Trade

Australia, India, Japan, and U.S. address Indo-Pacific challenges

In the midst of conflicts, geopolitical tensions, and increased pressure on global supply chains, the Foreign Minister of Australia, the External Affairs Minister of...

IMEC’s Corridor of Letters

In February 2026, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones presented investors with a map titled “APSEZ rejuvenates India’s historic trade routes.” The phrase is...

China hosts Trump: High scores on ceremony but modest deliverables

No one should be surprised that U.S. President Donald Trump’s China visit on May 13-15 had a heavy focus on ceremony and symbolic messaging,...

U.S. powers up Iran sanctions programs

The U.S. Treasury Department, under its new program called “Economic Fury,” announced in rapid succession five sets of fresh Iran sanctions beginning on April...

IMF warns of global downturn risk from continuing Iran conflict

It should surprise no one that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) - World Bank Spring meetings in Washington D.C. on April 13–18 were overshadowed...

Maintaining the Port of Aqaba with IMEC Transit Fees

  In early 2026, an Israeli official discussing the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) described Jordan’s concern that IMEC could divert cargo from the Port...

Hormuz shutdown deepens energy crisis in Asia

The Iran War and the near closure of the Strait of Hormuz is disrupting global oil and gas supplies, creating a major energy shock...

Intensive diplomacy focused on reopening Strait of Hormuz

Over the past week (March 30 - April 6) intensive diplomacy centered on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran closed in retaliation for...

How should Europe weather a perfect storm?

The world is in chaos, with the situation changing by the minute. As I write, President Trump has announced a deal with the Ayatollah,...

An odd couple and the diminished EU Membership as an opportunity for the Western Balkans?

Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama’s latest political move brings to mind a blunt Old Testament warning: “As a dog returns to its vomit, so...

IEA to carry out stock release as Middle East war disrupts markets

As the war in the Middle East disrupts global oil and gas supplies leading to skyrocketing prices, the 32 Member countries of the International...

U.S. launches maritime reinsurance plan to reopen Persian Gulf shipping

The Trump administration’s March 6 plan to reopen shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will require some time before it can be activated and...

With Middle East war underway, Southern Gas Corridor reinforces EU energy security

The European Union and Azerbaijan reconfirmed their strategic energy partnership this week in Baku as the EU continues to reduce its dependencies on Russian...

Economic shockwaves multiply as Iran war spreads

The United States' and Israel's ongoing major combat operations against Iran/Lebanon and the Islamic Republic’s indiscriminate strikes across the Middle East are escalating tensions...

Liberation Day tariffs overturned as flagship U.S. trade policy damaged

It was not unexpected. Warnings had been coming for months that U.S. President Donald Trump’s flagship “Liberation Day” tariffs announced last April were simply...

The global economic tectonic plates are moving. So, what could this mean?

Love him or hate him, U.S. President Donald Trump will go down in history as the great disruptor, having completely shaken up the established...

U.S. moves to counter Chinese dominance in critical minerals

The United States hosted the first-ever Critical Minerals Ministerial at the State Department in Washington on February 4, bringing together ministers and senior officials...

Why the EU–India trade deal marks a strategic turning point

The Indian Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore once said that you cannot cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water. The importance...

Kazakhstan announces constitutional reform, addresses water security challenges

At a moment of global uncertainty, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has announced a comprehensive package of political, constitutional and economic reforms, including abolishing the...

Venezuelan, Iranian oil disruptions unlikely to redefine oil market trajectory

The recent U.S. actions in Venezuela and the volatile situation in Iran as the government cracks down on demonstrations currently appear to have limited...

Another Trump Iran pronouncement – tariff details to follow

In typical Trump style, U.S. President Donald Trump’s January 12 announcement of stiff new tariffs on Iran’s trading partners was devoid of almost all...

EU-Mercosur: a positive step away from the folly of isolationism

It is often said that pursuing protectionism is just like locking one's self in a dark room: wind and rain might be kept out,...

U.S. plans to exit dozens of international organizations

Following on U.S. President Donald Trump’s highly political decisions in early 2025 to withdraw the United States from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate...

A new EU and U.S. critical minerals project takes shape along the Lobito corridor

Despite Trump-fueled spats with the EU occurring regularly, key decision makers on both sides of the Atlantic have agreed on a joint declaration to...

Europe risks doubling down on its big green mistake

John Maynard Keynes once said that when the facts change, he changes his mind. The words of that world famous UK economist should be...

