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Ecuador

Mexico

Venezuela

Syria

North Korea

Belgium

Netherlands

Seized marijuana bricks are incinerated in Guadalajara, Mexico.

While narco-states exist on a spectrum of severity, they can all have dramatic geopolitical, operational and tactical impacts that raise a wide variety of risks.

What Is a Narco-State, and Why Does It Matter?

Snapshots

United States

Japan

Greece

France

Portugal

Spain

Italy

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Chief Economist Pierre Olivier Gourinchas speaks during a media interview at the IMF headquarters in Washington D.C. on July 26, 2022, after the institution downgraded its outlook for the global economy this year and next. 

Economics

As the effects of post-COVID reopenings wane, rising interest rates and slower economic growth may prove particularly problematic for highly indebted countries like Italy.

After a Brief Reprieve, Debt Levels in Many Advanced Economies Are Set to Rise

Assessments

Europe

United Kingdom

Supporters of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) protest in Glasgow, Scotland, on July 27, 2022, as part of a nationwide strike among U.K. rail workers. 

Social Issues

European countries could see a wave of disruptive protests in the coming months as workers demand wage increases to keep up with the rising cost of living. 

Europe's Inflation Crisis Raises the Risk of Social and Labor Unrest

Brazil

Turkey

Pakistan

Nurses demand better wages and to be paid in dollars amid inflation and economic crisis on Nov. 19, 2019, in Caracas, Venezuela. History is replete with examples of inflation -- and, in the most extreme cases, hyperinflation -- generating social unrest.

Even if the world probably won't be engulfed by violence, persistent inflation-linked protests can be expected some places, with periodic episodes of more serious unrest.

What Unrest Provoked by Inflation Could Look Like in 2022

Guidance

Mozambique

China

Poland

Cyprus

The Tianwen-1 probe is successfully launched on July 23, 2020, in Wenchang, Hainan, China.

Environment, Science & Technology

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended Stratfor articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Cypriot Sovereignty Talks and a Chinese Space Launch

COVID-19

Germany

British fine china company Wedgwood on Oct. 14, 2020, in Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire, England. Founder Josiah Wedgwood incorporated some details of Chinese porcelain assembly lines into his own production process.

History has shown that economic espionage has been most successful at boosting domestic industries rather than destroying targeted industries.

Understanding Economic Espionage: The Past

A sign advises people to follow COVID-19 restrictions on Jan. 5, 2021, in Falmouth, the United Kingdom. In a televised address on Jan. 4, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the country was entering its third lockdown since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020. 

The U.K.'s newly announced restrictions and economic relief package offer a preview of similar moves governments in continental Europe will make in the coming days. 

The Next Wave of COVID-19 Lockdowns Emerges in Europe

EU: Regional Blocs

The Fate of the Eurozone

South Africa

A transmission electron microscopic image of an isolate from a COVID-19 case in March 2020. The development highlights the broader question of the impact of mutations on COVID-19 transmission and the efficacy of new vaccines.

The development highlights the broader question of the impact of mutations on COVID-19 transmission and the efficacy of new vaccines.

What a SARS-CoV-2 Mutation in the United Kingdom Means for the World

A photo shows an empty plaza with closed stores in the German city of Eggenfelden on Oct. 27, 2020, after a local lockdown was imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19. 

Politics

Military & Security

Rising COVID-19 rates will force other EU countries to reimpose restrictions in the coming weeks, slowing the eurozone’s economic recovery and raising the risk of unrest.

Germany and France Go Back Into Lockdown. What’s Next?

Security

The reintroduction of travel warnings and quarantine measures will slow Europe’s economic recovery, especially in tourism-dependent countries.

Europe Braces for Another Round of COVID-19 Travel Restrictions

2020 Second-Quarter Forecast

Europe is a continent riven by pockets of distinct cultures whose differences are all too often irreconcilable.

<p>To the west of Eurasia lays Europe, a region predisposed to division. It is surrounded on nearly all sides by islands and peninsulas that make it difficult for Europe to cohere. The northern half of the continent, moreover, sits on a plain whose short, meandering rivers tend to empower countries without forcing them to work with others. The southern half is situated on more mountainous terrain that has historically impeded the creation of strong, unified economies. As a result, Europe is a continent riven by pockets of distinct cultures whose differences are all too often irreconcilable.</p>

2020 Annual Forecast

Energy

The Belgian government and electric utility corporation Electrabel SA, the Belgian subsidiary of France's Engie SA, reached a preliminary agreement to extend the operation of the Doel 4 and Tihange 3 nuclear reactors by ten years, Politico reported July 22.

Belgium: Government Moves to Extend Lifetimes of Two Nuclear Reactors

Iran

A Belgian court sentenced Iranian diplomat Assadolah Assadi to 20 years in prison for his role in planning an attack targeting an Iranian dissident rally in France, the BBC reported Feb. 4.

Belgium: Court Sentences Iranian Diplomat to 20 Years for Bomb Plot in France

Iran's Arc of Influence

Cyber

China in Transition

Poland's deputy digital minister for cybersecurity has said his country would not ban Huawei equipment from its 5G infrastructure and that Warsaw would instead work to increase security standards and protocols, Reuters reported April 16.

