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UN ocean conference: our issue brief on blue economy in the Bay of Bengal: common issues, shared expertise?

Posted on 27 June 202228 June 2022 by the_bridge_tank

On the occasion of the UN Ocean conference in Lisbon, co-organized with the Governments of Kenya and Portugal, The Bridge Tank and the French Development Agency are pleased to share an issue brief on blue economy in the Bay of Bengal.

This issue brief is a synthesis of the main report, where we gathered an outcome of a year-long collaborative effort with key actors in the blue economy sector over three interactive workshops with these.

The Bay of Bengal is one of the essential parts of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) based on its high potential for geopolitical and geoeconomics’ views. The IOR is a multi-polar region that contributes to more than half of the world’s GDP and population, with the prime focus centered on the ocean.

Its ecosystems and natural resources form a unique asset for the region’s countries and territories. Therefore, understanding and measuring the economic activity tied to this asset is essential for sustainably growing its affected economies and livelihoods.

The Bridge Tank and the French Development Agency (AFD) co-hosted three workshops from November 2021 to March 2022, with the actors from Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka to discuss and exchange knowledge on how these countries organize their blue economy strategies.

In particular, the conversation delved into how they define their blue economy strategies and propose solutions:

Assess the physical impacts of climate change on the sustainability of coastal and ocean ecosystems and the fishery resource,
Adapt to these impacts on the evolutions of coastal ecosystems, social communities and value chains.

With the active participation of various centers from the region, collaborative discussions demonstrated a high level of know-how, technicality and knowledge in terms of collecting information on climate, sea-level rise, fishery resources and implementing projects to address local issues.

Our key points are the following:

Common outcomes across the three countries have been identified, which provide a common basis for further discussion and identifying projects with a regional common resource dimension and/or global public good:
- a large amount of scientific and think tank activity in the region and technical know-how,
- a major challenge to have these contributions coordinated at the regional level and not progress in a silo,
- questions on the way research may translate into policy making at the national and regional level.
It is necessary to understand how the blue economy is formalized at the national level and how it gets translated at the very bottom level, as well as the regional level. There is no monitoring, verification and transparency tool to support the deployment of an effective and efficient blue economy.
What sort of an impact on the larger population will climate transition have on the blue economy policies?
The multiplicity of stakeholders is an issue for coordination improvement across the value chain of the blue economy leading to fragmentation of the decision and actions.

Read our issue brief here.

European tour OMVS – The Bridge Tank for the promotion of hydrodiplomacy

Posted on 27 June 202219 September 2022 by the_bridge_tank

The Bridge Tank has partnered with the OMVS (Senegal River Development Organization) for a European tour to promote hydro-diplomacy which took place from June 9 to 24, 2022 in Geneva, Oslo, The Hague, Paris and Brussels. Hamed SEMEGA, High Commissioner of the OMVS and member of the Board du Bridge Tank, and Joël RUET, President of the Bridge Tank, met with many interlocutors to discuss topics related to hydrodiplomacy: the international law of international water resources, sustainable hydro-development, peace built by the shared management of cross-border basins, or even the preservation of the headwaters of major rivers.

The Bridge Tank and the OMVS have decided to organize a workshop on these issues next fall with all the actors with whom they have exchanged and by extending it to many political leaders and associations.

This tour follows the joint work carried out during the World Water Forum 2022, in which The Bridge Tank was associated. The OMVS was then honored with the Hassan II Grand Prize for water. According to the jury, the West African organization based in Dakar, which brings together Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and Guinea, was distinguished for its action in favor of the “achievement of water and food security” of the greater basin. cross-border, but also for its action for “peace, prosperity and territorial development” of its member countries. Hydrodevelopment and hydrodiplomacy have indeed been at the heart of the organization’s model. The OMVS has, in fact, operated for more than 50 years independently of national or international tensions in the region it covers; it served as a model for the revitalization of its sister organization for the Gambia River, and the organization regularly receives visits from river organizations from all over the world, including Central Asia.

Water issues, in particular those around basins, are generally tackled in a utilitarian approach, i.e. through access to water. This vision is consensual within international organizations and at international events. However, the pessimistic evolution of aquifer ecosystems impacted by climate change raises the question of the sustainability of these resources.

