Our Insights
Featured Insights Selected by Our Experts
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Nature as National Asset: How the Middle East Is Turning Biodiversity into Economic Opportunity
By Basilinna Deborah Lehr, Chair and CEO.
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Trump 2.0
Tholos Talks with The Trade Guys, Hosted by Jake E. Jennings
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China Economic Stimulus Tracker
A comprehensive timeline of announcements and policy actions implemented by the Chinese government to stimulate economic activity.
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When Mistakes Need a Manual: China’s Guidance on Acceptable Decision-making
By Deborah Lehr, Basilinna Chair and CEO
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Silicon and Sovereignty: What Trump’s AI Pact Means for the Gulf
Talking Points by the Basilinna Team
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Why Do Culture and Heritage Matter? with Irina Bokova
Tholos Talks with Irina Bokova, Hosted by Deborah Lehr
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Is Xi Jinping Undermining China’s Path to Tech Superiority?
By Deborah Lehr, Chair and CEO
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Making Acquisitions in the Public Affairs Sector: Lessons from Both Sides of the Table
By Leigh Wedell, President and COO
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Trade is No Longer a Way of Opening Up Markets
With Deborah Lehr, Chair and CEO
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From the Middle Kingdom to the Saudi Kingdom: Opportunities Abound
By Yasser Elnaggar, Chair of the Middle East and Africa
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The New Trump Administration: Perspective from China
Talking Points by Gracie Sun, Chair of Asia-Pacific
Explore all of our Insights, Interviews, Commentary, and More
CFIUS, Export Controls, and the New Era of Economic Security
October 30, 2025 | Hosted by Jake E. Jennings, Chair of Technology and Trade
In episode eight of our Tholos Talks series that unpacks the defining economic challenges of the 21st century — Coffee, Trade, and Tech — Jake is joined by Alexis Early to explore how export controls, CFIUS, and ICTS regulations have become central to U.S. economic security. Together, they discuss how these tools shape global investment, supply chains, and access to technology.
From Compliance to Competitive Edge
October 9, 2025 | Hosted by Jake E. Jennings, Chair of Technology and Trade
In episode seven of our Tholos Talks series that unpacks the defining economic challenges of the 21st century — Coffee, Trade, and Tech — Jake is joined by Caitlin Fennessy to explore one of the most pressing economic challenges of the 21st century: data privacy. Together, they unpack the future of global privacy frameworks, the U.S.–EU Data Privacy Framework, and the critical intersection of AI and privacy governance.
Tech and Trade Strategic Insights: Beyond the Headlines
October 1, 2025 | Jake E. Jennings, Chair of Technology and Trade
AI Data Centers Strain Grid Capacity: Stargate and other billion-dollar campuses announced last week highlight how hyperscale demand is colliding with grid bottlenecks.
Tourism and Biodiversity: Unlocking Value in the MENA Green Economy
September 22, 2025 | Basilinna Team
Tourism is already central to economies across the region, but its long-term value depends on protecting the natural assets that give destinations their identity.
The Next AI Era: Technology, Regulation, and Geopolitics
September 19, 2025 | John Mulligan, Executive Director
On a recent video call conducted almost entirely in a language I don’t speak, I gave myself a challenge: could I build a real-time translator using AI before the call ended? With only partial comprehension and a handful of tools, I improvised a solution by combining open-source software and NVIDIA’s CUDA libraries, the company’s parallel computing platform that powers most advanced AI systems.
Tech and Trade Strategic Insights: Beyond the Headlines
September 16, 2025 | Jake E. Jennings, Chair of Technology and Trade
Antitrust as trade policy response: China's preliminary finding that NVIDIA violated competition rules by adhering to U.S. export controls highlights how multinationals face conflicting legal demands across jurisdictions.
The Latchford Network and Following the Trail of Loot
September 10, 2025 | Hosted by Deborah Lehr, Chair and CEO
Deborah welcomes back Tess Davis, Executive Director of The Antiquities Coalition, to discuss the story of Douglas Latchford, a notorious antiquities trafficker, and why his story is central to understanding the global illicit antiquities trade. The conversation explores Latchford’s background, how he built a vast smuggling network over a 50-year criminal career, and the devastating impact of his actions on Cambodia’s cultural heritage.
From Blueprint to Reality: China Builds a Free Trade Island for Its Next Ambitious Opening Experiment
September 10, 2025 | Ruihan Huang, Director | Michael Wu, Senior Vice President
In December 2025, China will formally implement the independent customs operation of Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) (also referred to as “customs closure”), marking a turning point from policy planning to institutional execution.
Nature as National Asset: How the Middle East Is Turning Biodiversity into Economic Opportunity
September 5, 2025 | Deborah Lehr, Chair and CEO
For decades, the Middle East’s biodiversity was overlooked—not because it lacked value, but because that value was not fully recognized. Today, countries across the region are reframing nature as a strategic national asset.
Pollinators of the Night: How Bats Sustain Ecosystems, Agriculture, and Tequila
September 9, 2025 | Chynna Hawes, Senior Vice President
In the U.S., bats are perhaps better known for their pest control services. In one night, a single bat can eat thousands of crop-damaging insects, reducing the need for chemical pesticides, lowering costs for farmers, and at the same time, supporting the health of other pollinators.