Bi-Weekly Geopolitical Report
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Data and Geopolitics: Part I (August 16, 2021)
by Patrick Fearon-Hernandez, CFA | PDF For decades now, the post-industrial “information age” has been a key topic of interest for economists, business leaders, financial managers, and investors. All have come to appreciate the implications of silicon-based semiconductors and the opportunities they create for mass data management, storage, communications, and analytics. In recent years, data… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – August 15, 1971 (August 9, 2021)
by Bill O’Grady | PDF Next week, we will observe the 50th anniversary of President Nixon’s decision to exit the Bretton Woods agreement. This choice was part of a broader package of policy actions designed to deal with a series of issues, including inflation, unemployment, and a balance of payments problem. As is often the… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Power, Influence, and Leadership in Geopolitics (August 2, 2021)
by Patrick Fearon-Hernandez, CFA | PDF Xi Jinping. Donald Trump. Vladimir Putin. Ronald Reagan. Nelson Mandela. When it comes to understanding geopolitics, most of us probably focus on the powerful, visionary leaders who can drive events forward toward their goals. But few of us really try to think systematically about the characteristics that make a… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The Protests in Cuba (July 26, 2021)
by Bill O’Grady | PDF Over the past two weeks, Cuba has been racked with widespread protests. As this map suggests, the civil unrest was scattered across the island nation. The widespread nature of the protests suggests some degree of coordination (and, it appears there was). Two groups, the San Isidro Movement and the 27N… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Nigeria’s Conflict with Biafra and Social Media (July 19, 2021)
by Thomas Wash | PDF On June 2, Twitter (TWTR, $61.72) removed a tweet posted by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari that vaguely threatened Biafran separatists. Buhari’s tweet appeared to be in response to a series of attacks against Nigerian security forces and police officers. In any case, Buhari has become the latest high-level political leader… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Unrest in Colombia (July 12, 2021)
by Patrick Fearon-Hernandez, CFA | PDF When you find yourself surrounded by a squad of masked, black-clad fighters with their machine guns aimed at you, you can be pretty sure you’re about to have a bad day. The sense of foreboding was especially strong when this happened to me on a deserted road high up… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The Mid-Year Geopolitical Outlook (June 28, 2021)
by Bill O’Grady & Patrick Fearon-Hernandez, CFA | PDF (Due to the Independence Day holiday and a short summer hiatus, the next report will be published July 12.) As is our custom, we update our geopolitical outlook for the remainder of the year as the first half comes to a close. This report is less… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The Geopolitics of the Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack: Part II (June 21, 2021)
by Bill O’Grady | PDF In Part I, we provided an overview of the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, followed by reflections on organized crime and why ransomware has become so attractive to criminals. We also described Darkside, the firm involved in the attack. This week, we will conclude with a discussion of why this attack… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The Geopolitics of the Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack: Part I (June 14, 2021)
by Bill O’Grady | PDF On Thursday, May 6, 2021, hackers attacked the Colonial Pipeline, capturing data by infiltrating the company’s business software. In response, the company closed its 5,500-mile pipeline to assess the damage and protect critical infrastructure. Eventually, the company paid the ransom and service was restored. Although a criminal event usually doesn’t… Read More »