Bi-Weekly Geopolitical Report
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Goodbye, Dilma. Hello, Michel. (September 26, 2016)
by Kaisa Stucke, CFA On August 31, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was impeached on charges of breaking budgetary laws, ending nine months of political infighting. The Brazilian Senate voted 61-20 to permanently remove her from her presidential post. Rousseff’s former vice president, Michel Temer, led the impeachment process and has assumed the presidential duties. This week… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Reflections on Terrorism (September 19, 2016)
by Bill O’Grady Fifteen years ago, al Qaeda terrorists used commercial airplanes to attack the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. Another aircraft crashed in rural Pennsylvania; it was believed to be en route for another attack but passengers on the plane prevented the terrorists from achieving their goal. The events… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – After Karimov (September 12, 2016)
by Bill O’Grady On August 29, the president of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, died from a cerebral hemorrhage. Karimov had been in office since the founding of Uzbekistan following the fall of the Soviet Union. Given his long tenure in office and the uncertainty that always surrounds the transfer of power in an authoritarian regime, there are… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – What’s Putin up to? (August 29, 2016)
by Bill O’Grady Over the past few months, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been unusually active on multiple fronts. He has expanded his military operations in the Middle East in support of Syrian President Assad, boosted troop strength on the Ukrainian border and conducted a major purge and restructuring of the Russian government. He has also… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Thinking about Thinking: Part II (August 22, 2016)
by Bill O’Grady Last week, we examined the three types of statements deemed true. This week we will discuss the appropriate assignment of these statements and the dangers in their inappropriate use. We will conclude with how investors can use this analysis. As an aside, these last two WGRs have examined a broad topic outside the… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Thinking about Thinking: Part I (August 15, 2016)
by Bill O’Grady We are in the “dog days” of summer. The world is in turmoil. The U.S. presidential elections offer us a stark choice between a traditional establishment candidate and a populist alternative. Populism is on the rise in Europe, exhibited by the Brexit vote. Lone wolf terrorist attacks seem to occur with frightening regularity. … Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The Turkish Coup, Part III (August 8, 2016)
by Bill O’Grady Last week, we recounted the events of Turkey’s recent coup and some of our thoughts about why the coup failed and who was behind it. This week we will discuss the unfolding purge, including the role of Fethullah Gulen, and discuss the impact on regional geopolitics. In this week’s report, we will examine… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The Turkish Coup, Part II (August 1, 2016)
by Bill O’Grady Last week, we began a three-part series on the attempted Turkish coup that started on Friday, July 15. In Part I, we examined Turkey’s history to frame the historical conditions that affected the failed coup. As promised, this week’s report will discuss the actual coup. The Coup Around 7:30 p.m. Eastern European Standard… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The Turkish Coup, Part I (July 25, 2016)
by Bill O’Grady On Friday, July 15, reports out of Turkey indicated that unusual troop activity was underway which suggested a coup was in progress. In the U.S., as afternoon turned toward early evening, it was abundantly clear that elements of the Turkish security services were attempting to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. As the hours… Read More »