Africa

  Russia has steadily expanded its presence across Africa since 2017, establishing operations in several countries through a combination of military contractors, energy partnerships and infrastructure projects. This engagement builds on Soviet-era relationships while pursuing modern strategic goals: securing natural resources, countering Western influence and demonstrating Russia’s relevance as a global power despite international sanctions […]

  On November 21, armed gunmen stormed St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State in north-central Nigeria, abducting more than 300 children and 12 teachers. Only days earlier, attackers had targeted a Christian church in a separate incident, killing two people and abducting 38 worshippers. United States President Donald Trump has previously accused the Nigerian […]

  The world is witnessing a growing struggle for authority in Eurasia. China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) outlines Beijing’s vision for a new economic order, linking nations to China through infrastructure investments and lending via relatively new economic institutions that challenge the postwar Western framework. In contrast, India presents a rival vision with the […]

  The widespread adoption of non-financial standards for assessing economic performance, often called ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) criteria, appears to have had an impact on financial markets, one that is diffuse and hard to measure. The implications of this shift to a rigid yet vague system of evaluation could be especially challenging for African […]