Bi-Weekly Geopolitical Report
Weekly Geopolitical Report – China’s Foreign Reserves: Part I (June 4, 2018)
by Bill O’Grady We often get questions about China’s foreign reserves. The fear is that China’s massive “pile” of foreign exchange reserves is a risk factor for U.S. markets. In the first part of this report, we will discuss the evolution of foreign reserves from gold to the dollar, with a historical focus. In Part II,… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Reflections on Cyberwar (May 21, 2018)
by Bill O’Grady (Due to the Memorial Day holiday, our next report will be published on June 4.) On Saturday, May 11, the New York Times ran an article on the threat of Iranian cyberattacks.[1] Although the report didn’t necessarily break any new ground, cyberwar does pose some interesting issues for American hegemony. In this report,… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The Marshall Plan: A Review (May 14, 2018)
by Bill O’Grady We occasionally run across a book that we deem important enough in the arena of geopolitics to warrant a full report dedicated to its review. Recently, we happened upon a book that fits this requirement, The Marshall Plan: Dawn of the Cold War by Benn Steil.[1] This book details the history of the… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Generational Change in Cuba? (April 30, 2018)
by Bill O’Grady On April 18, the Cuban National Assembly elected Miguel Diáz-Canel as the new president of Cuba. On the following day, he was sworn into office. There has been much media conversation about a generational shift in Cuba. In this report, we will discuss the potential for change on the island nation, which has… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Reflections on Globalization: Part III (April 23, 2018)
by Bill O’Grady This week, we will conclude our series on globalization with a discussion of how China and Russia threaten U.S. hegemony, the potential responses and close with market ramifications. China, Russia, the U.S. and Hegemony U.S. policymakers, heeding the Washington Consensus, assumed that developing nations would eventually adopt both market economics and representative democracy. … Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Reflections on Globalization: Part II (April 16, 2018)
by Bill O’Grady Last week, we introduced this topic by discussing the Cold War. This week, we will continue our analysis with a reflection on markets, an examination of hegemony and a discussion of the expansion of globalization and the rise of meritocracy and its discontents. What about Markets? Market economics is based on how humans… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Reflections on Globalization: Part I (April 9, 2018)
by Bill O’Grady For much of recorded human history, we have seen waves of globalization and deglobalization.[1] Periods of globalization tend to be characterized by the emergence of either large regional hegemons or global hegemons. When these hegemons see their power wane, deglobalization occurs. Recently, globalization has come under fire. In some circles, being called a… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The North Korean Summit: Part II (March 26, 2018)
by Bill O’Grady (Due to the Easter holiday, the next report will be published on April 9.) Last week,[1] we discussed the six major nations involved in the North Korean issue and each country’s geopolitical goals, constraints and meeting positions for the recently proposed summit between the U.S. and North Korea. This week, we will examine… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The North Korean Summit: Part I (March 19, 2018)
by Bill O’Grady On March 8, officials from South Korea, including Chung Eui-yong, the director of South Korea’s National Security Office, came to Washington to brief U.S. officials on a recent dinner with Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea. The dinner was held in Pyongyang at North Korea’s Workers’ Party Headquarters, Kim’s workplace, where Mr.… Read More »