Blog
Patching Things Up, Japanese Elections, Pleading Their Case, Castillo’s Constraints, and The Week In Review
Patching things up. The U.S. and Mexico opened negotiations to replace the Mérida Initiative with a new security …
The Neverending Trade War, AMLO’s Latest Test, Limits of Leverage, Robbing Peter to Pay Paul, Tit for Tat, and The Week In Review
Happy Friday, y’all. If you haven’t already, check out our latest podcast with Emma Ashford, a brilliant expert …
Quid Pro Quo, Vietnam and Covid-19, Japan’s New Prime Minister, ¿Un Nuevo Plan Marshall?, and The Week In Review
Our latest podcast is out, featuring Dr. Carolyn Holmes of Mississippi State University on all things South Africa. …
de Gaulle Returns, Water, East Asia Arms and the Week in Review
The eternal return of de Gaulle. After news of the UK-Australia-U.S. technology sharing agreement broke at the end …
U.S. AI, Chinese Real Estate, Asian Arms Race, Fernández Failure, and the Week in Review
Anglosphere rising. Politico reports that the U.S. will soon announce a new joint initiative with the United Kingdom …
Bolsanaro’s Desperation, Bad Poland, Guinea Coup, India Farmers and The Week in Review
Bolsonaro’s desperation. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro called for his supporters to gather throughout the country on Brazil’s Independence …
Geopolitics and Hurricane Ida, and The Week in Review
Geopolitics is an unoriginal word. Boiled down to its essence, geopolitics is an approach to understanding relations between …
Thoughts on Afghanistan
Afghanistan is a rugged borderland, a hodgepodge of rival tribes and religious sects, and a zone of geopolitical …
Nord Stream 2 with Dr. Maria Shagina
Happy Tuesday, folks! We published our latest podcast on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline with Dr. Maria Shagina, …
And We Rest…
Much as we love our Perchers, every now and then we need a break — so this week …
Latin America, Copper, Ethiopia, Climate Change and the Week in Review
Happy Friday the 13th! We hope the odds are ever in your favor. They certainly were for us …
5G, Blue Hydrogen, South African Unrest, Peru in Flux and the Week in Review
A 5G future for everyone except China. Open RAN pioneer Rakuten agreed to acquire U.S.-based Altiostar Networks for …
Arab Spring 2.0? Chinese Education? Argentinian Water (or lack of), ASF, and The Week in Review
Happy Friday! For those of you who haven’t yet filled out our geopolitical business survey, you can find …
Investment Implications of Climate Change with Marko Papic
Happy Tuesday, folks. We published our latest podcast yesterday. Fan-favorite Marko Papic, author of the recently published and …
Chilean Moderation, Russian Internet, Iranian Strait, Climate Politics and the Week in Review
Everything in moderation. Especially Chile. Two of Chile’s main electoral coalitions, the left-leaning Apruebo Dignidad and the center-right …
Food Prices, South Africa, Cuba Revolts, the “Green EU”, and the Week in Review
Food prices ease…sort of. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Price Index declined 2.5 percent – the …
Iran, Israel and Imran Khan
Dear Perch friends, You might remember that a few months ago, the latest chapter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict …
Happy Independence Day Weekend (in the good ‘ole USA)
Happy Friday and happy (US) holiday weekend! In honor of the 4th of July Perchers are going to …
The New, Post-Pandemic Italy
Happy Tuesday loyal Perch followers! We wanted to share our latest podcast with you. Dario Fabbri, one of …
Cobalt, Venezuela, Potash, Iran, and the Week in Review
Happy Friday! A reminder to check out our latest podcast with Sune Sorensen by visiting our new podcast …
U.S.-EU Relations, Cuba Currency, EU “Togetherness”, France “Failure” and The Week in Review
Putting the band back together. The U.S. and the EU reached an agreement to end a 17-year trade …
Investment, Macro-Finance, and Geopolitics from 20,000 Meters
Happy Tuesday, Perch People. We published our latest podcast on our brand new, snazzy podcast page. You can …
Crypto Country, Mexico Elections, the United States of Europe, Nigeria and the Week in Review
Happy Friday. If you haven’t checked out LatamPolitik, our thrice-a-week newsletter on Latin America geopolitics, click here and …
Chilean Love, Food Prices, Israeli Bedfellows, Softer China, and the Week in Review
Happy Friday, friends. Exciting news: we have a podcast page! So you can check out our most recent …
The Perch Pod – Andrey Sushentsov on Russia
Happy Tuesday loyal Perch folk. Jacob here. I wanted to let you know that we published our latest …
