Report

Oct 7, 2022

How the Ukraine war has affected the MENA region’s pursuit of governance reforms

By Alissa Pavia and Lorenzo Fruganti

The geopolitical transformations of the last decade, combined with knock-on effects of the war in Ukraine, are impacting Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries’ respective domestic efforts to implement socioeconomic reforms.

Middle East
North Africa

Issue Brief

Oct 7, 2022

What Xi Jinping’s third term means for the world

By Michael Schuman

It has been widely believed for some time, both inside and outside of China, that current Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping will break with modern precedent and extend his reign into a third, five-year term. Xi, who also serves as the country’s president, has been working toward this outcome for years.

China
Coronavirus

Report

Oct 7, 2022

Tunisia: The populist drift of Saied and the looming socioeconomic crisis

By Alessia Melcangi

Even before the conflict in Ukraine, the liberal state model looked much less attractive for the broader Middle East region than it had only a decade earlier, at the height of the Arab Spring.

Middle East
North Africa

Report

Oct 7, 2022

Boom and bust: Can Algeria break the cycles of its past?

By Andrew G. Farrand

In dire straits just a year ago, Algeria’s leaders show a new swagger today that might suggest the country has turned a corner.

Middle East
North Africa

Report

Oct 7, 2022

The GCC in the global power cycle: The reform-security nexus

By Eleonora Ardemagni

On reforms and good governance, the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have little to worry about in the current global power cycle, which is shaping an order definitely less Western-centred, and more Eastern-oriented, if compared with the 2010s. National economic goals, rather than foreign policy alliances, traditionally drive top-down reforms in GCC states, including  those with an impact on social and individual freedoms.

Middle East
North Africa

Report

Oct 7, 2022

Egypt’s “new” capital: Reshaping the future to erase the past

By Hafsa Halawa

In recent years, Egypt has fallen into resignation of its social, economic, and political trajectory.

Middle East
North Africa

Report

Oct 7, 2022

The MENA region’s uneasy path towards reforms

By Karim Mezran, Valeria Talbot, Alissa Pavia, Lorenzo Fruganti, Eleonora Ardemagni, Andrew Farrand, Alessia Melcangi and Hafsa Halawa

Decade-old geopolitical transformations have impacted the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) states’ efforts to implement socioeconomic reforms. More recently, the Ukraine war’s reverberations are also likely to affect the MENA countries’ paths towards such reforms.

Middle East
North Africa
The Data Divide

Report

Oct 5, 2022

The data divide: How emerging technology and its stakeholders can influence the fourth industrial revolution

By Joseph T. Bonivel Jr., Solomon Wise

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is highlighted by the interconnection of devices and sensors to the internet. The computing and communication capabilities of these devices allow for roughly 2.5 quintillion byes of data to be produced, stored, and analyzed daily.

Technology & Innovation

Report

Oct 3, 2022

Pakistan sees growing culture of innovation amid tech startup boom

By Hamna Tariq and Uzair Younus

A tightening global macro environment coupled with increasing domestic political instability is a cause of concern for the sector, especially the domestic startup economy.

Economy & Business
Entrepreneurship

Issue Brief

Sep 28, 2022

Privacy in cross-border digital currency: A transatlantic approach

By Giulia Fanti and Nadia Pocher

As a growing number of countries explore Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) for the domestic context, multi-country cross-border CBDCs pilots are also proliferating. Cross-border CBDCs could make cross-border payments faster, cheaper, and simpler.

Digital Currencies
Digital Policy

Issue Brief

Sep 27, 2022

The international role of the euro and the dollar: Forever in the lead?

By Martin Mühleisen

This paper argues that this is unlikely for the foreseeable future, in part because a larger global role for the renminbi would be inconsistent with the Chinese leadership’s current policy priorities. However, there is no room for complacency.

Digital Currencies
Digital Policy
western currency dominance cover

Issue Brief

Sep 27, 2022

Will economic statecraft threaten western currency dominance? Sanctions, geopolitics, and the global monetary order 

By Dr. Carla Norrlöf

The return of great power rivalry is stoking renewed fears of weakening Western currency dominance. Financial sanctions are becoming the preferred economic tool for accomplishing geopolitical goals.

