Bi-Weekly Geopolitical Report
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The 19th Party Congress (October 2, 2017)
by Bill O’Grady On October 18th, the Communist Party of China (CPC) will meet for the 19th Party Congress. China’s leadership for the next five years will be determined at this meeting. In this report, we will offer a background on China’s government, focusing on the difference between de jure (what is the official structure of… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Using History (September 25, 2017)
by Bill O’Grady Geopolitics is the study of the exercise of power within a specific geographic area. Geopolitical analysis is a multi-disciplined examination that starts with geography and includes economics, sociology and, of course, history. Geopolitics is generally used for two purposes. First, it offers a multi-faceted way of looking at how nations behave. Second, it… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – North Korea: An Update (September 18, 2017)
by Bill O’Grady The Kim regime has become increasingly belligerent, launching a number of ballistic missiles and testing what appears to be a hydrogen device. It is also claiming it has miniaturized a warhead, meaning, if true, North Korea is a nuclear power. The U.S. has indicated this development is unacceptable. Although the Trump administration still… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Reflections on Nationalism: Part III (September 11, 2017)
by Bill O’Grady Three weeks ago, we began our series on nationalism. In Part I, we discussed social contract theory before and after the Enlightenment. We examined three social contract theorists, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In Part II, we recounted Western history from the American and French Revolutions into WWII. From there, we… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Reflections on Nationalism: Part II (August 28, 2017)
by Bill O’Grady (Due to the Labor Day holiday, the next report will be published on September 11.) Last week, we began our series on nationalism. In Part I of this report, we discussed social contract theory before and after the Enlightenment. We examined three social contract theorists, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. This… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Reflections on Nationalism: Part I (August 21, 2017)
by Bill O’Grady Over the last decade, the West has seen a series of tumultuous events. Of course, ten years ago the world was trying to cope with the Great Financial Crisis which raised fears of a repeat of the Great Depression. Although that outcome was avoided, deep underlying problems remain. Southern Europe faced a series… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The Qatar Situation: Part II (August 14, 2017)
by Bill O’Grady Last week, we discussed a short history of Qatar and its geopolitical imperatives. This week, we will analyze the events precipitating the blockade, the blockade itself, the GCC’s demands and the impact thus far on Qatar. We will examine how the situation has reached a stalemate and, as always, we will conclude with… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The Qatar Situation: Part I (August 7, 2017)
by Bill O’Grady On June 6th, several members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)[1] announced a sweeping blockade of Qatar, also a member of the GCC. The GCC members enforcing the blockade, led by Saudi Arabia, issued a list of 13 demands which Qatar rejected. Since the blockade was implemented, Qatar has managed to replenish basic… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – A Coup in Riyadh (July 31, 2017)
by Bill O’Grady On June 20th, King Salman of Saudi Arabia announced that his son, Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS, as he is affectionately known), would be the new crown prince, replacing Prince Mohammed bin Nayef. Although the move was momentous, it was not necessarily unexpected. MbS’s stature in the kingdom had been rising since he… Read More »