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Economy Eyes on the U.S. Geopolitics

Yiwu Postcard: Why The “Made-In-China” Capital Is Immune To Trump’s Tariffs

The 75,000 wholesalers in the export manufacturing hub of Yiwu say they have been moderately affected by the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, which he has just announced he will double. Many had already pivoted to developing countries to sell their goods.

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Economy Future Geopolitics

AI As The New Oil? How Abu Dhabi Is Challenging Silicon Valley

Breaking through where no one expected it, the UAE is becoming a major power in AI. MGX, Abu Dhabi’s dedicated fund, has just joined Donald Trump’s gigantic Stargate project. It’s a new golden age for the Gulf.

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This Happened

A Country’s Independence To A Feminist Revolution — On This Day In History February 19

A nation gaining independence, the passing of a key Chinese leader, and a book that sparked a feminist revolution.

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Geopolitics

Will Trump’s “Madman” Diplomacy Work In The Arab World?

Trump could succeed in portraying himself as “unpredictable and unrestrained” without seeming unhinged. But if he comes off as hopelessly irrational, he is unlikely to get what he seeks.

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This Happened

​An Abdication To A Lost Painting — On This Day In History February 12

The start of a historic trial, the fall of an empire, and a famous art heist.

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Geopolitics

India’s Modi Is Strong Enough To Stand Up To Trump — So Why Doesn’t He?

India’s silence on Trump’s imperialistic notions about taking over Greenland and Gaza does not sit well with its growing relative strength in the world.

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Eyes on the U.S. Geopolitics

Higher Stakes, Fewer Cards: Europe Must Learn The Art Of The Bluff

In a world of growing tensions, the European machine seems increasingly inadequate. In the face of unpredictable adversaries and allies alike, the ability to know how to play what you’re dealt may be the key to protecting the interests of the Old Continent.

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Economy Eyes on the U.S. special series Trump And The World

With New Tariffs, Why Trump Is Hitting Canada And Mexico Harder Than China

The American president had promised tariffs of at least 60% on all Chinese products. For now, it will be only 10%. Washington has other issues to negotiate with Beijing. Hitting old allies harder is part of a much different approach.

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Economy Geopolitics Ideas special series Trump And The World

War, Peace And A Plea For The Diplomacy Of Realism

The post-liberal world needs an added dose of cautious and realistic diplomacy, and the United States remains its natural promoter. Yet there is little evidence, for now, that the Trump administration has an interest in diplomacy to keep the collective peace.

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Economy Geopolitics

Cuba Joining BRICS Is A Quiet Warning To Trump

In another sign of changing power relations in the ‘post-Western’ world, the BRICS group of emerging economies could frustrate the United States’ bid to sink communism in Cuba by strangling its economy.

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Economy Geopolitics

Taiwan On Edge: Will Trump Sell Out The Island To Cut A Deal With China?

Donald Trump has spoken little about China since becoming president, leaving both Beijing and Taiwan’s leaders on edge. And Trump’s maneuverings on Greenland are not a good sign.

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Society

Photos Of The Week: Gaza Return, Remembering Auschwitz, Lunar New Year

With striking photographs from Poland, the DR Congo, Gaza and the Shetlands, among other places.

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Economy Future Geopolitics

The First DeepSeek Lesson: AI Is Not Just A Race For The Money

A Chinese startup is shaking the U.S. supremacy in generative artificial intelligence. Are we heading towards a collapse of barriers to entry accelerating the deployment of this technology? Could Europe offer a third way to the future?

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Eyes on the U.S. Geopolitics special series Trump And The World

Donald Trump’s America Is One With No Allies

The bulldozer approach Donald Trump has deployed since his inauguration on Monday discards an American foreign policy approach in place since 1945. Who will survive, particularly in Europe, a purely transactional U.S. President?

