Global Political Insight

The peace agreement signed in Minsk, Belarus, last week regarding eastern Ukraine is undoubtedly welcome. Though fragile, the ceasefire provides some longed-for relief for the population of Donbass. A moment of relative tranquility on its territory is certainly something Ukraine needed desperately for two main reasons. The conflict was a huge drain on the Ukrainian […]

For decades, the political systems of southern Europe have closely matched that of the United Kingdom’s, characterised by two dominant parties of Left and Right competing with each other for power and influence. Events of the last few years, however, have called into question the survival of the traditional two-party systems along the southern cone […]

With geopolitical tensions, a history of independent statehood as well as harsh seasonal fluctuations the strategic need for the nations of the Baltic States to diversify their energy supply away from traditional piped Russian gas has become a key concern in recent years. With Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania currently relying almost exclusively on Russian […]

It may have taken India’s government a long time to notice, but optimistic forecasts on Africa’s economic growth may finally be pushing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to try to pinch away at the daunting gap of Chinese investment on the continent, where trade between both nations has ballooned to valued figures over $200 Billion USD. […]

Headlines concerning a slumping rouble in Russia, infrastructure issues in Johannesburg, and slow growth in both Brazil and China might not be the bearer of bad news for everyone. For India, such a time represents an opportunity in the face of global economic woes. It has not been a good year in economic terms for […]

The rise of China as a global power over the last 30 years has led to much speculation about what this meant for the existing global order. China with it’s 1.3 billion people, and huge growth has fast become the world’s largest economy based on PPP according to an FT report which cited data from […]

The West can be forgiven for feeling a little smug about Russia’s current economic woes. But celebrating a weak Russian economy would be foolish – especially for Europe – for two primary reasons: economic ties with Russia and political instability. There is no denying that Russia is experiencing a currency crisis. The rouble continues to drop […]

High debt, low growth, and unemployment may become “the new normal in Europe”, according to Christine Lagarde, managing director of The International Monetary Fund (IMF). These words, together with Prime Minister David Cameron’s announcement that “red warning lights are once again flashing on the dashboard of the global economy” mean that 2015 could see a […]

Parliamentary elections in Ukraine on 26th October indicated that the country is on a Western path. But the euphoria many felt in Kiev after the end of Euromaidan protests may be replaced by hard realisation that not much has changed in Ukraine. The economy is in a dire place and is unlikely to improve any […]

CONVENTIONAL wisdom dictates that America will always support Israel, militarily, financially, politically, in a way no other country does. From vetoing UN resolutions to unparalleled military assistance, it is almost an axiom that the relationship is ‘unbreakable’ and ‘special.’ But relations between the two have fractured in recent months over Israel’s settlement policy, a possible […]

CCTV America interviewed Alexander Clackson on the G20 summit. He’s the founder of the international affairs think-tank Global Political Insight with expertise on Russia.  

The European republic of Italy faces a difficult situation at present, confronted not only with an economy in the doldrums, but with many of its young people either without a job or having gone abroad in search of employment. But it is also a time of great opportunity, as Italy has a charismatic leader in […]

Recent news that the British government will back the development of HS3, a project that will see a connection between England’s northern cities, looks set to start a chorus of protest similar to much hyped STOP HS2. Plaid Cymru, the Welsh nationalist party, have already sharpened their claws, ready to pounce, claiming HS3 ‘will leave […]

Despite Russian President Vladimir Putin topping the Forbes’ list of the world’s most powerful people for a second time, a great deal of speculation still circulates amongst analysts, politicians and economists, about whether the economic deterioration of Russia will be the straw that breaks Putin’s back. This is unlikely to be the case. Vladimir Putin […]

On Monday 27 October, Brazil’s shares and currency fell drastically. The reason for this was the re-election of President Dilma Rouseff. The election proved to be the closest Brazil has seen for decades, with Rouseff only beating her opponent Aécio Neves by 3.3 percent of the vote. In her victory speech, Rouseff recognised the need […]