Blog
Time to Prepare for 2021! Here’s How.
About this time last year, Perch Perspectives didn’t have a name yet. Jacob knew he wanted to start …
Open RAN, El Padrino, Chinese Securities, Western Sahara, Covid-19, Ethiopia and the Week in Review
Lots to talk about this week, so let’s jump right into it… — Open RAN. The U.S. House …
The Geopolitics of Turkey in a Multipolar World
No country has more to gain and more to lose in a multipolar world than Turkey. Turkey is …
Beware the Lira, South Caucasus Peace, Ethiopia War, U.S-Mexico on the Rocks and the Week in Review
Beware the lira. Turkey’s Finance Minister (and President Erdogan’s son-in-law) Berat Albayrak resigned via Instagram. Erdogan also fired …
Geopolitics Enters the COVID Era
One piece of news dominated all the rest yesterday (which is saying something considering Azerbaijan shot down a …
Ethiopia splits, Ma fumbles, EU toughens and the Week in Review
Happy Friday, y’all. We are typing this up on Thursday afternoon. It is not clear who won the …
U. S. Election Day
Dear friends of Perch, As you might have heard, the U.S. is holding a presidential election. In 2016, …
France-Turkey Clash, Germany-France Shutdown, India-US Relations and the Week in Review
Happy Friday lovely humans. If you are in the U.S., remember to vote. If you are anywhere in …
2020 U.S. Election Geopolitics Part Deux: If Biden Wins
This is the second installment of a 2-part series on the geopolitics of the upcoming U.S. election. If …
El Padrino, #EndSARS, Rising Food Prices and the Week in Review
Happy Friday, you merry band of beautiful humans. A few housekeeping notes: In our latest podcast, Maxim Suchkov …
2020 U.S. Election Geopolitics Part 1: If Trump Wins
In two weeks, U.S. voters will go to the polls to elect their next president. We’ve decided to …
EU Sovereignty, Scotland & Wales Stress the UK, East African Drought and the Week in Review
EU sovereignty. 25 European Union member states signed a joint declaration pledging up to 10 billion euros to …
The Trouble with (the Word) Politics
A note from Jacob Yesterday a man walked by my house while I was trying to fix our …
Republic of China, Indonesia Simmers, Kyrgyzstan Chaos, Wang Watch and the Week in Review
Happy Friday folks. Our latest podcast is out and is about a controversial question, namely, is there any …
When it Comes to U.S. Trade (In?)exact Wording is Everything
Two significant developments in American geopolitics occurred in the past week that you might have missed if you …
Arms Race, Orbán Strikes Back, the Base Alloy of Hypocrisy and the Week in Review
Happy Friday y’all. Don’t forget to check out the latest episode of the Perch Pod by clicking here. …
Nagorno Karabakh
Whilst everyone distracts themselves with commentary, justifications, and criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tax returns, Armenia and …
India Farming, EU Rising, U.S. Seething and the Week in Review
Happy Friday, comrades. It’s been a rough week, but we’re still out here grinding. Check out our latest …
Peace in the Middle East (lol)
“We’re here this afternoon to change the course of history. After decades of division and conflict, we mark …
Europe Emerging? RIP WTO? Welcome to Xinjiang? and the Week in Review
Happy Friday comrades. A reminder to check out our latest podcast with Rory Medcalf. Rory is Head of …
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
2020: the year that keeps on giving. As the COVID-19 global pandemic reaches its sixth month in the …
Ethiopia & the U.K. Unravel, Food Prices and the Week in Review
Happy Friday, comrades. We are shocked and dismayed by the wildfires affecting California, Oregon, Washington, and other Western …
Brexit
Unlike “The Song That Never Ends,” Brexit, though it has felt like an interminable process to those of …
Food Prices Rise, Open RAN Hype, Latin America Pains and the Week in Review
Rising food prices. Global food prices rose for the third consecutive month in August. Meat and dairy prices …
Pouring One Out for Abe
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving prime minister in Japan’s history, announced last Friday that he will step …
Hurricanes, Uighurs, Where’s the Beef? and the Week in Review
Happy Friday, dear comrades. First of all, our thoughts are with all the folks affected by Hurricane Laura. …
A REAL “Western Hemisphere Strategic Framework” — Instead of what we got…
Last week, the U.S. National Security Council (NSC) released its “Overview of Western Hemisphere Strategic Framework.” The release …
Colombia Near-Shoring, More Huawei Squeeze, Climate Change and the Week in Review
How to near-shore. U.S. National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien and other U.S. officials traveled to Colombia this week …
Dolla dolla bill y’all
The U.S. dollar is the undisputed heavy-weight currency champion of the world. By any metric, the buck still …
Middle East Friends, Mediterranean Enemies, Taiwan Friends, and the World’s Hair is on Fire Week in Review
Happy Friday y’all. If you missed our take on the WeChat/TikTok issue, click here to read it. Don’t …
U.S. Takes off the Gloves with Tik Tok, WeChat…and Canada?