China
Economic Sanctions

Issue Brief

Sep 27, 2022

TTC, IPEF, and the road to an Indo-Pacific trade deal: A new model

By Clete R. Willems, Niels Graham

The Biden administration’s “trade policy for the middle class” is taking shape. Exemplified by the TTC and IPEF, its is “beyond-the-border” issues, such as regulatory alignment and standard setting, attempts to improve supply chain resilience, and efforts to promote high labor and environmental standards. However, to achieve its strategic goals, the administration should consider adding traditional market access components.

China
Economy & Business

Report

Sep 27, 2022

Afghanistan under the Taliban: Regional recalibrations, challenges, and ways forward

By Hameed Hakimi

Despite the spectacular and unprecedented events following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, the global spotlight steadily shifted away from the country.

Afghanistan
Economy & Business

Report

Sep 27, 2022

The economic impact of a more efficient US-Mexico border: How reducing wait times at land ports of entry would promote commerce, resilience, and job creation

By Alejandro Brugués Rodríguez, John Byrd, Noé Arón Fuentes Flores, David Gaytan, John Gibson, Camila Hernández, Mayra Maldonado, Jason Marczak, Jorge Eduardo Mendoza Cota, Roberto Ransom, and Ignacia Ulloa

Improvements in border management and the adoption of new technologies at the US-Mexico border have the potential to enhance border security and generate economic benefits for the United States and Mexico through expedited flows of goods and people.

Economy & Business
Latin America

Report

Sep 26, 2022

Amman-Baghdad-Cairo (ABC) Agreement: A new path for economic integration

By Racha Helwa, Barik Schuber, and Ibrahim Saif

Since 2019, Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan have held multiple summit meetings to discuss trilateral agreements to formalize and deepen economic integration. By cooperating among themselves, the three countries can represent a united political and economic front. This report explores the potential benefits and pitfalls to avoid from the perspective of each country: Egypt, Jordan, Iraq.

Economy & Business
Inclusive Growth

Report

Sep 26, 2022

Security in the billions: Toward a multinational strategy to better secure the IoT ecosystem

By Patrick Mitchell, Liv Rowley, and Justin Sherman with Nima Agah, Gabrielle Young, and Tianjiu Zuo

The explosion of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and services worldwide has amplified a range of cybersecurity risks to individuals’ data, company networks, critical infrastructure, and the internet ecosystem writ large. In light of this systemic risk, this report offers a multinational strategy to enhance the security of the IoT ecosystem. It provides a framework for a clearer understanding of the IoT security landscape and its needs, looks to reduce fragmentation between policy approaches, and seeks to better situate technical and process guidance into cybersecurity policy.

Cybersecurity
Internet of Things

In-Depth Research & Reports

Sep 21, 2022

Bolstering energy security in Northeastern Europe through transatlantic cooperation

By Richard L. Morningstar, Olga Khakova, Paddy Ryan

Northeastern Europe has already made efforts to end its reliance on Russian energy supplies. It is the perfect region for the US and allies to prove that de-Russification and decarbonization of the energy sector can occur in tandem.

Energy & Environment
Europe & Eurasia

Issue Brief

Sep 20, 2022

PACC2030: Quick wins for a US-Caribbean partnership on climate and energy resilience

By Wazim Mowla, Riyad Insanally

PACC2030’s success is crucial for CARICOM countries and the United States, and it needs to deliver in the short term to generate confidence that the United States is committed to a sustainable partnership.

Caribbean
Economy & Business

Conflict, Risk, and Tech

Sep 19, 2022

Untangling the Russian web: Spies, proxies, and spectrums of Russian cyber behavior 

By Justin Sherman

This issue brief analyzes the range of Russian government’s involvement with different actors in the large, complex, and often opaque cyber web, as well as the risks and benefits the Kremlin perceives or gets from leveraging actors in this group. The issue brief concludes with three takeaways and actions for policymakers in the United States, as well as in allied and partner countries.

Cybersecurity
Russia
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