Bi-Weekly Geopolitical Report
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Emperor Xi: Part II (March 12, 2018)
by Bill O’Grady Last week, we discussed China’s power structure and how the suspension of term limits changes recent precedents. We examined President Xi’s actions in his first term to consolidate power and prepare for the next phase in China’s adjustment. We concluded with the reasons for moving now and what it potentially signals about Xi’s… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Emperor Xi: Part I (March 5, 2018)
by Bill O’Grady On February 25th, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) announced that it would recommend an end to term limits on the offices of president and vice president. Previously, an officeholder was limited to two five-year terms. We fully expect the recommendation to be approved (recommendations from the Central Committee are… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The Italian Elections: Part II (February 26, 2018)
by Bill O’Grady In Part I of this report we outlined the geopolitics of Italy and its political economy. This week, we continue the report with an analysis of the upcoming elections and Germany’s impact on the EU, concluding with potential market ramifications. The Election There are four major parties in Italy. Below we detail each… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The Italian Elections: Part I (February 12, 2018)
by Bill O’Grady (Due to President’s Day, the next report will be published on February 26.) Italy will hold elections on March 4, 2018. Given that recent elections in the Eurozone have run an emotional gamut, it is difficult to predict the outcome. There was great fear before last year’s elections in France that a National… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Trump & Trade: The First Year (February 5, 2018)
by Bill O’Grady President Trump has been in office for just over one year, having been inaugurated on January 20, 2017. He campaigned on a populist agenda—anti-globalism was a core message. Specifically, his “America First” mantra railed against free trade deals, suggesting they were poorly negotiated, supported immigration restrictions and called on allies to shoulder more… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Thinking the Unthinkable (Again): Part II (January 29, 2018)
by Bill O’Grady Last week, we published the first part[1] of this report looking at how the U.S. and other nations are changing their policies toward nuclear weapons. This is something of a refresh of a report we did seven years ago.[2] Since we published this earlier report, we have seen an increase in actual and… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Thinking the Unthinkable (Again): Part I (January 22, 2018)
by Bill O’Grady Seven years ago we published a WGR on nuclear war and civil defense.[1] Over the past seven years, we have seen an increase in actual and potential nuclear proliferation. Both the Obama and Trump administrations have either reviewed or are reviewing their policies on nuclear weapons and we are clearly seeing a departure… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The Iranian Protests (January 8, 2018)
by Bill O’Grady (N.B. Due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, our next report will be published January 22, 2018.) In early December, small protests developed in parts of Iran due to sharp increases in some food prices. By the last week of 2017, the protests had spread across the country and have continued into the… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The 2018 Geopolitical Outlook (December 18, 2017)
by Bill O’Grady (N.B. This will be the last WGR of 2017. Our next report will be published January 8, 2018.) As is our custom, we close out the current year with our outlook for the next one. This report is less a series of predictions as it is a list of potential geopolitical issues that… Read More »