North America
Canada’s Second COVID Lockdown
The placing of Canada’s most populated region under stricter lockdown measures is likely to lengthen the road to economic recovery post-COVID.
Sunburst: US Government Bodies Face Most Seismic Cyber Breach Since Cold War
Over the weekend of 12th-13th December 2020, it became apparent that a number of US Federal agencies and departments had been hacked as part of one of the “worst ever” cyber attacks in history. The intention of the attack appears to have been to conduct a “high-end espionage operation”, with the goal of stealing government and military secrets. The true scale and significance of the breach remains unknown. However, the attack has shaken governments around the world, exposing the fact that their defences are not strong enough, and that the security of software suppliers is an issue of vital importance.
Killing the Dollar: A Side-Effect of COVID and its Cures?
Since the end of World War II, the US dollar has consistently functioned as a safe harbour for investors caught by any sort of turbulence. Thus, no one was surprised by its appreciation at the height of the current pandemic, which began in April 2020. And no one will be surprised if vaccine makers’ promises to end the pandemic null all those gains. Yet, the currency’s status and reputation have been weakening since the demise of the Bretton Woods Accord in 1974 to the point that, as a side-effect, COVID and its cures may be lethal for the dollar’s international dominance.
The Influence of COVID-19 on the Future of US Politics at Home and Abroad
The two candidates for the 2020 US election both centered their campaigns on major dividing issues, including the global pandemic. The politicized debate around COVID-19 revealed the cultural differences that divide the United States, and forecasts change in the coming year in US domestic and foreign policy.
10 reasons why Trump is likely to win re-election
President Trump has been repeatedly reported to be trailing in the polls for this week’s General Election. However, we predict that the incumbent’s re-election is highly likely, and not as improbable as the mainstream media, polls and political risk institutions suggest.
USA Latinx Voters in Florida: An increasingly important group
With both presidential candidates visiting South Florida this past week as part of their campaigns, the fight for the narrow state of Florida has become a top priority in the
The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact: using the Electoral College against itself
With memories of 2016, the relationship between the Electoral College and the Popular vote is once again set to be thrust into the limelight. With fears of another victory by a president who doesn’t have the popular vote, politicians have begun to seek a way around the system.
Risk to Arctic Energy Exploration
Arctic Exploration remains an exciting prospect for many in the energy sector. According to estimates, the Arctic could be one of the greatest untapped reserves of energy resources in the world. However exciting the proposition of tapping these resources may seem, it is an extremely expensive proposition.
Currencies: Is the Dollar in Danger?
Recent declines in the dollar have once again raised questions about its status as the de facto global reserve currency. But the current depreciation in the greenback is more the result of a perfect short-term storm, as opposed to a permanent global retreat from the dollar.
US: Inflationary pressures are highly unlikely
As a response to the Covid-19 outbreak, the United States unveiled a $2 trillion package in March – the largest of its kind. Aside from the expansion of debt, potential inflation has been a cause for concern. But several factors ensure that broad inflationary pressures will almost certainly be absent during the lockdown, and, likely, in the immediate period after.