Peruvian Past, Stay Away from Belarus, Iran Elections, Not Havana Nights, and the Week in Review
Happy Friday! Check out LatamPolitik by clicking here. Check out our podcast by clicking here – a new …
Chilly Chile, Frenemies, Iran Nuclear Deal 2.0, Commodity Pricing and the Week in Review
Happy Friday! The podcast is here. LatamPolitik is here. A video of the North Korean military marching to …
Internal Israeli Politics w/ Nitzan David Fuchs
Hello Perch-friends! We recorded a podcast on Israel post-elections a few weeks ago with an Israeli geopolitical analyst. …
Israel (Again), Scottish Patience, Ethiopia Elections, Argentina Eurotrip and the Week in Review
Happy Friday, Perchers. Remember to check out our latest podcast on cryptocurrency by clicking here or you can …
Andes Rail, Netanyahu, Congo, US-Mexico, the Queen’s Navy and the Week in Review
Happy Friday! A few housekeeping notes before we get to the Week in Review: First of all, if …
Cryptocurrency, Decentralized Finance and Cardano
Greetings loyal Perch readers! If you’re like most of the rest of the world, you’ve probably noticed that …
Mercosur, China Crackdown, Semiconductors, Iran, Ethiopian Blockchain and the Week in Review
More Mercosur. Foreign ministers from Mercosur’s four member-states met virtually on Monday. Uruguay and Brazil proposed measures that …
Adios Castro, Climate Politics, Ambivalent Scotland, Russia Withdraws and the Week in Review
Adios Castro. Cuba’s Communist Party (PCC) held a party congress (such meetings occur roughly every five years) over …
What are the Implications of an Independent Scotland? with Anthony Salamone
Happy Tuesday, Perch people! Our latest podcast is out; you can listen here or read the transcript here. …
Russia v. USA, Israel v. Iran, Peru Elections, China Government Flexes and the Week in Review
Happy Friday! The podcast is here and LatamPolitik is here. If you like us, consider sharing both with …
Global Taxes, Northern Ireland Troubles, JCPOA, the Coca Crown, and the Week in Review
Happy Friday, y’all. The podcast is here, the sign-up for LatamPolitik is here. Let’s get to it! — …
Reflecting and Breaking down the Idea of Geopolitics with Professor and Author Phil Kelly
Happy Tuesday! We published our latest podcast this week. We were lucky enough to be joined by one …
Myanmar, LatamPolitik, Cobalt, Food Prices and the Week in Review
Happy Friday! The latest podcast is here. LatamPolitik is here. And the weekend isn’t far behind! — Myanmar’s …
Cuban Vaccine, Suez Troubles, South China Heat, Same ‘ol Israel and the Week in Review
Hello! Listen to our podcast. Sign up for LatamPolitik. Share us with your friends. E-mail us if you …
The Geopolitics and Economics of Fracking with Bethany McLean
Good morning and happy Tuesday to you all. We wanted to check in and share our latest podcast …
“Killer”, Nuclear Option, Revenge, Mozambique and the Week in Review
Hello Perchers! Two quick reminders: Check out our new newsletter, LatamPolitik, on the geopolitics of Latin America. For …
China Stimulus, Return of Lula, Quad Goals, Germany Dragging its Feet and the Week in Review
Another week in the books! A few reminders: if you’re interested in Latin America, check out our new …
The Geopolitics of Romania with Radu Magdin
Happy Tuesday! We hope you are all having a great week. We published our latest podcast yesterday. You …
LatamPolitik, Biotech, US, China, Semiconductors, Dominican Republic, Haiti, more Brexit, and the Week in Review
Hello friends of Perch! It has been a crazy week in the world, and our weekly round-up is …
Argentina, Bolsonaro, and the Turkish Lira Making Moves and the Week in Review
Not much preamble today. We’ll have some exciting stuff to announce next week. Don’t forget to listen to …
Perch Pod Update (Yes, Including Game$top)
Happy Tuesday! No written content today – instead, treat yourself to the latest episode of the Perch Pod, …
Texas Forever, Rare Earths Aren’t, Turkey vs. Iran? and the Week in Review
Howdy folks. Let’s not even pretend like what is happening in Texas isn’t on the front of our …
Havana Nights, Hungary’s Future, Saudi Arabian Law, Argentina Agriculture and the Week in Review
Havana nights. Cuba’s Council of Ministers approved a measure that widens the scope of the private sector in …
The Geopolitics of Scotland
Happy Tuesday Perchers! Hope you enjoyed our last podcast on climate withTom Raftery, a Global VP, and futurist …
SAC Takes Control, New Italian PM, Mercosur Gets Flexible and the Week in Review
Happy Friday, Perch-folk. As always, be sure to check out our podcast. A Scottish-themed episode drops Monday and …
The AfCFTA — Can Africa Save Itself?
