Asia: Hormuz — Energy Security & Transition

In an earlier blog "Iran: Assessing the Economic Fallout", I identified Asia as the most vulnerable region to the war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Subsequently, financial markets have reflected these risks. Indeed, countries from Pakistan to the Philippines have taken recent measures to cope with the economic fallout. Now, [...]

COP 30: The Planet Doesn’t Do Politics

23 November 2025 The COP 30 summit in Belem Brasil now has concluded. Let's face it, progress on climate change has lost momentum. Not only has Potus 47 ditched America's Net Zero commitment, but leaders from key polluting nations China, India, Russia, and the USA did not attend the conference. In line with the 2015 [...]

France: Plus Ca Change?

2 March 2025 "Plus ca change" is a French adage loosely meaning "the more things change, the more they stay the same". To be sure, France enjoys an enviable socio-economic model: producing high levels of productivity and living standards combined with a strong commitment to equity and sustainability. Indeed, I have just returned from an [...]

Election 2024 Edition #3: Climate Change

16 October 2024 In my last two blogs, I have focused on key issues to which the two Presidential candidates have paid insufficient attention: the bloated government budget deficit and surging public sector debt, as well as international trade policy and rising US foreign indebtedness. In both cases, I gave the narrow edge to Vice [...]