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Eyes on the U.S. Geopolitics

How Trump’s Revival Of The Monroe Doctrine Looks From Latin America

In the past, the Monroe Doctrine has pushed the United States to meddle in hemispheric affairs to strangle Soviet and communist subversion. Will incoming President Donald Trump revive this 19th-century U.S. foreign policy position to keep China out? And what would that mean for other countries in the Western Hemisphere.

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Economy Society

In Van Gogh’s Shadow: The Replica Masters Of Dafen Find No Buyers For Their Own Art

Dafen has long been the world capital of oil painting copies. After years of reproducing masterpieces on an assembly line, these painters would now like to be considered true artists and make a living from their creations. But in this ancient village in southern China, copies pay more than originals.

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Eyes on the U.S. Geopolitics special series Trump And The World

To Europe, Trump’s America Looks As Threatening As Putin’s Russia

Will America become revisionist, unilateralist and expansionist under Donald Trump’s second term? In the early 1970s, French philosopher Raymond Aron spoke of the United States as an “imperial republic,” Now, in 2025, there is potentially much less “republic,” and much more “imperialism.”

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Geopolitics special series

High Risk, No Rules: Welcome To The Era Of Geopolitical “Anomie”

The emerging geopolitical paradigm is one of a kind of “armed peace” led by states equipped with nuclear weapons as the ultimate guarantee of security. The battlefield now spans the range of hybrid threats and technological breakthroughs, introducing the potential for “strategic surprises.”

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Eyes on the U.S. Geopolitics In The News Israel-Palestine War Russia-Ukraine War special series Trump And The World War in Ukraine

Trump’s Return: Predictions And Paradoxes For 2025

With the unpredictable Donald Trump returning to the White House in January, what will global politics be like in 2025? In addition to major issues like the war in Ukraine, the conflicts in the Middle East and China, there’s another nagging question: What about Europe?

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This Happened

U.S. Blizzard To Olympic Javelin Thrower — On This Day In History January 2

A bold policy shift, a destructive winter storm, and the birth of a Pakistani athlete who would make Olympic history.

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Ideas Society

Lebanese Tears, Déjà Vu Science, French Sandwich: The Most Popular Worldcrunch Stories Of The Year

Also: a look inside the slippery world of stand-up comedy in China and Ukraine’s clandestine online school network.

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Economy

Trader Joe’s Of China? Pangdonglai, A Grocery Store The Masses Love To Trust

As China slowed down after the COVID-19 pandemic, this modest supermarket chain from Henan seems to have found the magic formula to encourage Chinese consumers to shop. Pangdonglai is so successful that it has become a national tourist attraction.

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Ideas Society

Worldcrunch Staff Picks, Favorite Stories From 2024

From an Italian take on Hawaiian pizza to gay rodeo, Sam Altman’s eye-scanning “orb”… and more!

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Geopolitics Ideas

Asma Al-Assad In Exile? Searching For The Real Story Of Syria’s Former First Lady

Despite her pleasant air and sense of fashion, the now former Syrian First Lady Asma al-Assad was bound to be tied to her husband’s fate. Born and raised in the UK, she was respected by some for openly battling cancer and later adored in China for her glamour. Still, she was largely despised at home for having helped cover her husband’s long list of alleged war crimes.

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This Happened

Shoe Incident To The Birth Of A Birkin — On This Day In History December 14

A famous press conference incident, an explorer’s lifetime achievement, and the beginning of the construction of the World’s largest power station.

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Economy Society

Shein Reality Check: The Dark Side Of China’s Fast Fashion Boom

Shein, a Chinese retailer, has rapidly risen to compete with the likes of H&M and Zara — and even Amazon. But now France is leading the West’s crackdown on the questionable practices of so-called “fast fashion.” Here’s deep look inside the company’s working and sourcing practices.

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Eyes on the U.S. Geopolitics special series

Revenge Of “Sh*thole Countries”? What Trump II Means For U.S.-Africa Relations

As Donald Trump prepares for a second term, African nations find themselves at a crossroads. With mixed reactions from leaders across the continent, the implications of his policies raise questions about future U.S.-Africa relations, human rights and climate action.

