Brave New World
Back to homepage
Hard-Hit but Striking Back: Dubai Finds Correct Balance
Last year, Dubai registered a sharp decline in its population. Almost eight of every 100 inhabitants left the country as the pandemic and a drop in oil prices unsettled nerves and the economy. Key sectors such as real estate, tourism
Read More
South Africa Teetering on the Edge of Political and Economic Precipice
Keep South Africa Safe: the slogan is stamped on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s favourite facemask, and could refer to more than just the pandemic. The country is embroiled in an epic struggle to save the rule of law from falling prey
Read More
Free Trade in Retreat in Europe due to Environmental and Labour Standards
The EU free trade baton, carried by the UK until Brexit, has been relayed to the Stockholm Six of like-minded liberal countries pushing back against French and Italian pressure for Europe to get tougher on trade defence, and relax on
Read More
The First Days: The Need for Speed in US Politics
In his inauguration speech, President Joe Biden called US democracy precious and fragile: “And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.” The statement made for a stirring moment and afforded a sigh of relief after the events of January
Read More
Out with the Old: President Biden Sets to Work, COVID Top Priority
Freshly installed in the Oval Office, the 46th president of the United States immediately set to work reversing a slew of his predecessor’s orders and decisions. In a matter of minutes, Joe Biden’s first acts renewed the country’s membership of
Read More
Double Dip Recession in the Making, UK Expected to Emerge First
The Deutsche Bundesbank expects a double dip recession. Analysing non-traditional indicators such as Google Map traffic data and air and water pollution, the German central bank detected a significant retreat of last week’s economic activity index. Consumer confidence is also
Read More
Europe Drifts Away as its US Bogeyman Prepares to Leave
Tired of dancing to an American tune, the European Commission is ready to challenge the global supremacy of the US dollar. Next week, the commission will likely adopt a policy paper aiming to strengthen the euro by lessening the continent’s
Read More
Bitcoin: A Fatal Lapse of Memory
Stephan Thomas is a rich man. Recently, the value of his assets ballooned to a staggering $260 million. There is, however, a hitch: Thomas owns 7,002 bitcoins but cannot access his digital wallet. He lost the password and after eight
Read More
The Sudden Fall and Coming Resuscitation of Reaganomics
Trickle-down economics was counted amongst the first fatalities of the corona pandemic. The belief that government interference with the functioning of the free market is evil by design hastily gave way in early March as the ‘Wuhan virus’ revealed its
Read More
Whilst Trade Talks Falter, Brits Celebrate Vaccine First
Mind the paradox. Thanks to EU law, the UK has become the first country to certify for clinical use the coronavirus vaccine developed jointly by US biopharmaceutical company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. Under the provisions of the 2012
Read More