Close-up of ore deposits (gold, coal & bauxite) and an old map of Africa

The Jihadi Gold Rush Fuels Violence in the Sahel Region

By Katarzyna Rybarczyk Africa’s Sahel, a region separating the Sahara Desert to the north and savannas to the south, is notorious for widespread poverty and...
Boko Haram

Controversies Trails Amnesty for “Repentant” Boko Haram Members

In the past few weeks, news about the massive surrendering of Boko Haram terrorist fighters has dominated the headlines across the Nigerian media. Their...
European Banks Application Modernisation

European Banks Need to Step Up Their Application Modernisation Agendas

By Alfred Escala Sisquellas, Vice President, Banking and Financial Markets, IBM Most major banks will have had application modernisation as a strategic agenda for several...
US Dollar

The Bilateral Swap Agreements, Chinese Currency and the Demise of the US Dollar

By Dr. Kalim Siddiqui I. Introduction I examine here the role of China’s bilateral swap agreements (BSAs) and the internationalization of its currency Renminbi (RMB). A...
Talibans

Central Asia Prepares for Taliban Takeover

By Gavin Helf, Ph.D. and Barmak Pazhwak As U.S. and NATO forces drew down their military presence in Afghanistan this Summer, the country’s northern neighbors...
Africa

Recurring Separatist Agitations in Africa: Exploring Renegotiation and Dissolution as Possible Way Out

By Olusegun Akinfenwa There are 54 countries in Africa, and at least 25 have experienced active separatist conflict. The crises have become commonplace, resulting in...
Big Tech

US Antitrust Against the Big Tech

By Dr. Dan Steinbock In the United States, the executive branch, courts and Congress are moving to restrict the dominance of the U.S. tech giants....
Reconciling the Reconciliation

Reconciling the Reconciliation Bill: A Preview

By Dr. Jack Rasmus This past week maneuvers within the Democratic party intensified over the content and magnitude of the two pending fiscal stimulus bills–the...
China’s Innovation Approach to Growth

China’s Innovation Approach to Growth

By Yixiao Zhou, Jian Ding, Sudyumna Dahal and Junling Huang China’s per capita income reached US$10,000 in 2019 – an important milestone in measuring the...
SMEs in Bangladesh

Scaling-Up Access to Finance for SMEs in Bangladesh: Pathway to Inclusive Growth

By Alexander Ayertey Odonkor In both developed and developing economies, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an essential role in driving economic growth and accelerating...

EDITOR'S PICK OF THE WEEK

China economic growth

China’s Challenging Search for a New Model of Economic Growth

By Danny Leipziger China cannot continue to rely on exports to drive its growth, but what are the alternatives? China ran a $1.2 trillion trade surplus last year, and despite admonitions from the IMF to rely...

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