It is in this perspective, rooted in international and UN legal aspects, that the delegation began its tour in Geneva during the conference “Lessons and perspectives on water cooperation for Africa and Europe: from the Forum from Dakar in 2022 to the United Nations Water Conference in 2023 at the Palais des Nations. Mr. Semega thus presented the work and the potential of the OMVS, which is often recognized as a model organization, on the organizational, political, legal and investment levels.

To deepen the subject, the delegation then met Professor Mads Adenaes, specialist in international law at the University of Oslo in Norway. This exchange was an opportunity to discuss the perspectives of international water law. They insisted on the fact that water must be approached in a holistic way, as a common good, that is to say that water must no longer only be an object of rivalry between powers, but be a good vital common to share. This is what basin organizations seek to advocate, which do not focus on the state scale, but on the resource scale.

In terms of hydrodevelopment, water is a major element of ecosystems, societies and economies, which is why it is necessary for their proper development. Mr. Semega had the opportunity to discuss with actors from the world of development, in particular Mrs. Marie-Noëlle Reboulet, President of GERES and Mr. Pierre Jacquemot, President of the Initiatives Group, whose core business is energy solidarity, Climate and Social Affairs and Mr. Lars Andreas Lunde, Head of the Nature and Climate Section of the Norwegian Development Agency, NORAD. These structures have made it possible to draw the following conclusion: a multitude of solutions exist on the ground, with a strong bottom-up dimension, which requires greater knowledge, consultation and coordination to act and share know-how.

The discussions were fruitful to the point of organizing a new meeting with GERES and the Initiatives Group of which the OMVS is a member, in the coming weeks. These discussions were also able to continue thanks to the organization of a side event in Brussels, by The Bridge Tank and the OMVS, during the “Africa Energy Forum” on the theme “Water-energy infrastructure for peace in the Sahel”, in the presence of Minister Amal Mint Maouloud, former Mauritanian Minister of Equipment and Transport, Mr. Abdoulaye Dia, Managing Director of SEMAF/OMVS and Mr. Romain Cres, Economic Development Specialist within GERES.

The actions of the OMVS are carried out in favor of peace, since according to the High Commissioner “whoever knows how to share water, can share everything”. This message was repeated many times during the European tour, in particular during the meeting with the Prime Minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, President of Leaders for Peace.

Mr. Raffarin and Mr. Semega agreed on the importance and role of basin organizations in contributing to hydrodiplomacy and peace in the world. Hydrodiplomacy has a more global dimension than hydropolitics, which remains reserved for States. Hydrodiplomacy underlines the idea that the management of water and basins is no longer the business of the States, but of everyone around a resource within the territories.

On this subject, The Bridge Tank was at the initiative of a working lunch between the High Commissioner and Mr. Erik Orsenna, President of the Initiative for the Future of the Great Rivers (IAGF) in the presence of influential personalities in the field around the situation of natural resources in West Africa and hydrodiplomacy in the Senegal River Basin, on the occasion of which our Board Member Ambassador Stéphane Gompertz and Me Jean-Claude Beaujour were present.

Last but not least, the delegation held working meetings with the Norwegian Cooperation Agency, the Ministry of International Cooperation in The Hague, IOWater and the International Network of Basin Operators and the STOA infrastructure investment fund in Paris.

On its own continent, the OMVS has been entrusted, within the International Association of River Basin Operators, with the technical secretariat of the association bringing together its active members on the African continent. As peace goes through development but also through democratic decisions, the OMVS has set up a committee of river basin users, an original body for open consultation with civil society. Aware of its responsibilities, the OMVS, an organization which was created in 1972, is today engaged in a forward-looking reflection on its future, and on the future of its contribution to Africa and to the world.

In this context, the exchange tour with peers, experts and leaders from all areas of society in all the capitals of peace and the areas of river innovation, nature conservation and in particular source river ecosystems, aims to share the results of this success story with stakeholders from the United Nations GA, the African Union, the academic and civil society communities, work with which The Bridge Tank is associated.

