The Politics of Incompetence

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: June 7, 2017

The approaching snap election called by Prime Minister Theresa May will inevitably produce a winner, but it seems it will be the voters who will be losing. In a country still reeling from gruesome terrorist attacks, this election is like none other – a culmination of what happens when extreme polarization and isolationist populism collide. […]

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The Chaos Brewing in Nigeria

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: June 2, 2017

I’ve spent a large part of my career working in Nigeria, with both Northerners and Southerners, and have watched the country careen from one crisis to the next. It is now deeply saddening to have one of the first honest presidents come at a time of a global glut in oil prices, and then be […]

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Russia as a Legalistic Country

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: June 1, 2017

Just one excerpt from a thoroughly excellent piece by Kadri Liik at the European Council on Foreign Relations: It was actually surprising to see the jubilation in Moscow when Donald Trump was elected US president. The Kremlin assumed that Trump would deprioritise the American-led global order, which would inevitably open the door to a Russian […]

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Thailand’s Horrific Coup, Three Years Later

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: May 22, 2017

A friendly, caring nurse is tending some wounded people in a temple in Bangkok. Several have been shot, others are too traumatised to speak. Suddenly more shots crack out and Royal Thai Army bullets start raining down on the unarmed gathering. People start running in all directions, seeking cover. The nurse – a 25 year […]

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Panama’s Reputation Rebuild

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: May 17, 2017

Over at our sister blog Corporate Foreign Policy, team member Andrea Zanon writes on the subject of Panama’s reputation recovery following one of the largest whistleblower leaks in history. It’s an interesting case study of what countries need to do to build trust and transparency to continue to compete in the international business environment.  Excerpt […]

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Gülen Poses a Threat to Turkey and the United States

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: May 16, 2017

Today President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is making his first official state visit to President Donald Trump in Washington DC. Among the many issues in the bilateral relationship they will be discussing is the status of Fethullah Gülen, a billionaire Turkish fugitive living in Pennsylvania who is accused of planning last July’s attempted military […]

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