by Afshin Molavi | Jul 24, 2019 | Articles, Belt and Road Initiative, China/Middle East, Emerging Market Multinationals, Emerging Markets, Globalization, Ports, Shipping
October 2018 – By Afshin Molavi – When Chinese President Xi Jinping flew to Africa on his way to the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) summit this past summer, he followed a route that has become familiar to many Chinese travelers: he...
by Afshin Molavi | Feb 21, 2019 | Articles, China Economy, China/Middle East, Emerging Markets, North Africa Commerce/Economy, Saudi Arabia Economy, United Arab Emirates Economy, West Asia Economies
By Afshin Molavi China’s economy is slowing, which is both inevitable and alarming. Inevitable because no economy can defy gravity and grow at nearly double-digit rates on average for three decades, as China’s did from 1989 through 2018. And alarming because the...
by Afshin Molavi | Feb 21, 2019 | Articles, China/Middle East, Demographics, Development, North Africa Commerce/Economy, West Asia Economies
A few months ago, a devastating hurricane tore through a stretch of beach in the US state of Florida, destroying homes in its path – with one exception. One house stood tall amid the wreckage, virtually intact with a few bruises here and there. It was no accident....
by Afshin Molavi | Dec 18, 2018 | Articles
“Everyone has a plan,” the great American boxer Mike Tyson once quipped, “that is, until you get punched in the face.” Saudi Arabia, as the world knows by now, has a plan. In fact, the Saudi Vision 2030, unveiled in dramatic fashion in April 2016 with a roll-out...
by Afshin Molavi | Dec 18, 2018 | Articles
Cairenes are not modest about their beloved city. It is Umm al-Dunya, they say, the mother of the world. They also call it simply Masr, the Arabic term for Egypt, suggesting, of course, that there is really nothing worth noting in the vast country beyond their grand...
by Afshin Molavi | Oct 30, 2018 | Articles
Back when Donald Trump was busy firing people on The Apprentice, corporate brands across America were busy “hiring” his show to advertise their wares. The list included Pepsi, McDonald’s, Cheetos, KFC, Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats, Wendy’s, Yoplait, Subway, Visa, and...
