The recent upsurge in Covid 19 deaths and cases in East Asian economies that had previously had remarkably good records of dealing with the pandemic (Tables 1a and 1b), has been driven by the rapid spread of the Delta variant, facilitated by cross border movements, relaxation of domestic restrictions and seasonal population movements. A situation...Read More

The NATO communique issued yesterday (see here) addresses China as a security threat to the West for the first time. However, within the text there is relatively little on China (vs Russia) other than reference to it being a “systemic rival”, mirroring earlier EU wording on its relations with China. Interestingly there’s no mention of the...Read More

Thanks to its waning relationships in the West, Russia is developing ever closer ties with key Asian allies, most notably India. Russia wants friends but is prepared to be regarded as an enemy. The country’s sinister image was reinforced last year when its military undertook simulated attacks across northern Europe, prompting the head of the...Read More

In the wake of the global financial crisis a new international order is coming to the fore, writes Chris Luenen. What we are witnessing today are the birth pangs of a world of three regional monetary and trading blocs. The realisation is slowly setting in that once the global crisis has abated, globalisation, as we...Read More