Russia and Ukraine Growing Energy Crisis
The recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, has exacerbated fears of long-term security, geopolitical, and economic consequences. In particular, fears of energy shortages in Europe and, consequently, the impact of a surge in global energy prices is creeping into global markets. While Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, have jockeyed to evade and return Western […]
Failures in Intelligence: Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is underscoring the importance of accurate information necessary to inform organizations’ decision-making. The Kremlin undertook an ambitious plan to invade the largest country in Europe based on years of intelligence gathering and military planning. Following a months-long buildup of forces along the Ukrainian borders in Russia and Belarus, many analysts […]
All Work and No Play Makes Chinese Gaming Companies a Bad Investment?
Since August 2021, facial recognition devices have been restricting minors in China to playing online games for no more than three hours per week. In addition to this hit on their revenue stream, gaming companies in China are facing all the policymaking hurdles encountered by Chinese tech companies in general, such as restrictions on personal […]
US Withdrawal from Afghanistan Reintroduces a Familiar Security Dilemma for the US
US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the subsequent decline of their power in the region has provided an opportunity to strengthen an anti-American alliance in Central Asia. The ascendant Taliban regime in Afghanistan is rapidly becoming more of a challenge to the US than prior to the US invasion in 2001. Simultaneously, US failure in the […]
The EU Ramps Up Anti-Money Laundering Measures
In 2018, Rob Wainwright, the outgoing head of EU’s law enforcement agency Europol, estimated that 99 percent of money laundering in the EU goes unpunished. According to Euractiv, 90 percent of banks on the continent have faced fines for money-laundering-related offenses in spite of the fact that EU financial institutions spend about 60 billion US […]
Does the Colonial Pipeline Attack Unravel the Myth of Bitcoin’s Untraceability?
Few assets in history have been as polarizing as bitcoin. Notorious for its volatility, the world’s most popular cryptocurrency has many detractors, including some of the most prominent economists and financial experts. Despite its critics and abundant predictions of failure, 2021 has undoubtedly been bitcoin’s breakout year. Many developments this past year point to the […]
Cybersecurity in the post-covid era: key industries under threat
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the global economy is facing increased cybersecurity threats across a number of different industries. Since the health crisis began to take hold in early 2020, multiple industries have been forced to adapt to the new social and working environments by introducing changes like remote work. In the US […]
Hybrid Warfare between Poland and Belarus
A “hybrid war” on the border between Poland and Belarus is becoming more complex each day. Belarussian political leadership is accused of transporting civilians from primarily Middle Eastern countries based on false promises they would reach wealthy European Union countries soon after they land in Minsk. Instead, migrants, including women and children, are stuck at […]
Taliban Takeover of Afghanistan: Impact on cross-border trade with Iran
In the wake of US and coalition forces’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban rapidly took back control of the country, which implies numerous changes. At first glance, the prospects of a Taliban-led government presented the Islamic Republic of Iran with an opportunity to expand its interests in the region. Despite the historically hostile relationship between […]
Russian Mobilization Along the Ukrainian Border
As of the time of writing over 90, 000 Russian troops have begun amassing along the Ukrainian border. The recently appointed Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has announced that their intelligence estimates assessed that a large scale Russian offensive could be launched as early as January 2021. The situation along the Ukrainian border has deteriorated […]
