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
USMCA 2026 and Economic Security: The Convergence of Technology, Trade, and National Security
By Jake E. Jennings, Chair of Technology and Trade
The USMCA Review Is Becoming a Test of North American Technology Security. The 2026 review of the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement was initially framed as a routine, if politically sensitive, “check-in” trade exercise.
Mexico Now America’s Top Trading Partner as USMCA Review Looms
By Abel Hibert, Senior Fellow
Since taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump has made reducing the trade deficit with key partners—Mexico, Canada, and China—a central goal of his trade policy. In 2024, the combined deficit with these countries reached $545.7 billion USD.
Saudi Arabia’s Washington Visit: A New Chapter in a Strategic Economic Partnership
By Deborah Lehr, Chair and CEO
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s recent visit to Washington represents a turning point in the U.S.–Saudi relationship. While the headlines focused on major geostrategic outcomes—advancing the sale of the F-35, deeper cooperation on emerging technologies, and renewed attention to regional stability including Sudan—the foundation of the visit was unmistakably economic.
The Next AI Era: Technology, Regulation, and Geopolitics
By 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.
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.
Cutting Subsidies, Boosting Consumption
August 18, 2025 | Gracie Sun, Chair of Asia-Pacific
In July 2025, China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) set new provincial renewable energy targets. Since 2018, China has been building a provincial-level green electricity quota system, requiring provinces to consume a portion of renewable energy in their energy mix.
China’s Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage Signals Its Global Ambition
August 14, 2025 | Deborah Lehr, Chair and CEO
China is making its cultural heritage protection a national priority – and a pillar of its global identity. As one of the world’s fastest-growing art markets, China has taken steps in recent years to better safeguard its cultural heritage, both at home and abroad.
Bridging the Biodiversity Finance Gap: Green Finance as a Catalyst for Global Sustainable Development
June 18, 2025 | Deborah Lehr, Chair and CEO
The global community stands at a critical juncture where the loss of biodiversity is not only an environmental concern but a profound economic and developmental challenge. Biodiversity underpins ecosystem services that are vital for human survival, including food security, disease regulation, and climate stability.
From Picnic Nuisance to Ecological Champion: It’s Time We Value Pollinators
June 12, 2025 | Deborah Lehr, Chair and CEO
June is National Pollinators Month, a timely reminder that the birds, bees, bats, and butterflies we often overlook—or even fear—are actually among the most critical workers in our global ecosystem. These pollinators are more than fleeting visitors to summer picnics or creatures we instinctively shoo away.