It has been an eventful year with no let-up post-Brexit & Trump. In 2016 the longest-ruling monarch, King Bmibol Adulyadejhu of Thailand, and the longest-ruling national leader, Fidel Castro, both passed from the scene. A surprise demonetization in India made economic history, as Zimbabwe prepares to sweep US dollars from circulation. Change is everywhere and the pace seems to be quickening.

This US election cycle has had more ups and downs than Game 7 of the World Series. The  sturm und drang  has perhaps defocused us from current issues and uncertainty clouding the global economy.  In our commentary roundup, we will get the US out of the way first, but won’t neglect China, Russia, and the UK, each facing crises of their own. We will end with steady-as-she-goes Japan, and baseball. Fun fact: the victory parade here in Chicago on Friday was the 7th largest gathering of people in human history. 

3 steps to get started and the #1 mistake you should avoid

Co-authored with Thais Compoint

The gender gap has been a long standing topic around the world. According to the World Economic Forum, it would take 117 years away from now until 2133 to achieve global gender parity. In the business world, across regions and industries, the large majority of senior leadership positions are dominated by men. For example, only 4.4 per cent of S&P 500 CEOs are women.

Midway through the Rio Olympics, the prowess of the diverse, raucous and remarkably talented U.S. team is on full display. We marvel at the athletes’ dedication. Their enthusiasm is infectious. Their athleticism is spellbinding. They represent America at its best, and all Americans can be justifiably proud.
 
It’s been one long samba line to the medals stand. With only 4.3% of the world’s 7.4 billion population, the U.S. has captured (through August 14th) almost 14% of the awarded medals.
 

This article originally published in South China Morning Post.

The economic imperatives of global powers are changing approaches to international politics.

China’s rise could reshape an icon of international relations, post-World War II -- the Transatlantic Relationship between the United States and Germany – and Europe. An economic symbiosis that addresses China’s need for technology and Germany’s search for export markets could drive a shift in shared foreign policy interests on the part of Washington and Berlin.

Recent actions by Chinese authorities to rein in stock market volatility, depreciate the RMB and generally arrest actions they view as adverse to achieving requisite GDP growth raise questions that may end up overshadowing the worry about the economy’s fundamentals.

Authorities’ actions are giving rise to questions about the credibility of those who make the decisions and the capacity of those who advocate reforms to withstand pressures to achieve 7% GDP growth at all costs.