Our board member, Pranjal Sharma presents his book “Stronger Together” to the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame

Posted on 21 June 202221 June 2022 by the_bridge_tank

On the occasion of the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which is being held in Kigali, Rwanda from June 20-25, 2022, our board member, Mr. Pranjal Sharma met with the President of Rwanda, Mr. Paul Kagame. During this meeting, he presented and offered him his latest book entitled “Stronger Together: A Collection of Essays on Rising Rwanda and Strategic Partnership with India” co-authored with Mr. Abhilash Puljal.

How can we continue to work with China?

Posted on 16 June 202226 June 2023 by the_bridge_tank

How can we continue to work with China? This was the question addressed by a working group convened by The Bridge Tank on 3 June 2022, which brought together leading figures from the world of think tanks, diplomacy, the national press, the defence industry and former general officers.

“The truth is that, in principle, working with China is not an option but an inevitability. China is obviously unavoidable. But in terms of how to do so, it has to be said that the task has become much more difficult in recent years than it was before: the country has spectacularly cut itself off from the outside world and is tending to withdraw towards its immense domestic needs; the inevitable internal debates, which we suspect will be particularly acute, are shrouded in great opacity; and in this tense atmosphere, Western reactions could make things even more dangerously tense.

The participants agreed on this disenchanted diagnosis. All the more reason to refine a strong and persevering European position.”

Read the issue brief by Ambassador Philippe Coste (in French)

Our board member Stéphane Gompertz discusses Africa-Europe relations in Vienna

Posted on 14 June 20221 June 2023 by the_bridge_tank

On June 7, 2022, our Board Member Stéphane Gompertz, former Ambassador to Austria & Ethiopia, and former Director for Africa at the French Foreign Office took part in a panel discussion on the current state of relations between Europe and Africa and the potential for future partnerships. The event organised at the Bruno Kreisky Forum for International Dialogue in Vienna, Austria, was the result of a cooperation between the Austro-French Centre for Rapprochement in Europe (CFA/ÖFZ), the French Embassy in Austria, the Institut français des relations internationales (ifri), and The Bridge Tank.

Relations between the EU and Africa have been deteriorating in recent years, characterized by the absence of mutual trust and understanding, which has weakened the ability to build stable, future oriented, and mutually fruitful cooperation. Africa has increasingly looked to other partners for trade, investments, and security, most notably to China. The seminar held in Vienna aimed to discuss how the relationship and its prospects are perceived by both sides and what is going to be needed to overcome the manifold obstacles in order to achieve a significant paradigm shift.

How realistic is a new partnership between Europe and Africa?

The session was opened by Ambassador Gilles Pécout, Ambassador of France to Austria, and Dietmar Schweisgut, Secretary General, Austro-French Centre for Rapprochement in Europe, followed by an interview of Toni Haastrup, Senior Lecturer International Politics at University of Stirling, Co-Editor of “Routledge Handbook on EU-Africa Relations.”

The panel discussion moderated by Georg Lennkh, Member of the Board, Bruno Kreisky Forum for International Dialogue, gathered:

Thierry Vircoulon, Associate Research Fellow, Sub-Saharan Africa Center, IFRI
Ambassador Stéphane Gompertz, Board Member, The Bridge Tank
Ambassador Irene Horejs, former EU-Ambassador to Niger, Mali, Dominican Republic, Cuba and Peru
Margit Maximilian, Journalist, ORF Austria

An initial assessment of current dynamics between the EU and Africa revealed a common conclusion among the session’s participants, including our board member Stéphane Gompertz, namely that the status quo is no longer an option. The war in Ukraine has contributed to this shift. For the first time, the African Union offered to provide mediation to Europe, as Senegalese President and African Union Chairman Macky Sall met with Russian President Putin in Sochi on June 3, 2022.

Noting the growing influence of China in Africa, Thierry Vircoulon, Associate Research Fellow, Sub-Saharan Africa Center, IFRI, noted that all majors powers with aid programs in Africa also have conditionalities. In the case of China, the conditionality is for African countries not to recognize Taiwan.

Ambassador Irene Horejs, former EU-Ambassador to Niger, Mali, Dominican Republic, Cuba and Peru, pointed out that after the Treaty of Lisbon, the EU’s development action in Africa became not only increasingly politicized but also over-bureaucratic. In addition to being too focussed on security, the EU’s policies toward Africa suffered similar problems over the last decades. Financial instruments dedicated to migration and security have been too heavy, too slow, and over-bureaucratic for disappointing results, Ambassador Horejs argued. All these factors contributed to the current “Europe fatigue” on the African continent.

