We must not attempt to bring the failed Iran Deal back to life May 9, 2019 The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed in a fanfare of publicity in 2015 between Iran and six countries, was hailed at the time as the way to curtail Iran’s nuclear ambitions. In exchange for suspending its nuclear programme, Iran would secure massive sanctions relief. The world would be free from the menace of [...]
Western allies cannot allow China to fraternise with the Taliban – CityAM : CityAM August 31, 2021 The swift demise of Afghanistan has dominated every headline. Twenty years of aid, support and work towards political stability wiped out in a mere nine days. This will only spell the start of the atrocities — the return of female oppression and a crack down on all who aided Western countries are already reemerging. As [...]
Saturday essay: It’s easy to hate social media, to truly make it work we need to learn to love it July 3, 2021 It’s fashionable to be irrationally critical of social media. Almost every policy relating to social media serves to restrain, rather than nurture it. The image of online platforms, amongst politicos and policymakers, is often that it is nothing more than an inflammatory cesspit of trolls and creeps who debase every conversation with racist and sexist [...]
War in Ukraine continues to dominate the economic narrative March 11, 2022 For the third week running there is only one subject that dominates the Friday update – the ongoing fallout of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Gulf of Oman oil tanker attack: US says video shows Iran removing unexploded mine June 14, 2019 The US military has released footage which it says shows Iran’s Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded mine from an oil tanker that was targeted in an attack in the Gulf of Oman. In a statement the US said Iranian forces were “observed and recorded removing the unexploded limpet mine from the M/T Kokuka Courageous”. Read [...]
Britain 2030: How far will UK foreign policy tilt toward the Asia Pacific? August 13, 2021 Boris Johnson’s victory in dragging the UK out of the EU was supposed to herald a new dawn for the country’s foreign policy, with his “Global Britain” agenda at the fore. It is perhaps unsurprising we are not much clearer about what this phrase means 20 months on, despite the release of a much heralded [...]
Will the world economy avoid an inflationary bust? March 23, 2022 Today’s high inflation is being compared to the 1970s. However, robust consumer spending, fuelled by pandemic savings, makes for a different set of circumstances. Memories of the 1970s were evoked as the price of Brent crude oil temporarily climbed above $139 a barrel in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. That was a period [...]
Capital punishment: private sector sanctions in Russia March 21, 2022 The corporate response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is representative of a wider shift in the role of the private sector in society. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is first and foremost a human tragedy and has far-reaching consequences for millions of people. Our thoughts are with those caught in the atrocious situation, those that have [...]
Has the Ukraine war sped up the clean energy revolution? March 18, 2022 As energy security rises up the political agenda, we look at what Russia’s invasion of Ukraine means for climate change investing. Russia’s shocking invasion of Ukraine is having horrendous consequences, and our thoughts are with the millions of people affected. As climate change investors, we also have to consider the impact of the conflict on [...]
Oil prices reach fresh 2019 high as US tightens sanctions on Iran April 22, 2019 The price of crude oil climbed over three per cent today following the announcement by the US government that it will end exemptions from Iranian oil sanctions that it granted to countries such as China, India and Japan. Read more: Oil prices reach new 2019 high as tensions rise in Libya Secretary of state Mike Pompeo [...]