Taiwan, a perennially sensitive issue between Japan and China, gained increased salience in the run-up to Japanese elections in fall 2021. In separate incidents in late August and early September, a Chinese flotilla sailed through the waters between Taiwan and Japan’s island of Yonaguni and on through the Miyako Strait …

Even as countries continue to battle COVID-19, it is crucial not to overlook the longer-term challenge of transforming economies to become more resilient to shocks and achieve sustainable and inclusive growth. The pandemic has taught us that not addressing these long-term challenges in a timely manner can have significant economic …

Abdalla Hamdok’s career as Sudan’s prime minister is a roller-coaster of a story. 66-year-old Hamdok, who holds a doctorate in economics from Britain’s Manchester University, was a well-respected technocrat when, following the overthrow in April 2019 of Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, he was called on to lead the government. An …

Bangladesh celebrated her 50 years of independence in 2021. It received a lot of applause from the international community and development agencies for its growth and development from mid-90’s onwards. But the caveats and questions attached to the development achieved by Bangladesh must be taken into account. The fact is, …

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated after meeting Friday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva that the United States and its allies are ready to respond to a Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine. “If any of Russia’s military forces move across the Ukrainian border, that’s a renewed …

Many economists, including me, have been attributing the high inflation of the last year to problems associated with reopening from the pandemic. According to this view, price increases in many areas will slow soon, and in some cases, like new and used cars, be largely reversed. In this view, the …

In Geneva, Blinken says sides ‘on a clearer path to understanding each other’s positions’ amid bid to put off feared Russian invasion; Lavrov: Meeting ‘constructive and useful’ The United States and Russia sought to lower the temperature in a heated standoff over Ukraine, even as they reported no breakthroughs in …

Maneuvers reflect bold attempt by Kremlin to halt decades of NATO expansion after the end of the Cold War; Putin working to strengthen alliances with countries opposed to West With tens of thousands of Russian troops positioned near Ukraine, the Kremlin has kept the US and its allies guessing about …

Moscow said to offer some sanctions relief in return for nuclear program limits; Biden administration said to have knowledge of proposal, which would likely need US Congress review Russia has discussed with Iran the possibility of an interim deal that would see limited sanctions relief in return for reimposing some …

In October 2021, we reported that Bitcoin had breached its $64,900 April ceiling, surging past $65,000. The world’s largest digital currency had jumped by 3%, to an initial high of $66,024.99, outclassing the earlier mid-April record. However, things are no longer looking so great for cryptocurrency.