Last Thursday evening, the Trump administration published three executive orders on the White House website in quick succession. …
Middle East Tragedy, Things Go Wild, Indian Temples and the Week in Review
Lebanese tragedy, wild middle east news, India begins construction on a new temple, U.S continues to pile on …
Chile and the Ghosts of Cold Wars Past and Yet to Come
There are currently no subsea cables connecting Asia and Latin America. All data traffic between Latin America and …
Grisly Financials, India “News Monsoon”, U.S. Tech Falters and News of the Week
Happy Friday y’all! Remember to tune into the latest episode of the Perch Pod – Mexican political analyst …
Geopolitics 4.0
Life as we know it would not have been possible without three Industrial Revolutions. These revolutions, which should …
China (Fire), China (5g), Furcation and the Week in Review
The paradigm shift in U.S.-China relations. Late Tuesday evening, Chinese officials at the Consulate General of China in …
State of the World, July 2020
Politics is not linear or steady. History is only sequential in textbooks. Real life takes place in fits …
4 or 5 Eyes Eye 5G, South Caucasus Ruckus and the Week in Review
Remember to check out the latest episode of The Perch Pod: Dario Fabbri from the Italian geopolitical journal …
Mexico’s AMLO — Tropical Messiah or False Prophet?
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, often referred to simply as “AMLO,” is the type of character that …
Amazon Fires, the Chinese “Long March” and Danish Pipelines…and the Week in Review
We’ve had a number of new sign-ups in the last week, so if this is your first time …
Can Boris Keep the U.K. United? Scotland May Have Other Ideas
December 2019 was supposed to have been British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s triumphant victory – and to a …
Russian Bounties, China Human Rights, Climate Change and the Week in Review
July, July, July! Never seemed so strange. We are trying a new format for the week in review …
The Tragedy of Benny Gantz
One of the pitfalls of democracy is that government of the people, by the people, for the people …
Trade Wars, Romantic Dinners, the Balkans, Pandas — and the Week in Review
Happy Friday, y’all. A reminder to check out the latest episode of the Perch Pod with John Minnich …
Is Egypt in Crisis — Yet?
The ongoing civil war in Libya has reached a critical juncture and Ethiopia looks poised to begin filling …
A Slow Start to Summer – No Way! 3rd Sino-India War? North Korea Rattles? The Week in Review
The latest episode of the Perch Pod is out! My good friend John Minnich joined me to talk …
Can the Russia-US-China Relationship Get Worse? With “Uncle Joe” it Just Might.
Every U.S. President since the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991 has promised to improve U.S. relations with Russia …
CHIPS, Pigs, Oil and the Week in Review
Reshoring. U.S. lawmakers introduced a bipartisan bill called the “Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for America Act,” …
The Future of India Depends on its Farmers
Last week, India’s government passed major reforms that could have a profound impact on the future of India’s …
A Historic Day for India Farmers, the US-China Conflict Continues and the Week in Review
A reminder to check out the “The Perch Pod,” our biweekly podcast on important developments and the future …
America Seethes and the World Watches
Even for a company that focuses primarily on international affairs, there is no avoiding the domestic unrest that …
Huawei’s woes, Border “wars” and the Week in Review
Huawei’s woes. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly told government officials to make plans to eliminate China’s (and …
What’s Happening in Mozambique – and Why You Should Care
It is admittedly hard to know what to care about right now. Or perhaps to put it more …
U.S.-China Relations Worsen, a Potential Water War, & the Week in Review
The U.S.-China relationship continues to deteriorate. On Monday, Nikkei reported that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), which accounted …
France and Germany’s Plan to Save the EU
We had intended to address the deteriorating security situation in Mozambique today. French President Emmanuel Macron and German …
A Renewed US-China Trade War & the Weekly Roundup
Resuming the trade war? Referring to U.S.-China trade relations, U.S. President Donald Trump told Fox Business on Thursday …
The Geopolitics of Open RAN
The United States is using its economic and political power to encourage the development of “Open RAN.” The …
Perch’s Perspective: 8 May 2020 Week in Review
Unbent. Unbowed. Undeterred. But maybe broken. On Tuesday, Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) determined that the European Central …
U.S.-China Relations Hit a Snag
A brief housekeeping note before we get to today’s newsletter. You can listen to the latest episode of …
Ruling Brittania’s (radio)Waves
In recent weeks, Britons have taken to vandalizing and even attempting to burn down radio masts crucial to the functioning of …
Perch’s Perspective: 1 May 2020 Week in Review
Who said globalization was dead? The European Union and Mexico took a critical step forward in upgrading their …
MERCOSUR’s Murky Future
A brief note before we get down to business. You might have expected us to offer some deep, …
Perch’s Perspective: 24 April 2020 Week in Review
Super contango. If there has been a crazier week in oil futures markets, we cannot remember it. On …
Will Texas Cap Oil Production?
The original OPEC may be forced to rise to an old task. Plus updates from around the world. …