Ambassador Stéphane Gompertz provided an overview of Africa’s new partners and described the motives of these new actors taking hold on the continent. He thereby questioned China’s goals and whether its presence could become military. Further, he noted India’s strategic interests in Africa and pointed out Turkey’s support for regressive mosques on the continent. Russia’s hostility to the French presence in Mali but also the Russia-Cameroon military agreement have reshaped relations between Africa and the EU. Ambassador Gompertz acknowledged mistakes in the French armed forces’ strategy in the field, as France and the EU should have been more careful in their approach. They notably should have avoided having talks with some djihadist factions or giving directions on what a good regime is.

Future paths of action

According to Ambassador Gompertz, 6 avenues are to be explored on the front of Africa-EU relations:

More solidarity with Africa in light of the crisis and war in Ukraine, especially with regard to African refugees and food security;
More realism with insurgent movements and in negotiations with them;
More realism with military regimes based on what they deliver, while also avoiding double standards;
More emphasis on the private sector, particularly on small & mid-sized companies run by women;
Enhanced support for NGOs;
A clear communication policy towards African youths, using all the apps and artistic forms the youth follows.

“Europe should defend, not impose its values in Africa,” Ambassador Gompertz concluded.

The Austro-French Centre for Rapprochement in Europe was established in 1978 by President Jacques Chirac and Chancellor Bruno Kreisky.

To rewatch the full session:

Conflict and disinformation: The Bridge Tank joins Irene Khan for an online discussion at RightsCon 2022

Posted on 9 June 202216 May 2023 by the_bridge_tank

At the invitation of Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of freedom of opinion and expression, Joel Ruet, President, The Bridge Tank, participated in an online discussion on the latest report by the UN Special Rapporteur to the UNGA, focusing on misinformation and situations of conflict, including the impact of internet shutdowns.

The session, which took place in virtual format on June 8, 2022 during RightsCon 2022, allowed for discussions on the impact of disinformation and misinformation in situations of conflict, including Ukraine, Russia, Ethiopia and Myanmar, and the impact this has on democracy and peace worldwide. Joel Ruet contributed to the discussion by addressing the example of Russia’s actions in Mali.

During the discussions, Irene Khan noted that propaganda, disinformation, and fake news create a “situation where the West is opposed to the rest of the world, whilst human rights are universal and should be something we are working on collectively.”

Following the annual RightsCon Summit, from June 6-10 2022, the UN Special Rapporteurs issued a joint statement:

“Digital platforms and tools play an integral and growing role in crises, conflicts, and war. Communities displaced by war, famine, natural disasters and climate change, as well as marginalized individuals and groups, rely on such platforms to stay connected, access up-to-date and life-saving information, and connect with humanitarian agencies to receive emergency assistance. Such platforms are also a key tool for community organizing, peace-building, as well as participation in and access to justice and accountability processes. The experts specifically raised concerns about shrinking civic space and rising digital authoritarianism through internet shutdowns, targeted surveillance, cyber and physical attacks on critical broadcast and communications infrastructure, the use of drones by domestic law enforcement, as well as disinformation and smear campaigns, particularly during such crises — stressing the need for accountability under international law.

The experts also called attention to the radical impact of digital technologies on any humanitarian response. They highlighted the dependence on digital identity programs – particularly the collection of sensitive biometric data as a condition to access humanitarian aid – despite dangers to human rights as illustrated recently in breaches, data loss, and the exclusion of at-risk communities. They implored humanitarian actors to account for human rights impacts to ensure that digital solutions do not cause further harm to those most vulnerable.

They noted the role and responsibility of the tech sector and concern over content moderation policies and practices that continue to disproportionately target individuals, groups and communities that are already marginalized, discriminated against, and oppressed, especially during times of crises, conflict and war. Online trolls — sometimes sponsored by governments — are attacking the most vulnerable and marginalized, often through hate speech. Spreading disinformation and hatred online is a tactic often used by oppressive governments to justify persecution of minorities and dissenting voice, online and off. It is integral for companies to engage with civil society and human rights advocates on the ground to fully understand potential human rights consequences and solutions.

