This week we zoom into France. Following the initial shock of the Australian submarine affair, President Macron decided to lose no time as he sealed a new defense deal with Greece, consolidating the country’s position in the Eastern Mediterranean. We further analyze France’s post-pandemic recovery plan and how it fits within the pre-election campaign context, while we also look at Europe through the spread of populism in recent years.

We have a diverse array of insights this week. China is on the forefront of IT and AI, benefitting from impressive scale-up advantages. But it still needs to deal with silos and bureaucratic fragmentation. In other tech news, the commentary around the Facebook Papers has revealed a significant divide between how the US and the EU perceive content regulation. As Olaf Sholz slowly tries to overcome the hurdles to the chancellery, we decided to break down who he is and what he stands for.

We have a diverse array of insights this week. China is on the forefront of IT and AI, benefitting from impressive scale-up advantages. But it still needs to deal with silos and bureaucratic fragmentation. In other tech news, the commentary around the Facebook Papers has revealed a significant divide between how the US and the EU perceive content regulation. As Olaf Sholz slowly tries to overcome the hurdles to the chancellery, we decided to break down who he is and what he stands for.

In Glasgow, world leaders have been making pledges for climate, decarbonization and deforestation, some more hopeful than others. This week we take a close look at how some of the world’s climate heavyweights have been preparing (or not) for COP26, what the domestic implications of their climate commitments are and how diplomacy and the current geopolitical order play into that mix. In other news, we’ve also examined Japan’s most recent elections and their impact on the country’s foreign policy plans.

We open this week’s analysis with Latin America, who finds itself in dangerous waters between stagnant economies and ongoing protests against dysfunctional democracies. Speaking of which, we also explore how and when democracy becomes illiberal. Across the planet, China has finally begun the gargantuan task of energy transition.

France’s got talent! Entrepreneurs and students eager to jump into the start-up dream that is. Our latest report looks into whether France will know how to properly prepare and support them in becoming true innovation leaders.

This week we dive into the recent history of French foreign policy and how Macron has developed a doctrine that has been shaped by a number of tumults over his 4.5 year presidency.

The AUKUS dust has not settled yet, but it’s time for France to pick itself up and revisit its foreign policy. The landscape may be different, but new strategic paths await. In the meantime, this week we dive into the realm of ideas and information.

The weakening of the West is an issue to be reckoned with, as China’s power expands and Xi Jinping’s control grows. However, we’re far from authoritarian supremacy, perhaps quite the contrary. Geopolitics continues to revolve around China as we discuss how Australia is positioning itself in the region.

Xi Jinping is speeding through his quest to absolute power. When a Chinese leader seems to be setting off an avalanche of socio-cultural change, we know there will be consequences. While we keep a watchful eye on him, we look at the legacy of someone else who once had a particular vision of the world: Bin Laden. More specifically, his (unexpected) legacy 20 years after 9/11. We also hear directly from the German State Secretary about democracy in the post-Merkel transition.