Our Insights
Featured Insights Selected by Our Experts
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The Return of the Koh Ker Ganesha
with Brad Gordon, Channy Set, and Nguon Chhay Song | Hosted by Deborah Lehr
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CES, Digital Trade, and the Future of Tech Supply Chains
with Ed Brytzwa | Hosted by Jake E. Jennings
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Iran, The Days After: The Succession
By the Basilinna team
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Why China Is Pushing Trade Facilitation Despite a Record Surplus
By Leigh Wedell and Ruihan Huang
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Mexico Now America’s Top Trading Partner as USMCA Review Looms
By Abel Hibert, Senior Fellow
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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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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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From the Middle Kingdom to the Saudi Kingdom: Opportunities Abound
By Yasser Elnaggar, Chair of the Middle East and Africa
Explore all of our Insights, Interviews, Commentary, and More
CFIUS, Export Controls, and the New Era of Economic Security
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.
Tech and Trade Strategic Insights: Beyond the Headlines
By Jake E. Jennings, Chair of Technology and Trade
U.S. Government Shutdown Complicates Planning: The shutdown halts rulemaking and interagency coordination while essential trade enforcement proceeds, enabling the Administration to
From Compliance to Competitive Edge
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
By 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
By the 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
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.
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
By Michael Wu, Senior Vice President and Ruihan Huang, Director
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.