FOCUS
July 7, 2022. By Caitlin Purdy and Rodrigo Castillo, Brookings. Latin America holds considerable reserves of critical minerals, sometimes also referred to as future-facing commodities, which will be crucial to the global energy transition. What the development of these resources in Latin America will mean for governments and citizens is uncertain. The global energy transition presents an opportunity that could translate into significant commodities windfalls. The end goal for governments is a well-regulated mining sector that increases public goods and spurs socioeconomic development with minimized social and environmental impacts. Transparency, accountability, and participation will be crucial to achieving this. The Future of Mining in Latin America: Critical Minerals and the Global Energy Transition
AROUND THE WORLD
Russia – Ukraine
- July 7, 2022. By Karolina Hird, Kateryna Stepanenko, Grace Mappes, and Frederick W. Kagan,, ISW. Russian Defense Ministry Spokesperson Igor Konashenkov announced on July 7 that Russian forces in Ukraine are pausing to rest and regain their combat capabilities, confirming ISW’s assessment that Russian forces have initiated an operational pause. Konashenkov did not specify the intended length of Russian forces’ operational pause. As ISW previously assessed, Russian forces have not ceased active hostilities during this operational pause and are unlikely to do so. Russian forces still conducted limited ground offensives and air, artillery, and missile strikes across all axes on July 7. Russian forces will likely continue to confine themselves to small-scale offensive actions as they rebuild forces and set conditions for a more significant offensive in the coming weeks or months. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 7
UK
- July 7, 2022. By Atlantic Council. Boris Johnson announced on Thursday that he would leave his post as prime minister of the United Kingdom as soon as a replacement from within the Conservative Party is selected, after a series of scandals resulted in a revolt from within his administration. So what happens now to the “Global Britain” that Johnson was trying to build? We reached out to our experts to gauge the reaction in foreign capitals to the drama in Westminster, and what the future might hold for the United Kingdom. Experts react: Boris Johnson is resigning. What’s next for the United Kingdom on the world stage?
USA
- July 7, 2022. By Cameron F. Kerry, Brookings. The Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overruling Roe v. Wade has raised unsettling questions about the status of the Court’s right to privacy jurisprudence. On a more immediate level, though, the decision has also triggered deep concern about its impact on the information privacy of women who have abortions while living in states that ban abortion, as well as others who help them, promote travel to other states, or sell abortion medications. How comprehensive privacy legislation can guard reproductive privacy
USA – Arctic
- July 7, 2022. By Evan T. Bloom and Jeremy Greenwood, Brookings. The United States has important entitlements to a wide swath of undersea territory in the Arctic and other regions that is rich in oil, natural gas, minerals, and sea life in an area known as the “extended continental shelf” (ECS). These unique maritime geographic features are defined and codified in international law and establishing rights will extend the United States’ subsea maritime reach well beyond the 200 nautical miles of the continental shelf to which all coastal states are entitled. Securing US territorial rights in the Arctic: New actions to protect America’s continental shelf
USA – Mexico – Canada
- July 7, 2022. By Joshua P. Meltzer, Edward Alden, Antoni Estevadeordal, Goldy Hyder, C.J. Mahoney, Eric Miller, and Arturo Sarukhan, Brookings. July 1, 2022 marks the second anniversary since the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) came into force. Over the last two years, trade among the North American partners has recovered to pre-pandemic levels having grown 22 percent since 2020 to a total of 1.26 trillion in 2021. It is also worth recalling that for each party to USMCA, trade with the other two parties represents their most important international trade relationship. USMCA at 2: Visions for next steps
TOPICS
Cities
- July 6, 2022. By Willow Fortunoff, Atlantic Council. Last month at the Ninth Summit of the Americas, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the United States will host a Cities Summit of the Americas in Denver, Colorado in April 2023. Blinken also launched the Cities Forward Initiative, a knowledge-sharing and capacity-building program that connects cities so that they can work together to tackle issues like sustainability and climate resilience. Mayors are quickly becoming international diplomats. The US can help them thrive. – Atlantic Council
Digital & Tech
- July 7, 2022. By Zach Brown and Alexander MacKay, Brookings. When online markets first emerged, there was widespread optimism that they would be fair and competitive. Unlike physical stores, consumers would be able to choose among dozens, perhaps hundreds, of websites with simply a click. This would drive intense competition to offer the lowest price, making markets more efficient and benefiting consumers. Are online prices higher because of pricing algorithms?
Global
- July 7, 2022. By Homi Kharas, Brookings. My friend Bert Hofman, director of the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore, has just written an insightful account of the East Asian financial crisis. On July 2, 1997, exactly 25 years ago, the Thai authorities devalued the baht, triggering a wave of economic crises in East Asia with ripple effects onto other emerging economies including Russia and Brazil. 25 years since the East Asian financial crisis: 2 forgotten lessons
Vedi il nostro primo docufilm – Talking Milan. Milano si racconta – TALKING MILAN-MILANO SI RACCONTA. LA “SCIENZA DEL DOVE” DIVENTA PRODOTTO TELEVISIVO