Nato General Secretary Mark Rutte warned that the West needs to prepare of the possibility that Chinese President Xi Jinping will ask Russian President Vladimir Putin to attack Nato so that China can invade and take control of Taiwan. Is that a realistic possibility? bne IntelliNews’ editor-in-chief Ben Aris talks to Professor Axel Schneider, the head of the sinology faculty at Goettingen University to discuss these issues and more.
Russia’s economy is under pressure, but life on the streets in Moscow and the regions has never been so good, says Chris Weafer, the founder and CEO of Macro Advisory and former head of research at multiple Moscow-based investment banks. The government are trying to crash land the overheating economy and there will be damage, but not a plane wreak, says Weafer. But to solve Russia’s basic problems, the war in Ukraine needs to stop. Reports are out that it is official: Trump will not send Ukraine any more air defence ammo, “because our own stocks are running low.” Ukraine has been cut off from US help for the second time. It was already cut off this time last year when the US ran out of money for Ukraine and that ended up with Kyiv running out of air defence missiles and the destruction of its entire non-nuclear power generation capacity. Now Trump has cut Ukraine off for a second time and as the skies open again, Russia is likely to spend the summer bombing anything it wants to with impunity. The mood is black. Some commentators now give Ukraine only six more months before it will have to sue for peace. In the meantime Putin’s efforts to build up a multipolar world order are going surprisingly well. But it is not just a Sino-Russian effort. Countries around the world are clubbing together in regional alliances to better protect themselves from US bullying. Iran’s relationship with Russia in the 12 day war with Israel is a case in point. The annual BRICS summit is due to convene this month in Brazil and the business of building up the non-aligned alliance between the Global South countries continues.
Adelle Nazarian is an international journalist, foreign policy analyst, and entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience across media, geopolitics, and technology. Fluent in English, Persian, French, and Mandarin Chinese, Adelle has reported for outlets including CNN, Fox News, and Breitbart, and conducted exclusive interviews with global leaders. She is the founder and CEO of Vista Nexum and has served as CEO of the American Blockchain PAC, championing innovation at the intersection of technology and policy. As a senior fellow at the Gold Institute and the Observer Research Foundation, Adelle is recognized for her expertise in national security, human rights, and international affairs, making her a sought-after voice on global issues
In this episode of the Emerging Global Podcast, Ruthie Blum, former advisor to the Office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, provides her insights on the ongoing Middle East conflict as well as Israel's internal political state of play. Blum walks us through her personal and professional journey while giving us an insight into Israel's involvement in Syria and Prime Minister Netanyahu's ongoing corruption trial.
In this episode of the Emerging Global podcast, South America correspondent Mathew Cohen provides an in-depth analysis of President Javier Milei's controversial economic reforms in Argentina. Cohen examines the impact of Milei's libertarian policies, including deregulation and austerity measures, on the country's economy and its citizens. The discussion covers public reaction to these sweeping changes, the challenges facing Milei's administration, and the potential long-term consequences for Argentina's economic landscape. This timely conversation offers listeners valuable insights into one of South America's most significant current political and economic developments.
Bruce Pannier is a longtime journalist and correspondent covering Central Asia. He currently writes for Bne IntelliNews and appears regularly on the Majlis podcast for RFE/RL. Prior to joining RFE/RL in 1997, Bruce worked at the Open Media Research Institute in Prague. You can also read more on the topic here: https://www.intellinews.com/pannier-russia-is-pushing-turkmenistan-out-of-the-natural-gas-market-326833/?source=asia
Daniel Rad interviews Frazan Sabet about the future of Iran after the unexpected death of president Ebrahim Raisi. Dr. Farzan Sabet is an expert on economic sanctions, nuclear non-proliferation, and Middle East politics. He is a Senior Research Associate of the Global Governance Centre and the Sanctions and Sustainable Peace Hub at the Geneva Graduate Institute.
One year after the tragic death of a young Iranian woman at the hands of the Iranian state led to a year of disturbances and challenges to the cleric-led state. Dr. Arasha Azizi talks with bne IntelliNews on the one year anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini and Iran's future.
China and the US are on a collision course while Beijing and Moscow are moving closer together and geopolitical tensions are rising. What exactly is China’s foreign policy and attitudes to its growing rivalry with the US? Are Russia and China in an emerging anti-Western alliance or is it just a marriage of convenience? Can Beijing broker a peace in Ukraine and will it invade Taiwan? bne IntelliNews’ editor-in-chief Ben Aris talks to Professor Axel Schneider, the head of the sinology faculty at Goettingen University to discuss these issues and more. Watch the conversation here. Sign up for bne IntelliNews’ emailed podcast alerts here.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin spent three days in Moscow to form a new deeper economic and pollical alliance. How important was the meeting and what do Xi and Putin get out of it. How will it impact the West’s attempt to tighten the sanctions noose around Russia’s neck. And is a clash between Washington and Beijing inevitable? Editor in chief Ben Aris talks to Nigel Gould-Davis, the former UK ambassador to Belarus and Senior Fellow for Russia and Eurasia with the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and Alexander Titov, a lecturer of Modern European History at the university of Belfast Ben Aris - Editor in chief of bne IntelliNews in a panel discussion with two of the leading experts on Russia’s oil business: Nigel Gould-Davis - The former UK ambassador to Belarus and Senior Fellow for Russia and Eurasia with the International Institute for Strategic Studies Alexander Titov - A lecturer of Modern European History at the university of Belfast
Join Ben Aris and Mack Tubridy as they discuss the recent rioting in Georgia. They discuss the Foreign agents bill, its withdrawal and the mass demonstrations in the centre of Tbilisi, where police used water cannons, tear gas, pepper spray and flash grenades to disperse crowds of protesters in front of parliament. Protests broke out after the the bill was passed in its first reading on March 7th.
