There are compelling national security arguments for securing the U.S.-Mexico border, but terrorism is not one of them.  Walls, fences and sensors improve border security, but their effectiveness is limited if personnel are unable to respond rapidly to efforts to breach them.  The better physical security measures become, the more that peo...

Continue reading »

Any close observer of global events can tell you that, in some ways, geopolitics is uncannily similar to geology. Just as the rapid shifts in the Earth’s tectonic plates give way to earthquakes that can shake countries and regions to their core, so do the underlying forces of international affairs send deep tremors across corners of the glob...

Continue reading »

(RALPH ORLOWSKI/Getty Images) Partner Perspectives are a collection of high-quality analyses and commentary produced by organizations around the world. Though Stratfor does not necessarily endorse the views expressed here — and may even disagree with them — we respect the rigorous and innovative thought that their unique points of view inspire. ...

Continue reading »

Editor’s Note: This is the second installment in a four-part series exploring the underlying motivations behind China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative and the challenges that it will face. As part of its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, China is looking to build new inroads into South Asia. The region is rife with oppo...

Continue reading »

The Silk Road has become the stuff of legend. For centuries, the web of trade routes, which expanded to traverse Central Asia and the Mediterranean Sea, connected China to the European Continent, facilitating commerce and cultural exchange. But beyond the economic opportunity that the Silk Road afforded China, it also served a strategic purpose. The Han...

Continue reading »