China

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

Politics

During the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held on Aug. 31-Sept. 1, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to support regional tech development through artificial intelligence and the Beidou navigation system. He also pledged to help each SCO nation install 10 gigawatts of new green energy in the next five years, and proposed an SCO development bank.

China: Beijing Decries Trade Protectionism at SCO, Pushes Regional Trade

United States

Global Trade

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company announced on Sept. 2 that the U.S. Commerce Department had revoked a waiver for its plant in Nanjing, allowing it to import advanced chipmaking gear and technology from the United States.

U.S., China: U.S. to Stop Letting Asian Chipmakers Ship Equipment to Plants in China

U.S.-China Relations

Cyber

Economics

Stanford researchers found in a study published Aug. 26 that employment for younger workers in artificial intelligence-exposed roles has dropped by 16% since late 2022. 

Cyberspace: Study Finds AI Has Sizable Impact on Reducing Hiring for Entry-Level Workers

Europe

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to place export controls and higher tariffs on countries implementing digital services taxes and other restrictions on U.S. technology companies in an Aug. 25 post on Truth Social.

U.S.: Trump Threatens Tariffs, Export Controls in Retaliation for Digital Services Taxes

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management ordered Danish energy company Orsted to pause work on its Revolution Wind project under construction off the coast of Rhode Island, the Financial Times reported on Aug. 22.

U.S.: Trump Administration Orders Pause in Construction of Revolution Wind Project

South Sudan

Ethiopia

Kenya

Sudan

Uganda

Egypt

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held phone calls on Aug. 21 with his counterparts from Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda and Kenya during which he stressed Egypt's "categorical rejection of unilateral measures" on the eastern Nile Basin and said "water security" was "existential" for Egypt, Addis Standard reported on Aug. 22.

Egypt: Cairo Courts Upstream Nile Basin States With Promise of Development Support  

Nvidia ordered several suppliers and contractors for its H20 AI chip, including Amkor, Foxconn and Samsung, to suspend production, The Information reported on Aug. 21. 

U.S., China: Nvidia Tells Suppliers and Contractors To Halt Production of H20 AI Chip

Iran

Germany

France

United Kingdom

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with officials from France, Germany and the United Kingdom, known collectively as the E3, during the week of Aug. 24-30 to discuss nuclear negotiations and sanctions, Reuters reported on Aug. 22. 

Iran: Tehran To Discuss Nuclear, Sanctions Issues With Germany, France, U.K.

The world is connected, but even the broadest topics deserve an individual look. Below are our latest and most relevant science and technology analyses. 

Technology

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Eurasia

Middle East and North Africa

South Asia

Agriculture

COVID-19

Supply Chains

_Energy

Environmental Issues

Globalization

The 4th Industrial Revolution

Assessments

The Geopolitics of Trade

Military & Security

Geopolitical, security and environmental risks threaten to disrupt trade through crucial waterways, including the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the Suez Canal, the Danish and Turkish straits, and the Panama Canal.

The Geopolitics of Trade: Threats to Maritime Chokepoints Endanger Global Trade, Part 2

Norway

The building housing Norway's parliament is seen on May 17, 2025, in Oslo.

The Sept. 8 vote could result in another left-wing coalition focused on welfare and climate, a right-wing coalition focused on tax cuts and oil production, or perhaps even an unprecedented grand coalition between the country's two largest parties.

Norway's Legislative Elections: Potential Outcomes and Their Implications

Global Elections

Columns

On Geopolitics

A person holds a smartphone showing an interface introducing OpenAI's new GPT-5 model in the ChatGPT app in front of a blurred OpenAI logo on Aug. 9, 2025, in Chongqing, China. 

Despite users' disappointment with the lack of conversational improvements, GPT-5 signifies a shift in AI development from basic chatbots to more advanced agentic systems, capable of complex, multi-step tasks.

GPT-5 and the Evolution of AI

Snapshots

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the "Winning the AI Race" summit hosted by All‑In Podcast and Hill & Valley Forum at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on July 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C. 

Relaxed U.S. export controls on key semiconductors will enable Chinese companies to accelerate their advancement of AI-focused chips.

How U.S. Export Concessions Could Boost China's AI Ambitions

Protectionist and security-driven data regulations are impeding digital and physical trade, potentially slowing global economic growth and innovation.

The Geopolitics of Trade: Diverging Digital Governance Threatens Data Flows

Morocco

A researcher from the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) examines crops in a cultivated field in Morocco on April 18, 2024.

Despite a temporary boost in crop yields from spring rainfall, Morocco's persistent drought and structural water shortages continue to threaten its agricultural sector, food security and economic stability ahead of the 2026 elections.

Rainfall Boosts Morocco's Crop Yields, But Long-Term Water Crisis Persists

A digital illustration shows a digital human head overlaying the EU flag.

Growing internal and U.S. pressure will likely force Brussels to delay or amend its landmark AI law, fueling short-term regulatory uncertainty that could hinder the technology's development in Europe.

The Fate of the EU's Ambitious AI Act

Canada

A worker positions a robotic underwater vehicle that can be remotely operated to harvest mineral deposits in the deep ocean, after conducting tests in a lake in Collingwood, Ontario, on May 1, 2025.

Recent U.S. actions will likely accelerate commercial seabed mining operations in certain resource-rich waters around the world, despite international regulatory hurdles and ongoing environmental concerns.

Deep-Sea Mining: Opportunities, Risks and the Path to Commercial Extraction

India

Pakistan

Water runs in the Gurez valley in India-administered Jammu and Kashmir, near the India-Pakistan border, on June 3, 2025. 

Diplomatic talks between India and Pakistan will likely remain stalled due to ongoing airspace closures and disputes over water-sharing, sustaining the risk of a future conflict following the two countries' military confrontation earlier this year.

Unresolved Tensions: Water, Airspace and the Future of India-Pakistan Diplomacy

Media

Israel

Podcasts

What cyber limitations and capabilities do Iran and Israel have?

Essential Geopolitics: Increased Risk of Cyberattacks as Conflict With Iran Escalates

U.S.-Iran Relations

Australia

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles and British Defense Secretary John Healey sit together for the AUKUS Defense Ministers Meeting at Old Royal Naval College on Sept. 26, 2024, in London, England.

Despite growing U.S. skepticism, strong imperatives to counter China's maritime presence will likely lead Washington to see a revised version of the AUKUS defense pact through.

U.S. Review of AUKUS Pillar I Puts Pact on Shaky Ground

U.S. President Donald Trump discusses his plans for a "Golden Dome" U.S. missile defense shield in the Oval Office of the White House on May 20, 2025.

The plan for a U.S. missile defense system will likely fall short of its expansive aims, but it threatens to accelerate an arms race with Russia and China, as well as hasten the commercialization of space.

Environment, Science & Technology

SITUATION REPORTS

China: Beijing Decries Trade Protectionism at SCO, Pushes Regional Trade

U.S., China: U.S. to Stop Letting Asian Chipmakers Ship Equipment to Plants in China

Cyberspace: Study Finds AI Has Sizable Impact on Reducing Hiring for Entry-Level Workers

U.S.: Trump Threatens Tariffs, Export Controls in Retaliation for Digital Services Taxes

U.S.: Trump Administration Orders Pause in Construction of Revolution Wind Project

Egypt: Cairo Courts Upstream Nile Basin States With Promise of Development Support

U.S., China: Nvidia Tells Suppliers and Contractors To Halt Production of H20 AI Chip

Iran: Tehran To Discuss Nuclear, Sanctions Issues With Germany, France, U.K.

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support