Fewer Chinese Studying Abroad

Why ever fewer young Chinese study abroad
https://www.economist.com/china/2026/08/06/why-ever-fewer-young-chinese-study-abroad
Those who do are more likely to return home afterwards. 

Tech Competition - China versus US

The Future, Made in China
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/08/10/the-future-made-in-china
Beijing is competing with the U.S. for tech supremacy. Who wins will have huge political implications. 

China’s A.I. Is Surging Across Africa. That Should Worry Silicon Valley.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/05/technology/ai-china-africa.html

Spain's Migrant Crisis

When Following the Rules Leads to Disaster
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/08/ceuta-morocco-crisis-immigration/688149/
A supreme-court decision helped cause the Ceuta disaster.
 
Schengen’s Greatest Failure
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/07/migration-splitting-europe-apart/688137/
The Ceuta crisis is undermining an agreement designed to foster “solidarity.” 

International Mystery

The Great Chinese Oil Mystery
https://www.theatlantic.com/economy/2026/07/china-iran-usa-oil-prices/688086/
America’s greatest rival is single-handedly averting a global energy crisis. No one knows how the country is doing it—or why. 

Asia’s New Geopolitical Reality

A Historic Shift is Underway in Asia 
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/opinion/asia-military-security-china-allies.html

Iran War Forces Energy Buyers to ‘Unshackle’ From Global Markets
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/business/natural-gas-lng-asia-exposure.html
Developing Asian nations, scarred by Middle East supply shocks, are working to scale back their reliance on imported fuels, including liquefied natural gas.  

Related:
Can Renewables Industrialize Africa?
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/africa/can-renewables-industrialize-africa
The Iran War Is Driving the Continent Toward Chinese-Backed Green Energy. 

Profile of María Corina Machado

María Corina Machado’s Opposition in Exile
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/07/27/maria-corina-machados-opposition-in-exile
The Venezuelan politician hoped to become her country’s leader with help from the U.S. The Trump Administration had other priorities. 

Related:
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/marco-rubio-is-failing-venezuelan-democracy-by-ricardo-hausmann-2026-07

Europe - A Museum or a Theme Park?

Dismissing Europe as a museum is glib. Think of it as a theme park.
https://www.economist.com/europe/2026/07/23/dismissing-europe-as-a-museum-is-glib-think-of-it-as-a-theme-park 

G-2 versus the Rest

Don’t Overestimate America and China’s Importance
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/us-china-limits-of-superpower-influence-and-clout-by-jim-o-neill-2026-07
Some commentators on international affairs seem to think that “the West” and the BRICS+ do not really matter; only the United States and China do. Yet three factors complicate this simplistic framing, suggesting that even superpowers' influence has limits, and that smaller powers can sometimes punch above their weight. 

Geopolitical/Geoeconomic Risks

Beware the rising energy dangers of Trump’s Gulf war
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/07/22/beware-the-rising-energy-dangers-of-trumps-gulf-war/

Diesel Crisis Puts Poor Farmers Around the World at Risk

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/business/bangladesh-farmers-diesel-water-iran.html

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has limited the shipment of diesel, depriving farmers of fuel for irrigation pumps and threatening the food supply. 

 
Trump’s Tariffs Enter New Phase, Ending Months of Calm
https://www.wsj.com/economy/trade/trumps-tariffs-enter-new-phase-ending-months-of-calm-65f33e3e
President Trump is preparing new levies to replace the ones he put in place after the Supreme Court gutted his trade agenda. 

The world’s balance-sheet is out of kilter with its economy
https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2026/07/23/the-worlds-balance-sheet-is-out-of-kilter-with-its-economy
Restoring balance could be painful.

US Popularity on the Global Stage

People in Many Countries Now View China More Positively Than the U.S.
https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2026/07/15/people-in-many-countries-now-view-china-more-positively-than-the-u-s/
More also have confidence in Xi than Trump, according to a survey in three dozen countries.
 
Why the world trusts China more than America
https://www.ft.com/content/f3ad032f-3c06-4ed4-82e2-7c2e5e68af26
Countries suspicious of the US are to be found on every continent, not just in its own back yard. 

Pointless Wars

War Has Become Pointless
https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/07/06/war-iran-ukraine-israel-united-states-russia-pointless/
Military conflict has always existed. It’s just stopped making sense. 

The Strong Suffer What They Must
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/us-russia-discredited-by-smaller-powers-by-harold-james-2026-07
Foolish military interventions driven by outdated calculations of economic power have thoroughly discredited the old big powers. Thucydides might well have appreciated the irony of a world in which smaller, weaker countries like Ukraine and Iran can expose Russia and the United States, respectively, as paper tigers. 

Scandinavia Rethinks Migration

Sweden squashed migration. The populist right wants to go further
https://www.economist.com/europe/2026/07/16/sweden-squashed-migration-the-populist-right-wants-to-go-further 

Burka to be banned in Danish schools
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/16/burka-faces-ban-in-danish-schools/
Measure aimed at countering ‘parallel societies’ of non-integrated foreigners.

US Financial Supremacy

Storm clouds gather over America’s financial supremacy
https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2026/07/12/storm-clouds-gather-over-americas-financial-supremacy
Its payments firms may be the first casualties. 

Related:

https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/trump-brazil-payment-system-pix-097bacaa

Cost of Doing Business in an Unpredictable World

War Risk for Businesses Will Mean Higher Prices No Matter What Happens
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/15/business/economy/iran-war-inflation-supply-chains.html
Doing business in a more dangerous and unpredictable world will cost more, pushing up the price of everything from food to electronics. 

The Worst Form of Trade Protectionism

The payments darling in Trump’s crosshairs
https://www.ft.com/content/efbec9a7-a3d9-45e6-8ade-c0660f31ecc7
US tariff threats against Brazil over payments platform Pix provoke a political storm ahead of elections. 

Global Instability

The World’s Superpowers Are Scrambling for an Edge. It Makes All of Us Less Safe.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/10/opinion/trade-war-economy-globalization.html 

The Indo-Japanese Alliance is Strong

India’s Modi Deepens Ties with Japan in ‘Uncertain Times’
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/02/world/asia/03int-india-japan-modi-takaichi-security.html
The prime minister met with his counterpart, Sanae Takaichi of Japan, and signed agreements covering artificial intelligence, energy and security. 

World's Most Livable Cities - 2026

The world’s most livable city for 2026 has been revealed
https://www.cnn.com/travel/worlds-most-liveable-city-2026
1. Copenhagen, Denmark
2. Vienna, Austria
3. Melbourne, Australia
4. Sydney, Australia
5. Zurich, Switzerland
6. Geneva, Switzerland
7. Osaka, Japan
8. Adelaide, Australia
9. Vancouver, Canada
10. Tokyo, Japan 

Global Currency Agreements

A new Plaza Accord for global currencies wouldn’t work
https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2026/06/30/a-new-plaza-accord-for-global-currencies-wouldnt-work
The conditions and will for a deal are not what they were in 1985.  

A Witty Take on Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, I saw the coming Chinese century
https://www.newstatesman.com/world/asia/2026/07/in-hong-kong-i-saw-the-coming-chinese-century
Is authoritarianism the price we will pay for social order? 

Related:

Hong Kong, once a great place to raise and spend money, is halfway back
https://www.economist.com/china/2026/06/29/hong-kong-once-a-great-place-to-raise-and-spend-money-is-halfway-back
Tighter ties with the mainland have not always helped.