and its wider involvement in key African sectors like green energy, industrialisation and infrastructure, is leading Japan to expand its African engagement. However, elevated risk perception among Japanese companies could prove to be a complicating factor.
Local Opportunities and Global Disputes: Tracking Japans Engagement with Africa amid Geopolitical Tensions
South African Institute of International Affairs
Gates Foundation, with the support of Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, convened an inaugural meeting of the Doha Global South Health Policy Initiative in Doha. The initiative was conceived as a response to stagnating health indicators in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), even before the COVID-19 pandemic, despite global commitments and significant funding from global health initiatives.
The Doha Global South Health Policy Initiative
Middle East Council on Global Affairs
September 13 will mark one year since Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Bahraini crown prince and prime minister Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa signed the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement (C-SIPA). In an era when Middle East partners have sought additional U.S. reassurances over fears that Washington might abandon the region, the signing of C-SIPA offers a new roadmap for multinational cooperation.
One Year of the U.S.-Bahrain C-SIPA: Signs of Progress, Regional Potential
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Japan is stepping up its diplomatic engagement with Africa. Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko visited Madagascar, Côte d'Ivoire, and Nigeria, as part of a 6-country tour from April 26 to May 6, 2024. Her trip was Japan’s fourth high-level trip to Africa in the span of a year, including a visit by Prime Minister Kishida Fumio in May 2023.
Japans High-Level Africa Diplomacy
Center for Strategic & International Studies
The Bahrain-China relationship has rarely garnered much interest – that is, until recently. At the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in May, the two countries agreed to form a comprehensive strategic partnership. The agreement skipped over a strategic partnership designation and placed the small Gulf country in the same category – at least on paper – as regional heavyweights
A Flurry of Activity in Bahrain-China Relations
The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
Nigeria has relied on the United States (US) for support in its efforts to combat a variety of armed opposition groups (AOGs), and the US considers Nigeria a key partner in West Africa. Nigeria faces formidable security challenges as AOGs across the country harm civilians and threaten livelihoods.
US Security Assistance to Nigeria: Civilian Protection Gaps and Opportunities
Center for Civilians in Conflict
The political landscape in Europe has shifted noticeably to the right as a result of the EU parliamentary elections. In this Megatrends Afrika Spotlight, Benedikt Erforth and Niels Keijzer (IDOS) shed light on the consequences this could have for EU-Africa relations.
The European Parliament Elections: What Can We Expect for Africa-EU Relations?
Megatrends Afrika
A little over a year ago, the icy relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia underwent a remarkable thaw. Following a handshake between their foreign ministers in Beijing, the two countries restored diplomatic ties, reopened their respective embassies, and dispatched a flurry of high-level visits to each other’s capitals.
Beyond guns and oil: The emerging soft power rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia
Middle East Institute
In latest years, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states have quickly grown up and have become middle regional powers with global influence. These states have experimented and valued the international multipolar order learning how to navigate it through rivalries and crises.
Gulf Monarchies Bolder Multipolar Moment
Italian Institute for International Political Studies
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is up for renewal this year. AGOA is a cornerstone of US-Africa economic relations, and has enjoyed bipartisan support for nearly a quarter century. But it's showing its age. A lot has changed since Bill Clinton signed the bill back in 2000—not least, the rise of China as a global manufacturing powerhouse.
Nine Ideas to Improve AGOA
Center for Global Development
As the Gulf region navigates the challenges of the energy transition and geopolitical dynamics, regional and international cooperation have become even more essential. The importance of regional energy cooperation in the Gulf has long been a focal point for policymakers, industry leaders, and stakeholders in the region and globally, even during heightened tensions and conflicts.
Avenues for Regional Energy Cooperation in the Gulf
Istituto Affari Internazionali
Oman relaunches bilateral relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), thus strengthening its position as infrastructural hub across the regions. On April 22, 2024, the Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said visited the UAE to discuss with the Emirati president Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (also known as MbZ) about bilateral, regional and international issues.
