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.
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.
What Is The Promise of AI?
August 18, 2025 | Hosted by Jake E. Jennings, Chair of Technology and Trade
In episode six of our Tholos Talks series that unpacks the defining economic challenges of the 21st century — Coffee, Trade, and Tech — Jake is joined by Kendra Schaefer, Partner and Head of Tech Policy Research at Trivium China, and Basilinna Senior Fellow for a deep dive into the rapidly evolving world of AI, digital trade policy, and China’s position in the global tech race.
Digital Sovereignty and the New Trade Order
June 12, 2025 | Hosted by Jake E. Jennings, Chair of Technology and Trade
In episode five of our Tholos Talks series that unpacks the defining economic challenges of the 21st century — Coffee, Trade, and Tech — Jake welcomes Sabina Ciofu, Associate Director - International at techUK, to discuss the evolving landscape of digital trade policy.
When Mistakes Need a Manual: China’s Guidance on Acceptable Decision-making
June 9, 2025 | Deborah Lehr, Chair and CEO
In China, a nation known for five-year plans and centrally choreographed actions, it turns out that what’s really hard to plan for is fear of action. In the last year, Chinese authorities quietly released what can be described as guidance for “getting things wrong the right way” – policy guidelines outlining which mistakes by government officials are permissible and which are not.