We will continue documenting the intersection of technology and human rights within our mandates, particularly in preparation for our upcoming reports to the United Nations Human Rights Council and General Assembly.”

World Ocean Day: Towards Another, Cooperative, « Indo-Pacific? »

Posted on 8 June 20228 June 2022 by the_bridge_tank

Special report by The Bridge Tank and AFD: Sharing knowledge, experience & tools in the Blue Economy, the example of the Bay of Bengal

CHASING THE ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL SIDE OF THE INDO-PACIFIC

One observes a global trend to focus on the Indo-Pacific, mainly emphasizing security-diplomatic aspects. However, in view of the pessimistic evolution of climate change and oceanic systems, the notions of development and protection of unique ecosystems must be at the heart of the debates in a strategic region, whose shores host hundreds of millions of people, as the Bay of Bengal.

On the occasion of World Ocean Day on June 8, The Bridge Tank and the French Development Agency – Agence Française de Développement (AFD) are pleased to share a special report on the rise and positive monitoring of the blue economy in the Bay of Bengal, focusing on Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.

This report is an outcome of a year-long collaborative effort with key actors in the blue economy sector over three interactive workshops with these.

ORIGIN, MOTIVATION AND FINDINGS OF THE REPORT

The blue economy is much debated by policymakers. However, it hardly gathers a scientific consensus on its definition or perimeter of issues, neither in physical nor social sciences. Still, it exists, and seldom are its de facto actors properly investigated or listened to systematically and reported upon in an accessible manner.

We created an arena for dialogue and gathered a catalog of best practices:

In a context where the blue economy is also the other facet of security concerns around the notion of the “Indo-Pacific” position, we wanted to provide an open, trusted space of informed speech across the geographies of South Asia and France.
Development over shared resources must start with shared data. By collecting the expertise of local actors, we wished to give them a voice to participate in the global awareness of ocean issues. Their contribution unveiled a trove of skills and wills, which is at the origin of our report. First cooperations our exercise led to, give hope on the possibility of joint creation and management of data systems to safeguard fish and coastal resources, to develop sustainable infrastructure and regional scientific knowledge. If at all, one lesson stands out: local centres have more scientific skills and knowledge on their zone of the tropics than global organisations have, and surely the latter can learn a lot from the former on the future of global oceans.

The main objective of World Ocean Day is to raise awareness on collective actions to a larger audience. By sharing our work, we aim to participate in this collective action that supports healthy oceans and its resources, and further strengthen the global impetus to protect at least 30% of our lands, waters and ocean by 2030 (30×30). Read our report here.

About the writers: The Bridge Tank is an international, not-for-profit, independent think tank specializing in emerging economies and affiliated to the G20, global industries, sustainable development and global public goods, partnering with the French bilateral aid in this series of workshop. The AFD funds, supports and accelerates the transitions to a fairer and more sustainable world. This collaboration is a part of AFD’s strategic thinking and development and financing interventions in the region.

The Bridge Tank at the “Nouvelles d’Afrique” Forum of the Prospective and Innovation Foundation

Posted on 2 June 20227 June 2023 by the_bridge_tank

On May 30 and 31, 2022, the Forum “Nouvelles d’Afrique “Réagir et s’unir” was held in Montpellier, co-organised by the Prospective and Innovation Foundation, chaired by Jean-Pierre Raffarin, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole, the City of Montpellier, and the Foundation for studies and Research on International Development (FERDI). The Bridge Tank joined in the discussions through its chairman Joël Ruet, who participated in a session on the financing of agriculture.

The African continent is currently facing major challenges: rivalries between major powers and intra-continental divisions, economic and financial turbulences, the challenge of the ecological transition and its financing, and the need to make up for lost ground in agriculture and achieve food self-sufficiency. It is against this backdrop that the Forum sought to contribute to a process of global action and collaboration around Africa’s major projects, mobilising African and European expertise.

On 31 May, Day 2 of the Forum, Joël Ruet, Chairman of The Bridge Tank, took part in a round table discussion entitled “Financing agriculture in the face of the dual urgency of producing and protecting the environment”, moderated by Jean-Marc Gravellini, former Director at the French Development Agency (AFD) and Senior Fellow at FERDI.

