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Will America's global retreat open new doors for Beijing? Insights from Bill Bishop
Listen: In seven short weeks, the Trump administration has completely reshaped US foreign policy and upended trade alliances. Will China benefit from US retrenchment and increasing global uncertainty, or will its struggling economy hold it back? On the GZERO World Podcast, Bill Bishop, a China analyst and author of the Sinocism newsletter, joins Ian Bremmer for a wide-ranging conversation about China—its domestic priorities, global administration, and whether America’s retreat from global commitments is opening new doors for Beijing.
What is President Trump's stance on China?
What exactly is President Trump’s view on China? On Ian Explains, Ian Bremmer breaks down Trump’s complicated views on the People’s Republic, which can be, at times, hard to pin down.
Germany drops debt brake, passes preliminary agreement to boost defense, infrastructure, and climate spending
Germany’s election-winning center-right Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union, led by Friedrich Merz, and the Social Democrats have reached a preliminary agreement with the Green Party on a deal to exclude defense spending from the country’s constitutional debt break and establish a dedicated $545 billion fund for infrastructure investments.
Putin says he supports ceasefire, but with a huge asterisk
The Russian leader has conditions of his own for any ceasefire with Ukraine, and he also wants a meeting with Donald Trump.
GZERO Explains: Where do things stand for Mahmoud Khalil?
The court battle over whether the US can deport Mahmoud Khalil, the 30-year-old Palestinian-Algerian activist detained in New York last Saturday, began this week in Manhattan. Khalil, an outspoken activist for Palestinian rights at Columbia University, was arrested Saturday at his apartment in a university-owned building at Columbia University by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, and he is now being held in an ICE detention center in Louisiana.
Israel strikes Damascus
An Israeli airstrike destroyed a residential building on the outskirts of Damascus on Thursday in the latest Israeli incursion into post-Assad Syria.
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The Graphic Truth: Who bans cluster bombs?
The Biden administration recently made waves after agreeing to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions. That put the US at odds with key allies, like the UK, that disapprove of the move.
But what are cluster bombs, and why are they so contentious?
The explosives are versatile: They can be dropped from the air or fired from the ground or sea. Crucially, they might contain hundreds of smaller weapons — known as bomblets — that can be activated mid-air or on the ground. The combined fuze of these submunitions can cover an area the size of several football fields.
Cluster bombs are particularly contentious because some submunitions fail to explode. When they land on the ground, they become like landmines that are extremely dangerous for civilians — particularly children who might pick them up.
Because of the breadth and unpredictability of these weapons, since 2008 more than 100 countries have signed the UN Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the use, stockpiling, and production of these arms. Still, neither the US, Russia, nor Ukraine are signatories to the treaty, and the weapons have already been used by both sides during the ongoing war.
We take a look at which countries have ratified the treaty (they are legally bound by it), only signed on (showed an intention to comply with its terms), and those that have rejected it altogether.