Politics & Diplomacy

The post-COVID world this week: The global path to normalcy, the Delta variant’s threat, and the pandemic-era exodus to the outdoors

By Andrew R. Marshall

What can we expect from a post-COVID world after a pandemic that has reshaped international affairs? A world in which a pandemic-era exodus to the outdoors may change the way we live, even in normal times.

Why Germany’s relationship with Putin’s Russia is a problem for Ukraine

By John Lough

When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel on July 12, they will find plenty of common ground in their analysis of Russia and their difficult relationships with Vladimir Putin.

FAST THINKING: The geopolitics of UEFA EURO 2020

On this episode of Fast Thinking, Livia Godaert and James Batchik of the Europe Center discuss sports diplomacy, soft power, and the geopolitical significance of the Euros tournament.

Development policy needs to be DARPA-fied

By Aubrey Hruby

Just as tech innovation requires experimentation, US commercial policy in African markets needs to embrace and operationalize experimentation.

Raisi’s proposed economic policy plan for Iran doesn’t make sense

By Ebad Ebadi

It is important for the incoming Raisi administration and hardline-dominated government branches to use their one-party views to make necessary economic reforms with comprehensive and consistent economic plans to address major economic challenges in Iran. Whether that will ever happen is hard to say.