Andrew Hammond

MUCH of the global business conversation in 2025 has centred on the destabilising impact of the Trump administration’s tariff agenda. However, what is less discussed is the unexpected stimulus it has given to a wider trade liberalisation agenda outside of the United States. Read more at The Business Times.

EU-UK ties are currently at their warmest since before the 2016 Brexit referendum. While this partly reflects the change of UK government last July, a key external factor is the tumult of the Trump administration which has brought London and Brussels closer together. Read more at The Business Times.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday convened the first ever virtual meeting of G7 foreign ministers amid the mounting coronavirus crisis. While the G7 may appear a body ill-suited to tackling the health emergency, with disagreements surfacing during the conference, it has always been at its best when reacting to the big issues of the moment.

There is a feast of “virtual” global diplomacy this month, with three major summits. While the BRICS and APEC leadership events are eye-catching, it is the G20 that will steal the show in terms of overall importance.

In 2022, the UK was widely ridiculed internationally for having three prime ministers in a single year. Yet, France went one better in 2024 with a remarkable four premiers in office within 12 months. The French political landscape may appear to have stabilized in 2025, but there remains much volatility. With President Emmanuel Macron having just two years left to serve in his final term, the key question in French politics is who will succeed him.

While the G7 was originally conceived in the 1970s to monitor developments in the world economy, this year's UK-hosted events are showcasing the body's often under-appreciated importance as an international security linchpin.

One of the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic has been a serious of previously unthinkable political and economic outcomes. Even a few weeks ago, few would have predicted the scale of change, from massive state intervention in many economies to the fact that at one point more than half the world's population was in some form of lockdown.

As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, 2020 could be the most important year for the G20 since the international financial crisis in 2008-09, when the group was widely perceived as having seized the mantle from the G7 as the premier forum for international economic cooperation and global governance.

RUSSIA’S 2022 invasion of Ukraine helped trigger a major energy shock in Europe. However, one of the longer-term political and economic impacts of that continuing conflict has been to focus attention on global supply chains for wider natural resources, including critical minerals. Read more at The Business Times.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer completed on Monday (May 19) his third significant, recent international deal with a Brexit reset with the European Union. Yet, don’t expect him to give a victory lap any time soon, despite his current need for political wins. Read more at The Business Times.