Tunisia

Economics

Environment, Science & Technology

Military & Security

Politics

Tens of thousands of people protested in the southern Tunisian city of Gabes the same day that shops, businesses, schools and markets closed for a general strike to protest pollution and health concerns in the city due to a polluting CGT phosphate plant, Reuters reported on Oct. 21. 

Tunisia: Southern City Sees Labor Strikes and Protests Over Health Concerns, Pollution

Brazil

Energy

Brazil's environment agency approved a license allowing state-run oil company Petrobras to carry out exploratory drilling at the Equatorial Margin, 500 kilometers (311 miles) from the mouth of the Amazon River, g1 reported on Oct. 20.

Brazil: Government Greenlights Petrobras' Exploratory Drilling in Equatorial Margin

United States

China

Europe

European chip maker Nexperia notified European automobile manufacturers and their suppliers on Oct. 10 that it could not guarantee delivery of the chips they need for their automotive supply chains, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, or ACEA, revealed in an Oct. 16 statement.

Europe, U.S.: Nexperia Tells Automakers It Cannot Guarantee Supply of Chips

Cyber

The United States is considering issuing an "initial determination" that TP-Link Systems poses a national security threat, which could pave the way for a ban or restriction of the Shenzhen-based company's U.S. operations, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 9.

U.S., China: U.S. Considering Initial Determination That China's TP-Link Poses National Security Threat

U.S.-China Relations

China's Ministry of Commerce on Oct. 9 released licensing requirements for exports by Chinese domestic entities of rare earth processing technologies and for overseas exports (including by foreign companies) for which Chinese rare earths comprise at least 0.1% of the value.

China: New Rare Earth Export Controls Seek To Regulate Foreign Production

The United States is urging the European Union to revise parts of its green legislative agenda as part of the July U.S.-EU tariff deal, the Financial Times reported on Oct. 8, citing a U.S. government position paper.

EU, U.S.: U.S. Increases Pressure on EU Sustainability Rules Amid Fragile Tariff Deal

Kazakhstan

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov announced the opening of an artificial intelligence lab in Astana, Kazakhstan, to develop new AI services for the app's more than one billion users, KazTAG reported on Oct. 2. 

Kazakhstan: Telegram Opens AI Lab in Astana as Oil Wealth Fuels AI Ambitions

During the government shutdown that began on Oct. 1, the United States' premier cybersecurity agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), will retain only 889 employees or roughly a third (35%) of its 2,540 employees, while the remainder will be furloughed, The Washington Post reported the same day.

U.S.: Government Shutdown Imperils Country's Cybersecurity Preparedness

The world is connected, but even the broadest topics deserve an individual look. Below are our latest and most relevant science and technology analyses. 

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The Geopolitics of Trade

Global Trade

The recalibration of the European Union's sustainability framework will ease near-term compliance burdens and costs for businesses but preserve long-term uncertainty.

The Geopolitics of Trade: EU Steps Back From Ambitious Environmental Policies

Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, and other senior government members and deputies attend the second plenary session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People on March 8, 2025, in Beijing, China.

The key political meeting will fill vacant Party seats and update economic and security goals, offering insights into China's policy priorities and the trajectory of Xi's political purges for the next five years. 

What To Watch for During China's Fourth Plenum

While countries will likely increasingly pursue trade deals with digital clauses, the slow pace of regulatory development, coupled with a global tendency toward protectionism, will impede the push toward building out more streamlined digital economy agreements.

The Geopolitics of Trade: The Role of Digital Trade in Modern Free Trade Agreements

Turkey

This aerial photograph shows dry areas near the Alacati Kutlu Aktas Dam in Izmir, Turkey, on July 30, 2025. 

The absence of a national water strategy leaves local authorities and businesses exposed to the mounting pressures of climate change, inefficient agricultural practices and population growth.

Water Scarcity Likely to Worsen With Climate Change, Deepening Turkey's Economic Challenges

Columns

On Security

An aerial view of the IAD71 Amazon Web Services data center is seen on July 17, 2024, in Ashburn, Virginia. 

Social Issues

AI's displacement of workers, the environmental impact of data centers and fears of pervasive surveillance are creating a potent mix of grievances likely to fuel violent extremism against targets associated with the technology.

The Coming Violent Backlash Against AI

An H1B visa (for specialty workers) stamp is seen in a passport.

The sudden implementation of a $100,000 fee for H-1B visas will disproportionately harm smaller companies and universities and weigh on the U.S. economy.

The H-1B Fee Will Undermine U.S. Innovation and Competitiveness

Snapshots

Flag of China on a red-painted printed circuit board.

Advancements in China's semiconductor sector are reducing Chinese companies' reliance on foreign technology, enabling them to push back more firmly against Western hegemony.

China's Chip Advances Increase Beijing's Leverage in Talks With the U.S.

From left to right, Small Business Administration administrator Kelly Loeffler, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin listen as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting on Aug. 26, 2025, in Washington, D.C. 

As federal agencies tasked with countering foreign threats are defunded and social media giants relax their rules, the U.S. information space is becoming significantly more vulnerable to state-sponsored manipulation.

U.S. Digital Defenses Weaken, Opening the Door for Nation-State Operations

Media

Podcasts

Essential Geopolitics: What Gabbard's ODNI Cuts Mean for Corporate Security

On Geopolitics

A portrait of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan is seen in the background as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 22, 2025.

In just seven months in office, the Trump administration has pursued a series of highly unconventional economic policies that, taken together, amount to the deepest government interventionism into the U.S. economy of any president since the Reagan era.

The Visible Hand: Trump's Interventionism Reshapes American Capitalism

Geopolitical, security and environmental risks threaten to disrupt trade through crucial waterways, including the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the Suez Canal, the Danish and Turkish straits, and the Panama Canal.

The Geopolitics of Trade: Threats to Maritime Chokepoints Endanger Global Trade, Part 2

Norway

The building housing Norway's parliament is seen on May 17, 2025, in Oslo.

The Sept. 8 vote could result in another left-wing coalition focused on welfare and climate, a right-wing coalition focused on tax cuts and oil production, or perhaps even an unprecedented grand coalition between the country's two largest parties.

Environment, Science & Technology

SITUATION REPORTS

Tunisia: Southern City Sees Labor Strikes and Protests Over Health Concerns, Pollution

Brazil: Government Greenlights Petrobras' Exploratory Drilling in Equatorial Margin

Europe, U.S.: Nexperia Tells Automakers It Cannot Guarantee Supply of Chips

U.S., China: U.S. Considering Initial Determination That China's TP-Link Poses National Security Threat

China: New Rare Earth Export Controls Seek To Regulate Foreign Production

EU, U.S.: U.S. Increases Pressure on EU Sustainability Rules Amid Fragile Tariff Deal

Kazakhstan: Telegram Opens AI Lab in Astana as Oil Wealth Fuels AI Ambitions

U.S.: Government Shutdown Imperils Country's Cybersecurity Preparedness

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