Latest Insights
DRC Cobalt: A potential achilles heel of electric vehicles
With the global transition to electric vehicles (EVs), corporations are increasingly forced to rely on cobalt from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where a culture of corruption, unscrupulous mining practices, and political instability threaten supply security.
Maduro regime unfazed by condemnation
In a historic rebuke, five Latin American nations urged the ICC to investigate the regime of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro for human rights abuses. Though this public denunciation is noteworthy, the main external threat to the Maduro regime comes not from its neighbors, but from Beijing.
Saudi influence in Africa: A destabilising power?
Through its commercial, political and military ties with a number of African states, Saudi Arabia aims to increase the visibility of its foreign policy.
Challenges lie ahead for the European Union’s lofty new Africa plan
The European Commission’s renewed efforts to increase investment in Africa may signal a new commitment to take their economic partnership to the next level. But can the EU achieve its trade ambitions while being pulled in so many different directions?
The dragon over Visegrad: China in central Europe
China’s modern successor to the Silk Road – the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – has received heavy criticism from the West as a tool that could be used to divide Europe through economic influence. Just how well-established is China’s influence in Central Europe – and does Chinese investment represent a threat?
The Week Ahead: 30 September – 6 October
Elections in Cameroon, Brazil, and Latvia. Kavanaugh confirmation. All in The Week Ahead. BRAZIL: Significant tension as elections loom and far-right leader appears to be in the lead This Sunday, Brazil’s more than
Mozambique faces a nexus of smuggling and extremism
Fears arise over an Islamic insurgency in Northern Mozambique that threatens the recent discovery of $30 billion of oil and gas reserves. Yet these concerns may be clouding the reality of blurred lines between extremism and organised crime. How has the Jihadi threat emerged?
Can Spain’s new government resolve the issue of Catalan independence?
Spain’s new Socialist-led government has adopted a more diplomatic approach to the question of Catalan independence, but is defiant that Spanish unity will not be compromised. How will this strategy balance out and affect the political landscape in Catalonia and across Spain?
Guest Post: Blood chocolate – climate change and conflict in the West African cocoa belt
Cocoa is a vital economic sector in West Africa, but climate change threatens to reduce the area suitable for its cultivation, bringing with it a risk for mass migration and civil violence.
The Week Ahead: 23-29 September
Crucial referendum in Macedonia. Fed likely to raise interest rates in US. All in The Week Ahead.
