Central Asia

Daily Memo: China’s 5-Year Plan, Time’s Up in Belarus

China’s next five-year economic playbook. The Fifth Plenum of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee kicked off on Monday morning, with Chinese leaders gathering to, among other things, hammer out the country’s next five-year economic plan. While in most countries, long-term plans are aspirational documents worth little, in China they serve as marching orders for […]

Daily Memo: Japan’s Energetic Diplomacy, Sino-Russian Gas Trade

Suga in Vietnam. New Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga isn’t wasting time taking advantage of Southeast Asian countries’ desire for deeper regional involvement from...

Daily Memo: China’s Uneven Recovery

China’s economy falls short. China’s economy grew an estimated 4.9 percent year over year in real terms in the third quarter, according to official...

Daily Memo: Kyrgyzstan’s President Resigns, Kim’s Apology Tour Continues

Kyrgyz president resigns. With protests over the results of Oct. 4 parliamentary elections showing no sign of stopping, Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov announced his...

Russia’s Low-Key Problem in Kyrgyzstan

On Oct. 4, Kyrgyzstan held parliamentary elections that, true to form, ended in political unrest. Rallies broke out the next day, leaving more than...

Daily Memo: Diplomacy in the Himalayas, Weapons for Taiwan

Editor’s Note: Astute readers will notice that today’s Daily Memo has a new look and feel. The alterations are meant to accommodate other content...

In Search of a Solution to Russia’s Strategic Problem

Russian President Vladimir Putin described the collapse of the Soviet Union as the greatest geopolitical catastrophe in history. Though it may not be true...

Daily Memo: Unrest in Iran and Kyrgyzstan

It’s been a bad week for Iran. The U.S. Treasury on Thursday rolled out a new round of sanctions against 18 Iranian financial institutions...

Daily Memo: Something Stirs in Kyrgyzstan

Meanwhile, in Kyrgyzstan … As violence continues in the Caucasus, another former Soviet satellite is starting to simmer. Protests broke out in the Kyrgyz...

The Trouble With a Premature Vaccine

Hope is beginning to fade that the world will have a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine before the predicted “second wave” arrives that will...

Daily Memo: Russia Drums Up Support, the Global Supply Chain Shifts Away From China

Russia plays power broker. A meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Collective Security Treaty Organization began on...

Vaccine Nationalism Is an Exaggerated Threat

Nationalism is all the rage these days. Following decades of globalization, the pendulum has begun to swing back the other direction, triggering fears that...

Latest Posts

Get Geopolitical Futures FREE newsletter

Turkey, Iran, and the Future of the Middle East — Free Report

Sign up now and receive our special report on Turkey, Iran, and the future of the Middle East.

Get weekly analysis from New York Times bestselling author George Friedman and our global team of analysts, plus special offers.

Subscription Special



The World in 2026
+
Special Collection on the Middle East

FREE with an annual subscription to Geopolitical Futures.

Subscribe Now