Omans sultan goes to the UAE: Why it matters also to the US and China
Italian Institute for International Political Studies
The Arab Business Legislative Frameworks (ABLF) series report offers a comprehensive assessment of 22 Arab countries covering five key legislative fields that influence the business environment in the Arab region, specifically competition, consumer protection, anti-corruption, foreign direct investment (FDI), and corporate law.
The Arab Business Legislative Frameworks
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
Recent findings concerning the use of Western technology in weapons used by Russia have raised the issue of the effectiveness of sanctions and export control mechanisms established between 1975 and 1995. However, the global scene today is very different from that of the last decades of the 20th century.
Illicit technology transfers to countries of concern: challenges for the international community
Real Instituto Elcano
On February 19, the European Union launched a new maritime security operation, EU Naval Force Operation Aspides, in response to escalating Houthi attacks on Western warships and merchant vessels in the Red Sea basin and northwestern Indian Ocean. The name Aspides, which means “shields” in Greek, denotes the operation’s underlying defensive nature.
Operation Aspides: The European Unions Response to the Red Sea Crisis
The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
While states acknowledge the need to better protect critical infrastructure against cyber-attacks, national and international efforts have brought limited results. The solution could be a global treaty that strengthens cooperation on this matter.
Reading of the Week: Why the World Needs a New Cyber Treaty for Critical Infrastructure
Carnegie Europe
L’engagement de la France au Sahel est le plus souvent analysé à travers un prisme opérationnel qui se concentre sur les interventions ou les capacités militaires mobilisées à partir du déploiement de ses forces spéciales au début des années 2010 jusqu’au retrait définitif des derniers soldats français du Niger en décembre 2023.
Larmée francaise au Sahel: un corpus doctrinal à lépreuve
Institut français des relations internationales
Africa witnessed a spate of cyberattacks in 2023, against African Union Commission (AUC) systems, Kenyan government data systems, and Nigerian election infrastructure among others. The attacks seem to have served as a wake-up call for the African Union (AU), driving its Peace and Security Council (PSC) to make cybersecurity a key agenda point at this year’s summit, held in Addis Ababa.
The AU took important action on cybersecurity at its 2024 summit - but more is needed
Chatham House
In addition to investing billions in the domestic economy, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has also made smaller and less eye-catching investments in other countries in its neighborhood. These investments can not only foster knowledge exchanges to help diversify the Saudi economy, but they’re also important tools of economic statecraft as Riyadh strengthens its position around the Red Sea and in the Levant.
Jordanian ambitions, Saudi funds: A look at Saudi investments in Jordan
Middle East Institute
This policy brief, developed for the UK’s (November) 2023 Global Food Security Summit, summarises insights from recent research from Supporting Pastoralism and Agriculture in Recurrent and Protracted Crises (SPARC) in the Sahel, Syria and Yemen: mostly semi-arid areas subject to protracted crises and conflict, sometimes exacerbated by natural disasters, where food crises and food emergencies threaten.
How can development Partners support food Security in protracted crises
Supporting Pastoralism and Agriculture in recurrent and Protracted Crises
The United States Is Building Out New Clean Energy Industries. Building out new clean energy industries and securing the necessary supply chains to sustain them are major priorities for the United States. The combination of key mineral endowments in African countries and U.S. objectives to reorient clean energy supply chains away from competitors like China can serve as the foundation for a new economic and strategic relationship.
How Can African Countries Participate in U.S. Clean Energy Supply Chains?
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
President William Ruto of Kenya recently announced that Kenya’s borders would be open to visitors from the entirety of Africa, with no visas required, by the end of 2023.A few days later, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda followed suit, saying all Africans would be able to enter Rwanda without visas.