Africa is an incredibly rich continent. That richness, however, has not translated into wealth for Africans. Africa’s oil …
Trouble in the DRC, Last Prime Minister of the UK, New Silk Road and the Week in Review
Happy Friday! We hope at least some of you were holding some Gamestop or AMC this week. A …
Climate Geopolitics with Tom Raftery of SAP
Happy Tuesday Perchers! Last week you got a surprise podcast with friend-of-the-show “Cousin Marko” – this week, it’s …
Taiwan, Xinjiang, Nord Stream 2, Tunisia, Brazil, “El Padrino” and the Week in Review
Happy Friday, beautiful humans. If you missed our 2021 forecast, have no fear, you can read the executive …
Perch Perspectives 2021 Geopolitical Forecast
Happy Tuesday! We just published an emergency podcast with fan-favorite Marko Papic on the Perch Pod to talk …
Shipping Madness, Monroe Doctrine 2.0, Food Prices, Blow to Modi and the Week in Review
Hey! Happy Friday. We’re still in need of some ratings, so please check out and rate our podcast. …
The Geopolitics of Japan with Stephen Nagy
Happy Tuesday, friends! Two Tuesdays down, 50 more to go in 2021. Our first podcast of 2021 is …
Capitol Putsch, Strengthening Yuan, South Korea Deploys, Saudi Arabia Recalibrates and the Week in Review
The “Capitol Putsch.” Terrorists stormed the U. S. Capitol building, temporarily delaying Congressional certification of November’s elections results. …
A Year In Review: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly of 2020 (and Hints on 2021)
Hello Perch friends! Happy 2021. We’re starting the new year by sharing a podcast Xander and Jacob did …
Alibaba Collides with China Geopolitics
Shares of Alibaba have fallen by almost a third since various regulatory agencies in China halted the Ant …
EU-China, Brexit Complete, Israel Elections (again) and the Week in Review
Merry merry and happy happy, y’all. We’re off next week but have got you covered for your holiday …
The European Union Approach to Digital Reform
Happy Tuesday! Please note, this is an excerpt from a larger report produced for a Perch Perspectives client …
Digital Protectionism, Preparing for the Worst, It’s Cold Outside, Argentina Diversifies and the Week in Review
Happy Friday friends. Before you get to the Week in Review, we want to remind you to take …
The Geopolitics of South Korea
Zoom and the computer screen have taken over our lives…so this week we’re replacing the written word with …
Virtues of Compromise, What’s in a Default, Recognizing Israel isn’t Free, India’s Farmers (again) and the Week in Review
Happy Friday friends. Before we get to the Week in Review, could you do us a quick favor? …
Secret Agent Man
Mexico is considering a proposal to amend its National Security Law that could have major implications for the …
Fearing China, Bluffing the EU, India Farmers, Another Election in Israel and the Week in Review
Happy Friday, friends. Remember to check out our latest podcast. If you, or someone you know, needs geopolitical …
Water
Before we get to the main event this week, remember to check out our latest podcast with Marko …
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 …