Balkan Economic Forum (BEF) 2025 examines the Balkans’ key challenges

The Balkan Economic Forum (BEF) 2025 annual conference, held in Belgrade under the auspices of the Central European Initiative (CEI) and under the auspices...

Azerbaijan Railways emerges as a neutral and reliable bridge between East and West

After a recent trip to Baku, NE Global Media interviewed Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) Chairman Rovshan Rustamov, focusing on his organization's critical strategic role regarding...

U.S. and Central Asia agree to extend and deepen economic ties

U.S. President Donald Trump presided over a historic meeting with five Central Asian leaders on November 6 at the White House in a period...

Serbia’s energy dilemma: How to break from Russia and save its stability

Serbia’s energy “decoupling” from Russia seems to be on the horizon. The Southeast European nation, long heavily dependent on Russian gas -- and, to...

EU-Uzbekistan agreement to boost trade, regional integration

After the historic visit to Brussels of the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, NE Global discussed with Eldor Tulyakov, Executive Director at the Development...

Three elements of EU cooperation with Kazakhstan: connectivity, sustainability and partnership

The European Union views Kazakhstan as an important partner in Central Asia linking East and West, advancing interregional connectivity as Brussels and Astana expand...

The IMO gets a taste of Trump’s “America First” foreign policy

After failing to reach consensus on an emissions reduction measure amid strong U.S. pressure, a majority of countries at the UN’s International Maritime Organization...

Washington kickstarts the U.S. – Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund

The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) announced on September 17 a $75 million equity commitment to the U.S.- Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund that...

Symbolic optics from China or movement toward a new global order?

With the UN General Assembly in New York less than a month away, China’s leadership was able to grab global attention for many days...

Alaska summit hands Putin formal recognition but yields few results

U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin met for the first time in six years to discuss peace for Ukraine in...

Trump trade deal leaves some in EU unhinged

U.S. President Donald Trump completed his five-day “private visit” to Scotland on July 25-29, which beyond his golf course visits included a number of...

UN Secretary‑General: The world has passed the point of no return in shift to renewables

Ahead of COP30, UN Secretary‑General António Guterres said the world has passed the point of no return in shifting to renewables, urging governments to...

EU finally clears the roadblocks, adopts new Russia sanctions package

On July 18, the EU finally adopted its long-delayed 18th package of sanctions on Russia, focusing heavily on the oil trade, but which also...

Moldova: Engaging neighbors, not just Global powers

In this era of Great Power competition, or Cold War 2.0, there are a plethora of analyses and commentaries about evolving geopolitical affairs, including...

U.S. – Africa Business Summit generates $2.5 billion in commitments and agreements

This year, 12 of the world’s 20 fastest-growing economies are in Africa, making it the second-fastest-growing region globally - trailing only Asia. For decades, U.S....

Alberta G7 Summit – forgotten before it ended?

One song that will never be associated with the June 15-18 Alberta G7 Summit is Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable." While this year’s Canada-hosted G7 Summit...

How the arrest of a French politician carries lessons for Brussels

A French senator caught smuggling 22 kilos of tobacco in her suitcase should be a wake-up call for Brussels. But so far, the European...

U.S. – Venezuela standoff continues amid growing pressure

The standoff between the U.S. and Venezuela over a number of open issues is slowly reaching the boiling point, while Secretary of State Marco...

Terrific or Terrible Tariffs with the Sorcerer’s Apprentice

There is a very good chance that most of you will have seen the Walt Disney’s animation film Fantasia, which came out in 1940,...

In search of jobs and treasure: Trump’s first overseas jaunt takes a distinctly commercial angle

U.S. President Donald Trump completed a four-day tour of the Middle East on May 13-16, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates....

The Geoeconomic Repercussions of Trump’s Tariff Pause: A Balkan Perspective

On April 2, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs under the banner of “Liberation Day”—a dramatic economic maneuver that reintroduced a 10...

U.S.-China tariff struggle, Iran issue affect energy demand, oil prices

International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol said on April 23 oil prices may decline further this year due to slow demand growth...

Back to the 1970s: Flared trousers and tank tops. Is this the result of Trump’s tariff tantrums?

There are somewhere some dreadful photographs of this author wearing what we all once thought were the height of fashion and style. Generally, that...

Doom, gloom or boom?

While it is an almost painful daily task to ascertain where the Trump administration is positioned on the question of tariff policy, and traders...

Ahead of nuclear talks, Trump administration orders new sanctions on Iran’s shadow fleet and Chinese refiners

Washington’s sanctions campaign of “maximum pressure on Iran” is intensifying, despite the start of initial discussions between the U.S. and Iran over nuclear issues...

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