The West has targeted Russia’s cash cow with two sets of dramatic sanctions. In December an embargo and price cap scheme was imposed on crude oil exports. In February the more widely distributed oil products were hit with the same. But how big an impact will these sanctions have on the sector? Russia managed to export all the oil it previously sent to Europe to India and China instead. How effective are the sanctions? Will Russia be able to repeat the $280bn current account surplus this year now the oil price caps are in place and just how big is the sanctions leakage? come along, ask questions, tune in and get the info from the experts! Join Ben Aris - editor in chief of bne IntelliNews in a panel discussion with two of the leading experts on Russia’s oil business: Chris Weafer - founder and CEO of Macro Advisory, and a former head of research at half a dozen Moscow-based investment banks; Christoph Ruehl - Senior Research Scholar at the Centre on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University, and the former chief economist at BP.
The war in Ukraine started one year ago and Russia has been hit by some of the most extreme sanctions ever seen on such a large economy. But have they worked? The government’s revenue tumbled in recent months, but in 2022 Russia had the largest current account surplus ever. Now two rounds of oil export sanctions have been imposed but it is clear there is also ready significant leakage via India and China. Join the bne IntelliNews webinar where an extremely distinguished panel of leading experts will chew over the results of the first year of war in Ukraine. Ben Aris, editor in chief of bne IntelliNews Elina Ribakova, deputy chief economists at Institute of International Finance (IIF) Iikka Korhonen, the head of the Bank of Finland Institute for Emerging Economies Alexander Isakov the chief Russia and CEE Economist for Bloomberg Economics and previously chief economist for Russia and CIS at VTB Capital. Ivan Tkachev, the economics editor at the Russian daily RBC
Join us as Ben Aris, Editor in Chief of bne IntelliNews interview Owen Matthews about his new book and Russia.
Tensions in northern Kosovo escalated dramatically in the second half of 2022, raising fears of a renewed conflict in the region, part of Kosovo but populated mainly by ethnic Serbs. While the situation has eased, a new flashpoint looms with the upcoming local elections in April. We look ahead to the next developments in this longstanding conflict in 2023, and the prospects of finding a lasting solution. Bne IntelliNews’ news editor and Southeast Europe bureau chief, Clare Nuttall, talks to Valentina Dimitrievska, Western Balkans correspondent based in Skopje, North Macedonia.
Uzbekistan is will hold its first three “People’s IPOs” before the end of the year where the first stakes in three major enterprises will sold off via the Tashkent Stock Exchange. Small stakes will be sold in some of the most attractive companies in the country: UzAuto is Uzbekistan’s major automotive complex and the maker of the ubiquitous Chevrolet cars that enjoy a 95% market share. UzMetKombint is the country’s largest steel maker that accounts for a third of the metal consumed as well as significant exports to its neighbours. QQB is a top 10 bank and the Uzbekistan’s largest mortgage lender. The IPOs are the first step in a grand plan to get the government out of business and place dozens of leading companies into the hands of private enterprises as part of the transformation begun by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in 2016. To discuss this and the broader economic revival Uzbekistan is going through this in detail our special guests include: Karen Srapionov, Partner and Director of Avesta Investment Group that is advising on the UzMetKombinat IPO Bekhruzbek Ochilov, Investment Bank with Freedom Finance thats is advising on the UzAuto IPO Aziz Sodikov - Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan - Organizer of the IPO's Eleanor Kramers, Head of International Communications, Artel Electronics LLC Ben Aris, Editor in Chief and founder of bne IntelliNews.
The energy crisis and soaring inflation is going to tip Europe into recession this year, but how bad will it get? join us as we delve into the possibilities and see how Emerging Europe will survive this next recession. Guests: Liam Peach - Senior Emerging Markets Economist - Capital Economics Liam works with Capital Economics and specializes in macroeconomic research, analysis and forecasts on emerging markets, with focus on Russia, Turkey and CEE. Tomas Dvorak - Senior Economist - Oxford Economics Tomas has worked with Deloitte and KPMG in the past. His focus is macroeconomics and Macro econometric modelling & forecasting using high-frequency data, economic policy and computational economics. Additionally, he has experience working with the European Parliament. Ben Aris, Editor-in-Chief, bne IntelliNews Ben is an Eastern Europe specialist. He previously worked with the Daily Telegraph, The Wall Street Journal and Euromoney before starting bne IntelliNews and covering EE and CEE.
bnePodcast: Europe's energy crisis: how will it get through the winter? The energy crisis has already cost Europe at least half a trillion euros as governments across the Continent rush out support and relief for businesses and citizens as the temperatures start to fall. Can Europe afford it and what are the long term consequences. Originally recorded - 28/09/2022 - 7pm GMT+1, 8pm CET, 2pm EST Nicolas Véron - Senior Fellow at Bruegel Nicolas Véron is a senior fellow at Bruegel and at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, DC. His research is mostly about financial systems and financial reform around the world, including global financial regulatory initiatives and current developments in the European Union In September 2012, Bloomberg Markets included Véron in its second annual 50 Most Influential list with reference to his early advocacy of European banking union. Ben Aris, Editor-in-chief, Bne Intellinews Ben is an Eastern Europe specialist. He previously worked with the Daily Telegraph, The Wall Street Journal and Euromoney before starting bne IntelliNews and covering EE and CEE.