Jun 7Member-onlyKazakhstan takes center stageCould this be Kazakhstan’s moment? The world’s largest landlocked country is deepening economic ties with a range of nations, implementing a plethora of domestic reforms, and presenting itself as pragmatic international actor that seeks cordial relations with all others. It is also working on several fronts to solidify its status…Central Asia4 min readCentral Asia4 min read
Feb 6Member-onlyWhat risks confront Asian economies in 2023?Over the past 12 months, Asia has been buffeted by overlapping international crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. But there is a good case for cautious optimism about Asia’s prospects for 2023. China has taken measures to stabilize the real estate market and reversed course on a…Risk Management5 min readRisk Management5 min read
Feb 4Member-onlyChina careens off the Zero-COVID highwayChina’s about-face on how to tackle COVID has caused heads to spin at home and abroad. After nearly three years of relentless enforcement of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s signature policy of COVID eradication, the government issued new guidelines easing some of its strict zero-COVID policies in early December 2022. Official…China5 min readChina5 min read
Jan 15Member-onlyPreliminary thoughts on Canada’s new Indo-Pacific StrategyA recent post on the website of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada reported on the release of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. The strategy identifies the Indo-Pacific as the world’s most dynamic region, and argues that Canada’s national interests necessitate a whole-of-society, comprehensive approach to it. The foundation asked for my…Canada3 min readCanada3 min read
Jan 15Member-onlyInternational financial institutions are key to meeting the infrastructure financing gapAt the June 2022 G7 summit, leaders from the world’s richest countries announced the launch of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) to mobilize up $600 billion in public and private investments by 2027. The goal was to meet the infrastructure needs of low- and middle-income countries, and…Infrastructure13 min readInfrastructure13 min read
Mar 26, 2022Member-onlyChina goes its own way as the world opens up, but a course correction is in the cardsThere is a growing global consensus — including in Canada — that COVID-19 is here to stay, and that we will need to adapt. China is the exception: the country’s official position is that one case of the virus is too many. But China is going to have to change…China6 min readChina6 min read
Mar 13, 2022Member-onlyA project in Mississippi equips children with a futurist mindsetTrying to make sense of the future, and preparing for different eventualities, are generally perceived as responsibilities for the grownups. But why should thinking about tomorrow’s big issues be the sole domain of adults? Children of all ages will spend more time in the future than their elders, and benefit…Future3 min readFuture3 min read
Feb 28, 2022Member-onlyTomorrow’s shopping mall is taking shape todayU.S. shopping malls have been on the decline for many years, victims of a consumer culture that has turned toward strip malls and on-line shopping. Then the pandemic arrived and shoved many malls over the edge. Iconic stores declared bankruptcy one after another — Lord and Taylor, Pier One, Neiman…Shopping6 min readShopping6 min read
Feb 24, 2022Member-onlyWhat did strategic foresight reveal about Russia’s future a decade ago?Russia’s brazen invasion of the Ukraine has shaken the international order. The vicious attack is jarring, even if we have known for years that this day could come. In 2014, Vladimir Putin wrote that “Kiev is the mother of Russian cities.” Days before the attack he issued ominous statements like…Russia4 min readRussia4 min read
Jan 12, 2022Member-only2022 Outlook: Asia’s prospectsAs Asia continues to grapple with the impacts of COVID-19, how is the region expected to fare in the new year? Following is an interview I gave to Unravel, a digital platform focused on international politics, economics and technology, and how they influence human life and endeavor. Unravel: As we…Asia2 min readAsia2 min read
