🌐 Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan met to discuss a potential strategic agreement between the two countries. A Saudi statement following the talks said the two officials discussed the “nearly final version” of the document.

Mass protests and riots erupted last week across New Caledonia, a French overseas territory in the South Pacific, as French lawmakers discussed a constitutional reform that would extend voting rights to some 25,000 long-term residents. geopoliticalfutures.com/france-battles…

Immigration Boom Supports Labor Markets in Some OECD Member Areas
Despite modest growth rates, the global #economy is giving some cause for optimism, thanks in part to #migration , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Iran is critical to India's strategic plans for Eurasia.

But New Delhi face many obstacles to developing Chabahar.

More importantly though, it's going to take far more than one port to forge Indian connectivity with Central Asia and beyond.

My latest: geopoliticalfutures.com/for-india-what…

The Mediterranean Sea is best understood as a system always in flux, its changes dictated by the crises that surround it. Crises like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine also have implications for the Black Sea, with which the Med is inextricably linked. geopoliticalfutures.com/meditations-on…

In and around the Sahel, an ideological confrontation is underway between the pro-Russian Alliance of Sahel States, with the support of Russian private military contractors and troops, and allies of the U.S. and Europe. geopoliticalfutures.com/instability-dr…

Immigration Boom Supports Labor Markets in Some OECD Member Areas
Despite modest growth rates, the global #economy is giving some cause for optimism, thanks in part to #migration , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. geopoliticalfutures.com/immigration-su…

The @IMF warned that China’s general government gross debt reached 88.6 percent of gross domestic product at the start of 2024, an increase since 2019 of nearly 47 percent. The same figure among advanced economies climbed by just 7 percent over the same period.

US Scrutiny on Foreign Ships
Each year, the U.S. Coast Guard issues a report on port state control, the inspection of foreign ships in national ports. This year’s report is noteworthy given the state of global shipbuilding. geopoliticalfutures.com/us-scrutiny-on…

A wave of pro-Palestinian student protests is washing over the US, a situation that has inspired counterprotests and forced expensive schools to default on delivering what students had paid or borrowed for: an education. - GPF Chairman George Friedman geopoliticalfutures.com/the-crisis-of-…

While an end to the fighting remains elusive, it is time to begin considering what a post-conflict Gaza will look like and its implications for the region.

My latest: geopoliticalfutures.com/israels-gaza-o…

🌐 Armenia is suspending financial contributions to the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, the country’s foreign minister said. Yerevan has been increasingly critical of the CSTO and Russia following Azerbaijan’s seizure last year of the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The cost of aiding Ukraine is racking up, and the politics of using public money to do so are increasingly fraught. With war fatigue on the rise, how long can the West continue to provide #Ukraine this level of support? Details in this week's free graphic on our website.

Belarus’ new Military Doctrine reflects a closer alignment with Russia. Though Belarus is also being cautious not to grant Russia too much influence in hopes that it can return to a more neutral stance after the Ukraine war. geopoliticalfutures.com/new-strategic-…

From the war in Ukraine to economic uncertainties at home and across the Western world, #Germany is facing a number of challenges with which its leaders will soon be forced to contend. One critical topic for Germany, as an export-dependent nation, is maritime #trade routes.

The cost of aiding Ukraine is racking up, and the politics of using public money to do so are increasingly fraught. With war fatigue on the rise, how long can the West continue to provide #Ukraine this level of support? geopoliticalfutures.com/counting-the-c…

🌐 Russia announced that it will hold drills simulating the use of tactical nuclear weapons. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the upcoming exercises are a response to “provocative statements and threats of certain Western officials regarding the Russian Federation.”

From the war in Ukraine to economic uncertainties at home and across the Western world, Germany is facing a number of challenges with which its leaders will soon be forced to contend. GPF's Antonia Colibasanu has this reflection of a recent visit to Berlin: geopoliticalfutures.com/germanys-futur…

🌐 The head of US Africa Command, Gen. Michael Langley, is visiting Benin to strengthen relations with the West African country. The US is looking for reliable partners in the region after the military junta in Niger demanded nearly 1,000 US troops based in the country leave.