South Pacific

Australia’s Energy Problems Are East Asia’s Energy Problems

Geopolitical Futures - July 18, 2022

Much has been said about how badly the rise in global commodities has affected import-dependent economies – and rightly so. Yet some export-oriented countries are getting hammered too. Australia, for example, is one of the world’s largest coal and gas exporters but nonetheless faced domestic shortages of both amid an energy supply crisis. Naturally, this […]

Daily Memo: Drones Strike Russian Refinery, Black Sea Security

Geopolitical Futures - June 22, 2022

Drone attack. A Russian oil refinery near Ukraine was attacked by two drones, causing a fire and halting operations. The attack is believed to...

Daily Memo: Romanian Grain, Belarusian and Ukrainian Deployments

Geopolitical Futures - June 17, 2022

Romanian grain. Romania’s agriculture minister said the country’s grain harvest will be lower this year compared to last year due to weather conditions and...

A New Trade Pact in the Indo-Pacific

Victoria Herczegh - June 13, 2022

The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, the U.S.-led effort to counter China and foster economic engagement in the region, has officially launched. India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand,...

Daily Memo: New Disruptions to Chip and Gas Supplies

Geopolitical Futures - June 10, 2022

Trucker strike. Approximately 1,000 South Korean truckers, angry about rising fuel costs, launched a strike in front of Hyundai Motors’ largest factory complex in...

Daily Memo: Grain Shipments Still Blocked, Chinese-US Defense Talks

Geopolitical Futures - June 8, 2022

No resolution. Negotiations between Russia and Turkey to unlock Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea ended without a breakthrough. The secretary of Ukraine’s...

Daily Memo: Germany Approves New Military Spending, Lavrov Cancels Trip to Serbia

Geopolitical Futures - June 6, 2022

New military spending. Germany’s parliament approved a constitutional amendment that will unlock 100 billion euros ($107 billion) in military spending for the country. Approximately...

The Global Economy Rebounds, Stumbles Again

Geopolitical Futures - June 3, 2022

(click to enlarge) Economic data for the past two years – that is, the majority of the COVID-19 pandemic – has finally been processed and...

Daily Memo: Chinese Industrial Profits Fall, Russia’s Promising Grain Harvest

Geopolitical Futures - May 27, 2022

Downturn. Profits at China’s industrial corporations fell in April by 8.5 percent compared with the same period last year, the sharpest decline in two...

Daily Memo: Quad Leaders’ Summit, Russian Grain Exports

Geopolitical Futures - May 24, 2022

Quad summit. Leaders from the four members of the Quad security grouping – Australia, India, Japan and the United States – said they would...

Daily Memo: Fallout From the Bucha Killings

Geopolitical Futures - April 4, 2022

Fallout from Bucha killings. Ukrainian authorities on Saturday released photos and videos showing corpses lying on the streets of the town of Bucha near...