Visa-free travel for Africans: why Kenya and Rwanda have taken a step in the right direction
The Conversation
Thirty years after the signing of the Oslo accords, the Middle East peace process has given way to a one-state reality of inequality and open-ended conflict. Palestinians are now living under modern-day apartheid. In the absence of any prospect of reaching a negotiated end to Israeli occupation, violence is escalating across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, reaching levels not seen since the second intifada.
House in disorder: How Europeans can help Palestinians fix their political system
European Council on Foreign Relations
China is the largest developing country. Africa is the continent with the largest number of developing countries. The China-Africa economic relationship has developed rapidly over the last two decades. China has increased its investment in Africa over the last four decades. Flows surged from $75 million (2003) to $5 billion (2021).This has had both positive and negative impacts on Africa. Infrastructure improvement, job creation, and overall economic growth can be listed as positive results, leading to improved connectivity, trade, and transportation in a continent where infrastructure integration has always been challenging. Creating such opportunities in Africa has supported lower unemployment rates, particularly among young people, which is fundamental in a continent that enjoys a positive demographic bonus 2021.
The Impact of Chinese Investments in Africa
Policy Center for the New South
Emboldened by the rise of a multipolar world order, South Africa’s political elite is increasingly caught between its allegiance to traditional Western allies, whose values represent the national ambition and are enshrined in the Constitution of a liberal democratic order, and emerging powers such as China and Russia.
As South Africa looks to Russia, how do citizens see influence of foreign powers?
Afro Barometer
The ongoing conflict in Sudan, involving the country's armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has significantly raised concerns for Egypt, its northern neighbour. Not only does Egypt face the impact of a humanitarian crisis spilling over into its borders, but it also navigates a challenging geopolitical landscape as Sudan undergoes a period of instability.
The relationship between Egypt and Sudan has deep historical, cultural, and strategic ties. As Sudan faces internal conflicts, Egypt's role in the country's war becomes increasingly significant.
Harnessing Regional Diplomacy: Egypts Strategic Role in Sudans Conflict Resolution
Brussels International Center
This paper surveys the trends in trade between Israel and China, in both goods and services, over the past decade (2013–2022). Especially noticeable is the significant and consistent rise in trade with Israel during those years, based mostly on the import of goods from China, which totaled $17.62 billion in 2022. The imports from China are diverse and include machinery for infrastructure and construction projects, consumer products ordered from Chinese websites, which to some degree has mitigated the rise in the cost of living in Israel, and for the past two years, the import of cars from China.
Trends in Trade Between Israel and China Over the Past Decada (2013-2022)
The Institute for National Security Studies
In recent years, initiatives to improve NATO burden sharing that is, the extent to which allies are sufficiently contributing to the common defense have resulted in marginal defense spending increases. Yet publics and parliaments remain concerned that most allies are not spending 2 percent of their gross domestic products on defense.
From Burden Sharing to Responsibility Sharing
Center for Strategic & International Studies
The agreement to resume diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia in March 2023 marks a remarkable moment for the Gulf region. As most regional players have become aware that the traditional zero-sum game driven by ideological, political, and security competition does not bear fruit to preserve national interests, the agreement thus provides a window of opportunity for more regional cooperation.
Gulf Region Reconciliation: Boosting Climate Action and Energy Cooperation
Brussels International Center
Increasing strategic competition among major powers has had a negative effect on the efficacy of formal multilateral cooperation. This has also been reflected in informal forums such as the G7, G20 and BRICS. Yet some new dynamics have emerged.Since Russia was excluded from the G8 in 2014, the G7 has become a key forum for Western cooperation. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has further geared the group towards a stronghold of Western economies and democracies.The BRICS group has continued to meet at leaders’ level, and has consolidated its position. Despite variation in its members’ interests, the group aims to balance the G7, and its importance for China and Russia has been elevated.
The changing dynamics of the G7, G20 and BRICS: Informal multilateral cooperation is increasingly important in an era of strategic competition
Finnish Institute of International Affairs