United States under Trump 2.0 wants the Panama Canal

Donald Trump recently claimed that the United States is being “ripped off” by the Panama Canal’s administrators and alleged that “Chinese soldiers” are operating the canal. He has threatened to “demand the return of the Panama Canal” to the United States. On December 23rd, Panama’s president, José Raúl Mulino, responded by asserting that “every square metre of the Panama Canal” is the country’s property, a stance supported by opposition parties. Trump’s actual objectives might be less extreme, but their specifics remain unclear

Trump to Mediate Peace between Russia and Ukraine

Nobody expects Donald Trump to end the Ukraine war in 24 hours, as he has claimed he could in the past. However, the new administration, which takes office on January 20th, is highly invested in bringing both sides to the negotiating a peace deal. But even that may prove difficult. In an Interview on December 30th the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, slammed leaked proposals from Trump’s team for a peace deal. Putin, who believes Russia is winning, has given no sign of retreating from his maximalist goals.

African Economies will Flourish in 2025

In October the IMF described a “two-track growth pattern” in sub-Saharan Africa. On one track are most of the 23 countries with sizeable exports of non-renewable commodities such as oil, gold or diamonds. These include Angola, Nigeria and South Africa. As prices for their exports sagged, their GDPs per person have dropped in the past decade. Most resource-rich countries have also been focused more on dividing the spoils of the boom years than on using the proceeds to build resilient economies.

Trump’s 2.0: Testing Period for Saudi-Iran Rapprochement

The shifting geopolitical landscape in West Asia has become particularly evident after the Saudi Arabia-Iran rapprochement. Despite the prevailing instability in the region exacerbated by the Gaza crisis, the détente between these arch-rivals has opened diplomatic channels to bolster cooperation. Amid rising pragmatism in the Gulf, Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential elections has brought United States policy in the region into the spotlight.