regulations

  In 2025, it appeared as if the defining contest of the 21st century would pit national governments against global technology companies, with the most likely outcome being an uneasy coexistence in which each side largely remained within its own sphere. Now, that equilibrium has broken, and not only in the United States. Across major democracies, the […]

  In late 2025, the European Union agreed to accelerate the removal of the customs-duty exemption for imported parcels valued under 150 euros, a technical change that will take effect from mid-2026. Under the new regime, low-value parcels entering the EU from third countries will be subject to a fixed customs duty, ending a long-standing […]

  This is part two of the series on cryptocurrency. Part one can be found here, and part three is available here. Over the past several decades, government debt levels in most advanced economies have reached excesses that would have been politically and economically unthinkable only a generation ago. Borrowing has expanded relentlessly, deficits have […]

  The United Kingdom’s prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, visited Beijing last week, leading a delegation of top British business people for meetings with President Xi Jinping. The prime minister stated “China matters,” leaving room for interpretation. A similar visit was carried out by French President Emmanuel Macron in December, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz […]

  The outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 led governments around the world to adopt an extraordinary set of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs), including lockdowns, school closures, limits on mobility, and border restrictions. These measures were unprecedented in scale and intrusiveness, and they were implemented despite limited knowledge about their real effects. Existing pandemic preparedness plans […]