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The Overnight Collapse of the Assad Regime: A New Era for Syria and the Middle East
The unexpected and rapid collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime has reshaped the Middle East overnight. Rebels, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), advanced from their stronghold in Idlib, capturing Aleppo, Hama, and Homs before isolating Damascus. Within 12 days, Syria’s capital fell, signaling the end of over five decades of Assad family rule. Bashar al-Assad, who had been in power since 2000, reportedly fled Damascus early Sunday, leaving a power vacuum that is both historic and precarious.
From Free Trade Beneficiary to Leader: China Extends Zero Tariffs to the World’s Poorest Nations
At the G20 meetings in Brazil, Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized that China stands with the least-developed countries (LDCs) and announced it would grant zero-tariff treatment to 100% of tariff lines for all LDCs with diplomatic ties to China, effective December 1, 2024. China is trying to position itself as a leader of free trade globally, in contrast to the United States and the incoming Trump administration’s proposal to significantly raise tariffs on most imports to the U.S., including up to 60% on all Chinese goods.
Lost Treasures: Crisis and Guardianship
For centuries, the looting and trafficking of antiquities have never ceased. Yet the strength humanity shows in safeguarding its heritage is no less than the creative power of its ancestors. At the 4th Dialogue of the C.E.A. Museums Cooperation Initiative, Deborah Lehr, Chair and CEO of Basilinna and Founder of the Antiquities Coalition, and Tess Davis, Basilinna and Antiquities Coalition Executive Director, both focused on the astonishing creativity of museums as guardians of culture.
Trade is No Longer a Way of Opening up Markets
Explore key insights on the changing landscape of global trade and why recent trade policies could be hurting China's domestic economy with Deborah Lehr, Basilinna Chair and CEO.
China is Giving Ancient Silk Road Trade Routes a Digital Makeover
Against the backdrop of heightened U.S.-China tensions and the Covid-19 pandemic, the Digital Silk Road is how China is creating new trade ecosystems and deepening its trade relations across the developing world.
How Latin America Factors Into the U.S.-China Rivalry
In the most headline-grabbing tech battle, the U.S.-led international efforts to ban Huawei from the build-out of the global 5G infrastructure, some Latin American governments have been less susceptible to U.S. pressure.