Expert Comment — East Asia Programme 2026-07-09 TThe Taiwan Strait is the most dangerous flashpoint in the international system. The combination of unresolved territorial claims, military build up on both sides, and nationalist sentiment on both sides of the strait creates a volatile mix that could easily escalate into armed conflict. In October 2025, the […]
Expert Comment — Global Programme 2026 07 08 TThe global debt crisis that began with Sri Lanka’s default in 2022 has spread to encompass 52 developing countries. Total developing country external debt has reached $3.9 trillion, and debt service payments absorb an increasing share of government revenues. For the first time in history, developing countries
Expert Comment — Global Programme 2026 07 07 HHydrogen has been called the fuel of the future for decades, but the future has always remained just out of reach. That may finally be changing. Japan and Germany have committed over $30 billion each to hydrogen development. South Korea, the European Union, and the United States
Expert Comment — East Asia Programme 2026 07 05 SSouth Korea’s defence industry has undergone a remarkable transformation. Once a net importer of almost all its major weapons systems, Korea has emerged as one of the world’s fastest growing arms exporters. In 2025, Korean defence exports reached approximately $18 billion, up from $5 billion in
Expert Comment — Pacific Programme 2026 07 03 TThe AUKUS partnership, announced in September 2021, represents the most significant shift in Australia’s defence posture since the ANZUS alliance was formed in 1951. The centrepiece of the agreement is Australia’s acquisition of nuclear powered submarines, a capability that only six other nations possess. The total cost
Expert Comment — East Asia Programme 2026-07-01 JJapan’s population declined by 800,000 in 2025, the largest single year drop ever recorded. The total population now stands at 123.8 million, down from a peak of 128.5 million in 2008. The fertility rate has fallen to 1.15, far below the replacement rate of 2.1. The government has
The Unraveling of a Nation’s Economy More than fifteen years since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, the country’s economy has reached what many economists describe as a state of complete collapse. While global attention has shifted elsewhere, Syrians continue to endure one of the most severe hyperinflation crises of the twenty-first century. The
Syria’s Inflation Crisis: Life Under Economic Collapse in 2026 Read More »
Expert Comment — Asia Programme 2 June 2026 Key Findings The Bank of Korea projects GDP growth of 2.6 per cent for 2026, powered by an AI-driven semiconductor super-cycle. Semiconductor exports surged by 48 per cent year-on-year in April 2026, with total exports expected to grow by 30 per cent. Korea’s fertility rate of 0.72
South Korea’s Economic Miracle 2.0: Semiconductor Super-Cycle Meets Structural Anxiety Read More »
Turkey economy in 2026 faces critical challenges after years of unconventional monetary policy and inflation crisis. The Turkish economic narrative has been one of the most dramatic in emerging markets. From the growth miracle of the 2000s to the currency crises of the 2020s, the country now stands at a crossroads between orthodox reform and
Expert Comment — Global Programme 2026-06-01 TThe G7 price cap on Russian oil, introduced in December 2022, was designed to reduce Russia’s oil revenue while maintaining Russian oil on global markets. The mechanism prohibits Western insurance, shipping, and financial services from facilitating Russian oil sales above the cap of $60 per barrel. The elegant logic