Poland: Warsaw Won't Impose Blanket Ban on Huawei 5G Equipment

Globalization

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom formally unveiled the European Union's approach to reforming the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Brussels on Sept. 18, according to the European Commission's website.

EU: Trade Commissioner Unveils Paper on WTO Reform

Divided EU Foreign Policies

Denmark

Estonia

European Disintegration

The defense ministers of France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Denmark and Estonia will meet in Paris in June to sign a letter of intent to support French President Emmanuel Macron's European Intervention Initiative, aimed at preparing European armed forces to take collective action in the face of emergencies, Politico reported May 2. 

France: President Pushes for Smaller EU Group on Security and Defense Cooperation

Israel

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

The U.S. Senate has confirmed CIA Chief Mike Pompeo to replace Rex Tillerson as secretary of state, The New York Times reported April 26.

U.S.: Senate Confirms CIA Chief as Secretary of State 

The 4th Industrial Revolution

A Belgian court ordered Facebook to stop illegally collecting data on Belgian citizens or face 250,000 euros ($311,000) a day, or up to 100 million euros, in fines, Reuters reported Feb. 16.

Belgium: Court Orders Facebook To Halt Unlawful Data Collection

Palestinian Territories

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held talks with EU diplomats, urging a strong response to U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Deutsche Welle reported Jan. 22. 

Belgium: Palestinian President Seeks EU Support On U.S. Jerusalem Decision 

Israel's Survival Strategy

Afghanistan

Algeria

Antigua and Barbuda

Luxembourg

South Sudan

A view of the Register in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Angola

Argentina

Armenia

Australia

Bahrain

Lithuania

Covering an area that spans the entire width of the continent beginning at the Sahara Desert and ending at the southernmost tip of South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to countless cultures, languages, religions, plants, animals and natural resources.

Barbados

Benin

Egypt

Maldives

Malta

Ukraine

Belize

Botswana

Brunei Darussalam

India

North Macedonia

Tajikistan

Bhutan

Bolivia

Burkina Faso

Cambodia

Iraq

The President palace in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

The administrative center of the Gakh region of Azerbaijan, located at the foot of the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus, on the river Kurhumchai.

Burundi

Finland

Nepal

Cameroon

Canada

Georgia

Jordan

Mir Castle in the Minsk region of Belarus.

Cabo Verde

Chile

Federated States of Micronesia

Kuwait

Liechtenstein

Sri Lanka

Central African Republic

Colombia

Fiji

Latvia

Lebanon

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Chad

Costa Rica

Indonesia

Libya

Russia

Comoros

Cuba

Czech Republic

A horse grazes in front of Kara-Kul lake in the Chon-Ak-Suu valley, 300 kilometers southeast of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

Morocco

Cote d'Ivoire

Dominica

Kiribati

Moldova

Oman

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Dominican Republic

Laos

Djibouti

Holy See (Vatican City)

Malaysia

Qatar

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Marshall Islands

Saudi Arabia

Eritrea

Grenada

Mongolia

<p>Belgium&#39;s history has been shaped by its location at the crossroads between Latin and Germanic Europe. Belgium is surrounded by France, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and the North Sea. It is home to a Flemish community in the north, which is mostly Dutch-speaking, and a Walloon population in the south, which mostly speaks French. Belgium&#39;s location also has made it a land of invasion, as it was for centuries disputed by larger powers such as Spain, France and Austria. Belgium gained independence in the 1830s, which was followed by a process of heavy industrialization and colonial expansion, particularly in Africa. Belgium is a mostly flat country, with a coastal plain full of polders in the northwest, a plateau with numerous waterways and fertile lands in the center, and thick forests and hills in the south. Belgium&#39;s core is in the so-called Flemish Diamond, an area that includes Brussels, Belgium&#39;s capital; Antwerp, which is home to one of the busiest ports in the world; and Ghent and Leuven, two important cultural and industrial centers. Almost half of Belgium&#39;s 11 million people live within this area. Belgium is also home to some of the most important institutions of the European Union, making Brussels the bloc&#39;s unofficial capital. Belgium&#39;s politics are defined by its linguistic and economic divides. A series of reforms between the 1970s and the 1990s made Belgium a federal state, in which Flanders and Wallonia were given some degree of self-government. But this was not enough to appease autonomist and secessionist sentiments, especially in Flanders, which is more economically developed than Wallonia. Belgium&#39;s federal government also has to include political parties from the two communities, which many voters see as inefficient. Belgium&#39;s main geopolitical challenge, therefore, is to remain united as a country. Domestic politics will play a role in this, but so will the evolution of the European Union, to which Belgium is deeply intertwined.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

Belgium: Government Moves to Extend Lifetimes of Two Nuclear Reactors

Belgium: Court Sentences Iranian Diplomat to 20 Years for Bomb Plot in France

Poland: Warsaw Won't Impose Blanket Ban on Huawei 5G Equipment

EU: Trade Commissioner Unveils Paper on WTO Reform

France: President Pushes for Smaller EU Group on Security and Defense Cooperation

U.S.: Senate Confirms CIA Chief as Secretary of State

Belgium: Court Orders Facebook To Halt Unlawful Data Collection

Belgium: Palestinian President Seeks EU Support On U.S. Jerusalem Decision

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