Participants to the roundtable discussion included :

Pierre ARNAUD, Former Director at AFD, former Vice-Chairman of Compagnie Fruitière;
Joël RUET, Chairman, The Bridge Tank, former Special Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Equipment in Senegal;
Patrick CARON, Vice-President for International Relations at the University of Montpellier, President of Agropolis International;
Francis DOSSOU SOGNON, CEO of AgroSfer.

During the session, Joël Ruet noted that “a large part of the African continent is now taking the lead on climate change adaptation issues”. For this to happen, it is essential to understand and integrate the dynamics of the African financial system, an idea developed by The Bridge Tank in an issue brief published a year earlier on financing the African economy.

During an earlier session on the economic challenges of the green transition in Africa, Hervé Machenaud, former Director of the Asia-Pacific branch of the EDF Group, said that the African continent should not be in “energy transition” but in “green development.” Addressing the issues of energy and agriculture, Mr Machenaud insisted on the considerable potential of renewable energy in Africa, adding however that agriculture in Africa will require controllable energy, with rationalised and optimised fossil fuels being part of the solution. In both these areas, Europe stands to gain from transferring its technologies to Africa, because technology develops in developing markets.

To rewatch the session and discussions:

The Bridge Tank joins the Think 7 in Berlin

Posted on 1 June 202218 September 2022 by the_bridge_tank

The Think7 Summit, which took place on May 23-24 2022 in Berlin, is organized by the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) and the Global Solutions Initiative (GSI), as think tanks mandated for the Think7 process during the German G7 presidency in 2022. It is organized in partnership with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) and the Aspen Institute Germany. More than 300 participants attended this event, mainly in-person.

Dr. Joël Ruet, President, The Bridge Tank was among the participants, notably on the first day, where the task forces in which The Bridge Tank is active were discussed: Climate and Environment, Sustainable Economic Recovery and International cooperation for the global common good.

In the presence of the German Federal Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, the event was organized around the recommendations developed in the T7 communiqué, which are the following:

Strong alliances for a sustainable planet.
Setting the course for economic stability and transformation in response to the consequences of the COVID-19.
Enhanced preparedness for healthy lives.
Stronger together.
Sustainable investments in a better future.

Among many interesting high level guests, Joël Ruet paid particular attention to the words of Minister Wolfgang Schmidt, Head of the Federal Chancellery underlying the importance of inviting Africa to G7 decisions. Also, Mr. Ruet shared the idea developed by Dennis J. Snower, President, Global Solutions Initiative (GSI) and Co-Chair Think7 Germany that insisted on the necessity of strengthening the multilateralism as the world order has recently been brutalized by Russian in the War in Ukraine. In the same idea, Dr. Sachin Chaturvedi, Director General, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) explained that international institutions, such as G7 and G20 have to adapt and be revisited in terms of delivery regarding the geopolitical context.

The Bridge Tank’s Davos Innovation Lunch 2022 : The geopolitics era of technology, investment & finance

Posted on 31 May 202215 June 2023 by the_bridge_tank

After the cancellation of the 2021 edition as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Bridge Tank was back in the Swiss Alps’ Davos for the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting from 22-26 May 2022. In the footsteps of its previous edition in January 2020, The Bridge Tank convened another high-level conversation on 25 May as part of its now traditional Innovation Lunch held on Promenade 53.

With Joel Ruet, economist and president of The Bridge Tank & Pranjal Sharma, business columnist and board member of The Bridge Tank, leading the discussions, this year’s Innovation Lunch addressed “The geopolitics era of technology, investment and finance – scenarios, risk mitigation and emerging markets.”

The discussion tackled the current dynamics of globalisation, noting its increasing fragility with geopolitical shocks putting businesses at risk and with economic crises less and less likely to be handled in an efficient collective manner.

Business strategies are now aligning with the grand strategies of states; trade suddenly has strategic areas, investment is sovereign, technology is no longer just competitive but rival. The internet and global finance may hardly remain a unified system as they bump into different geographies. China, the US, Russia have certainly set this trend, but the EU and India now devote more energy to gain strategic positions within this new « no-deal » order. Observers of Africa also recognise early signals of a regional awareness that the continent must play strategic too.

The rules for this next phase of globalisation will not be decided just by the West any more. Indeed, the emerging markets in Asia and Africa will be co-authors of the rules.