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Eyes on the U.S. Ideas special series

Bracing For The Worst: Trump’s Return And The Specter Of Germany, 1933

Americans have reelected Donald Trump despite his clear promises to consolidate power and disregard basic human rights. Snapshot of an election of a declared tyrant by a “suicidal” nation. Echoes of history’s very worst tyrant.

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Eyes on the U.S. Geopolitics special series

For Beijing, Trump May Be The Lesser Of Two Evils

Republicans and Democrats agree on just one thing: being tough with China. That’s why Chinese leaders are not expressing a preference in the U.S. presidential election. Yet some in Beijing are leaning toward Donald Trump and what they see as his penchant for “pragmatism” and “deals” between China and the United States.

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This Happened

Satellite Launch To Smartphone Revolution — On This Day In History November 5

The birth of a Scottish actress, a first lunar satellite and a revolution in the smartphone market.

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Eyes on the U.S. Geopolitics Ideas

The Big Issue That Unites Harris And Trump: China Is Enemy No. 1

If there’s one thing Kamala Harris and Donald Trump can agree on its the demonization of China. After the fall of the Soviet Union, China has become the United States’ ideological adversary — a rival shaping America’s own identity, uniting both left and right. Why does American politics always seem to need an external enemy?

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Geopolitics

Three Big Reasons The U.S. Should Care About The War In Sudan: Russia, Iran And China

With its access to the Red Sea, Sudan is more strategic than many wish to admit. A Russian cargo plane shot down in Darfur this week sheds light on the positioning going on among the world’s powers.

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Economy

The Vacant Apartments Of Shaoguan, Symbol Of China’s Real Estate Crisis

China’s real estate crisis is hitting small, unattractive cities like Shaoguan hard. This city of 3.3 million residents in the far south of the country has a stock of empty apartments that could take 10 years to sell.

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Society Women Worldwide

Abortion And The U.S. Election: Women Of The World Are Watching

A landmark decision last year by the Mexican Supreme Court is part of a push in Latin America to expand abortion access. But as seen by the U.S. overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022 and the presidential election in November of this year the issue is moving in different directions around the world.

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Geopolitics

How Putin Uses BRICS To Wield Power — And Avoid Pariah Status

The BRICS Summit, which opens on Tuesday in Kazan, Russia, is an opportunity for Vladimir Putin to show that he is not isolated. But it is above all the power of attraction of this club of emerging countries that needs to be seen, in a world dominated by the West since 1945 and struggling to evolve.

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Economy

Why India Has Failed To Overtake China As The “New Factory Of The World”

Ten years after the launch of the Modi’s “Make in India” program, India’s industry problem has deepened — just like its dependence to China.

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Economy Geopolitics Russia-Ukraine War

The Other Enemy That Could Force Russia To Accept Defeat: Low Oil Prices

Since the end of the 20th century, the idea has spread that there’s a fundamental link between energy prices and Moscow’s ability to carry out military aggression. After all, low energy prices were one of the factors behind the economic collapse of the USSR.

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Geopolitics

Why North Korea’s Latest Threats Are More Dangerous Than Ever

Tensions have suddenly escalated after North Korea accused South Korea of sending drones over its capital. Threats from Pyongyang are common, but amid an uncertain international context, experts are taking these latest ones more seriously.

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Economy Geopolitics

China-Germany: Trying To Avoid A Head-On Collision Over Electric Cars

Germany is trying to avoid tariffs on Chinese electric cars because it is interested in selling its own cars to China — and wants to avoid direct confrontation. But the European Union has decided to impose new tariffs. All of this may wind up as a full-fledged new trade war between China and Germany.

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Geopolitics

How Smaller Nations Can Profit From Superpowers Fighting Over Supremacy

It’s called Active Non-Alignment. The end of a bipolar world and of Western supremacy has created a more fluid, and threatening, geopolitical map. For smaller powers, especially in Latin America, this is the time to “get the best deal” for themselves with the superpowers.

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