The Daily BriefPublished on EGF: 14.05.2018 Essential ReadingThe Weekly Rundown: Rejecting the Iran Nuclear Deal, Matters of Trade and the U.S. 2nd Fleet Returns — A review of the world's most pressing geopolitical events and insight into what the coming week will bring. Link Geopolitical Calendar: Week of May 14, 2018 — Stay informed about the most significant meetings and events planned for the week ahead. Link A $2 Billion Ruling Adds to Venezuela's Woes — An international panel ordered Caracas to pay ConocoPhillips for nationalizing its assets in 2007. To collect, the U.S. oil company is going after Venezuelan facilities in the Caribbean; that move threatens to further erode the country's stability. Link Global PerspectivesThe Presidential Fitness Message Can't Seem to Connect — Stratfor contributor Tolga Ozyurtcu writes that six decades of good intentions and celebrity endorsements haven't inspired enough Americans to become more active. Will the new approach emphasizing the benefits of playing sports work? Link Stratfor VoicesA Look Inside North Korea with Author James Church and Inspector O — In this episode of the Stratfor Podcast, we sit down with James Church, a former Western intelligence officer who wrote the Inspector O series of mystery novels based on his firsthand experience inside North Korea. We discuss his books, his experience and how he views developments unfolding on the Korean peninsula today. Link Stratfor GraphicOld disputes over the nationalization of its oil industry 11 years ago are coming back to haunt Venezuela and further threaten its political stability. ForumsContribute to the conversation. Share your thoughts in our forum section to engage with our analysts, editors and fellow Stratfor Worldview subscribers. Four members of the U.S. House of Representatives — two Republicans and two Democrats — introduced the Trade Authority Protection Act on May 10. If it becomes law, the president will be required to submit a report on trade proposals, their potential economic impact and any likely retaliatory actions by trading partners. Congress would then have 60 days to decide whether to nullify the trade move through a resolution of disapproval. The bill is facing an uphill battle in an election year and would also need to overcome a likely presidential veto. But it could gain traction if concerns in Congress about withdrawing from NAFTA grow or if the United States and China end up in a damaging trade war. So, what do you think? Should Congress be able to overrule the executive branch on trade? Topic of the Week: Israel's Survival StrategyIsrael lives under difficult geopolitical circumstances. A small country with limited resources and surrounded by potentially hostile neighbors, Israel survives by allying with powers that do have the resources to manage the balance of power in the Middle East — namely, the United States. Its geographic position also means that Israel must manage complex relations with its Muslim neighbors by quiet collaboration, by exploiting divisions and by parlaying its technological and economic advantages into strategic dependencies. To navigate all the challenges presented by its position in the Middle East, Israel will remain agile in its diplomacy and, when the situation warrants, steadfast in its pre-emptive strikes, its covert activities and its economic relationships. Link News You May Have MissedFor even more news, visit Stratfor's Situation Reports page.
|
|