Author: Bilal Bagis

The latest election results in the U.S. may indeed mark a new era for the world. President-elect Donald Trump’s economic policies are likely to take center stage in his second term. Trump seems very likely to pursue the plans he promised during his campaign, including higher import tariffs and a major crackdown on illegal immigration. Accordingly, scenarios in which inflation may rise, and economic growth may weaken come to the fore. Policies toward economic growth, employment, and macro-financial stability, as well as more domestic incentives for high technology and manufacturing, are also anticipated. Yet, it also seems like Trump’s historic…

The expanding war in the Middle East and surging Israeli aggression, in particular, have hit trade and energy connectivity hard. The rising tension from the Middle East to Asia Pacific and its potential impacts on energy and East-West trade needs to be reassessed. Accordingly, in this new era of reviving regional connectivity and new initiatives, security issues need to be taken more seriously. The significance of new trade routes is constantly evolving as part of the ongoing supply chain restructurings. However, rising geopolitical tensions in Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine and beyond are likely to disrupt existing trade routes and global trade…