Negotiations between North and South Korea have revived prospects for reconnecting the Korean peninsula. A critical aspect of connectivity is energy infrastructure, which will require analysis and technical planning to make the most of any future political openings. This series of case studies underscores the poor state of North Korea’s existing energy infrastructure, illustrates different models for delivering projects, and considers the strategic implications of different paths forward for the peninsula’s energy connections.
Mar 17, 2021
This report, the third in a series on Chinese economic activities in the Western Balkans, provides recommendations for U.S. and partner responses to China’s growing economic and political influence in the region and a “red flags” checklist to help identify activities that warrant further scrutiny.
Mar 2, 2021
U.S. infrastructure has been dangerously neglected, even as it has become more strategically important with climate change, innovation, and China’s rise. At stake is the United States’ military readiness, national resiliency, and global competitiveness.
Feb 16, 2021
Accompanying our MERICS China Forecast 2021 event, MERICS experts wages a look at three global challenges in 2021, namely decoupling and the evolution of multilateralism, cooperation and competition in the climate crisis, and the development of connectivity in a world plagued by a pandemic. For every section we are proud to introduce a very accomplished and knowledgeable guest.
Jan 13, 2021
China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is the world’s most ambitious vision for connectivity, but it is hardly the only vision that matters. Arguably the BRI’s biggest global contribution has been to elevate the importance of connectivity. It has alarmed its competitors by using infrastructure as a tool for influence. It has disappointed its partners by over-promising and under-delivering. While China learns from this experience and recalibrates the BRI, it is giving momentum to competing visions for connectivity that will deliver results during 2021 and the years to come.
Jan 12, 2021