A recent trip to Cairo has confirmed many of Business Monitor’s core views on the short and long-term outlook for the Egyptian economy. Key concerns for many investors include the upcoming parliamentary elections, recurring strike activity, in addition to the security situation throughout the country. This week Mark Schaltuper, Head of Europe Country Risk &… [Read more]
Libyan rebels appear to have taken control of the capital Tripoli. However, Business Monitor’s Head of Political Risk Yoel Sano cautions against premature optimism. While stability remains far from assured at the present juncture, we also speak with Saket Vemprala, Oil & Gas analyst, about the outlook for the all-important energy sector and when Libyan… [Read more]
Cloud computing has been a hot topic in the IT world for some time. The idea of abandoning on-site servers and moving all data and applications into ‘the cloud’ brings many benefits for companies and organisations looking to cut costs. With data used over a variety of devices and connections, making data available wherever and… [Read more]
US President Barack Obama announced on June 22 that Washington will be withdrawing 33,000 American troops from Afghanistan (currently numbering 100,000) by the summer of 2012, starting with the departure of 10,000 by the end of 2011. Five thousand troops are expected to return home this July, while the rest is scheduled to leave in… [Read more]
Syrian President Bashar Assad is facing the biggest challenge to his 11-year rule, with mass protests taking place across the country. The government has cracked down violently, but this has failed to restore stability. My colleagues and I now see a growing possibility that the Assad regime will eventually collapse under the strain, possibly resulting… [Read more]
Russia has arguably emerged as a key beneficiary of the current political crises in the Middle East and North Africa, mainly because events there have undermined the United States’ geopolitical position, sown divisions with NATO, and driven up oil prices. At the same time, the Japanese earthquake will probably increase Japan’s dependence on Russian energy… [Read more]
The assassination of Punjab governor Salman Taseer on January 4 is yet another blow to Pakistan’s turbulent political scene, where Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani’s government has lost its majority in parliament following the departure of a key coalition partner recently. Taseer’s death came barely three years after opposition leader and ex-premier Benazir Bhutto was… [Read more]
