Economics

Rare earth elements (REEs) are a set of 17 metallic elements that have become indispensable to modern technology and defense industries. Although they are not truly “rare” in the Earth’s crust, they are difficult to find in concentrated deposits and are expensive to separate and refine. The group …

When Ethiopia’s prime minister revived his call for sea access in early 2024, regional headlines lit up overnight. It was not just about trade or logistics, at least not entirely. It reopened a decades-old wound, the kind that never really heals in the Horn of Africa: who controls …

  Emily Vartuhi Great power competition is mushrooming beyond the old domains of land and warfare; it’s in the world of cryptocurrencies as well. The government shutdown has an unlikely casualty: cryptocurrency policy. You would think that because decentralization is a core pillar of cryptocurrency, advocates would be …

Aaron Bartnick In competing with China in global markets, the United States should not seek to create an imitation command-economy from scratch. At an October 15 event promoting investment in the United States, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remarked: “When you are facing a nonmarket economy like China then …

Janan Ganesh A lack of rare earths is just one way in which nature disadvantages the continent As the European wine harvest ends, we might reflect on that controversial word “terroir”. It is hard to define but tends to refer to the non-human factors of production: the geographic …

Joseph Epstein Armenia’s prime minister has diligently worked for peace and integration in the Caucasus despite withering domestic criticism. The political survival of Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan has been nothing short of remarkable. Since rising to power during Armenia’s 2018 Velvet Revolution, the embattled prime minister has …

Eric Rudenshiold Central Asia’s “steppe children” are growing up and redefining world order in the twenty-first century. The era of global affairs focused exclusively on great powers is ending. Not with a single dramatic event, but through a steady, quiet redistribution of agency across the world. Nowhere is …

As the inception of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve has reached a critical milestone, it is time to take stock of where it has been and where it is going. Beginning in November 2020, US transportation fuel prices climbed rapidly, rising to levels not seen in almost a decade. …

Kester Klomegah For the past couple of years, Russia has noticeably been shifting toward trade while intensifying the dynamics of ‘soft power’ within the framework of its foreign policy with Africa. In many ways, the expanded cultural programs, including art and sports and education exchanges aimed at enhancing …