Geopolitical Monitor - Situation Reports - Geopolitical Analysis on Pressing Geopolitical Issues in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East

The latest developments coming out of Cyprus might not seem overly dramatic: swapping the abstract, shared liability of taxpayer money for a more direct one in bank savings accounts. But in this small policy pivot lies the seed for a new and potentially ruinous fear that could spread through the peripheral European markets.

The Geopoliticalmonitor’s Zachary Fillingham examines why North Korea’s recent behavior has left many global pundits scratching their heads in confusion.

Rarely is global politics graced with a personality as bombastic and divisive as Hugo Chavez, yet like love him or hate him, his successor will inevitably need to overhaul large parts of Venezuela’s domestic and foreign policy. The Geopoliticalmonitor’s Zachary Fillingham explores what these changes could mean for US-Venezuelan relations.

Murray Hunter explores what's on the line for the Thai and Malaysian governments in new negotiations over the insurgency in Thailand's southern region. 

The major powers are once again being reminded that West-leaning liberal democracies require more than just the absence of tyranny to take root.

The Abe government has nominated Haruhiko Kuroda to be the next governor of the Bank of Japan. In this article, the Geopoliticalmonitor’s Zachary Fillingham delves into Mr. Kuroda’s background to discover whether he’ll be the harbinger of what some Japanese people hope and most outsiders fear: an economic revival via an interventionist monetary policy.

A distinct culture, different from the mainstream "Thai" culture is being nurtured in the relaxed air of Thailand's religious freedom, argues Murray Hunter of the Geopoliticalmonitor.com.

Now that the Canada-EU free trade agreement (the Comprehensive Economic and Trade agreement, or CETA) is entering the final phase of negotiations, the Harper government finds itself on the brink of accomplishing one of its most important foreign policy goals: the diversification of Canada’s trade portfolio. In this article, the GPM’s Zachary Fillingham examines the remaining hurdles and what a deal would mean for both economies.

Geopoliticalmonitor.com's Christopher S. Ljungquist explores the historical precedents of papal resignation and looks to future international role of the Vatican in the post-Benedict era. 

Dr. Murray Hunter analyzes the latest Australian defense white paper with an eye on whether or not policymakers in Canberra have missed a big opportunity.