News Updates

AFRICAN UNION:

Africa Sweeps off remnants of colonial order

Horizons (Algiers), Nov 30, 2025 – This continental gathering was organized following a decision by the African Union heads of state and government in February 2025 to implement the African Union’s 2025 theme: “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations.”
….Key outcomes include the adoption of the “Algiers Declaration,” expected to serve as a continental framework for recognizing colonial crimes and shaping an African strategy for justice and reparations, to be presented at the African Union Summit in February 2026.

SOUTH AMERICA – REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE:

Mercosur energy and mineral integration gathers momentum

COULD DEVELOP ‘LATIN AMERICAN BATTERY’ SYMBOLIZING INTEGRATED REGIONAL SUPPLY CHAIN

Gov.Br – Brazilian Mining Agency, Nov 27, 2025 – The Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) hosted, on Tuesday (25), the Mercosur Seminar on Energy and Mineral Integration, bringing together representatives from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile to align strategies for the region’s future: the expansion of clean fuels, the consolidation of essential mineral supply chains, the role of natural gas in industrial development and the modernisation of power interconnections….
[Mauro Sousa, Director-General of the Brazilian Mining Agency] warned against isolated solutions, recalling that no country in the region controls the most advanced technologies alone — such as rare earth processing, an area in which China holds more than 230 patents after three decades of continuous investment.
“We need to acknowledge our differences, harmonise regulations and act as a bloc.”
The Chilean Ambassador to Brazil, Sebastián Depolo, noted that the combined critical mineral reserves of the region’s countries surpass those of any other economic bloc in the world….

EURASIAN ECONOMIC UNION:

India Begins FTA Talks with Eurasian Bloc to Boost Export Opportunities

TO DIVERSIFY TRADE PARTNERSHIPS AFTER STEEP U.S. TARIFFS

Silicon India, Nov 26, 2025 – India will begin official negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) on Wednesday, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal announced in New Delhi. The five-nation bloc includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan…. The initiative comes at a crucial time as India looks to diversify its trade partnerships after facing steep U.S. tariffs earlier this year.

EU court rules nations must recognise gay marriage rights across bloc

Reuters, Nov 25, 2025 – The EU’s highest court ruled on Tuesday that same-sex marriages must be respected throughout the bloc and rebuked Poland for refusing to recognise a marriage between two of its citizens that took place in Germany, on the grounds that Polish law does not allow marriage between people of the same sex.

ARAB GULF – GCC:

What role will AI play in Gulf’s future?

PRIMARY LEVER FOR TRANSITION TO POST-HYDROCARBON ECONOMY

Turkiye Today, Nov 24, 2025 – The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states view AI as the primary lever for the transition to a post-hydrocarbon economy. This is not merely aspirational; it is a strategy underpinned by concrete capital allocation.
According to PwC data, AI is projected to contribute $320 billion to the Middle East economy by 2030, representing approximately 2% of the global AI market.

EU – ‘MADE IN EUROPE’ :

EU to review foreign investment rules amid concerns over Chinese companies

Investment Monitor, Nov 24, 2025 – Concerns are also growing over the increasing presence of Chinese industrial projects, which some see as deepening Europe’s reliance on advanced manufacturing from China and increasing Beijing’s influence.
There is concern that these projects could help Chinese companies avoid future EU tariffs on their goods….
EC internal market commissioner Stéphane Séjourné,…. who has advocated for more local content requirements and “made in Europe” clauses, indicated that the revised rules may require foreign investors to hire local employees and, in sectors such as batteries, share technological knowledge.

EU COMMISSION PLANS SWEEPING CUTS TO TECH LAWS TO PAVE THE WAY FOR AI

Euractiv, Nov 19, 2025 – The European Commission presented on Wednesday sweeping plans to cut red tape in digital and privacy laws, in a bid to pave the way for made-in-Europe innovation in artificial intelligence.
Among key proposed changes, the EU’s landmark General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is facing deep cuts as the Commission seeks to make it easier to train AI systems on people’s data.
Currently, companies often need users’ consent to use personal data…. The Commission now proposes to explicitly allow companies to use it without prior consent, as long as companies’ interests do not outweigh people’s fundamental rights.

NORTH AMERICA:

Terminal tariffs: Modeling the final destination of Trump’s trade war

WILL USMCA BLOC FORM ‘FORTRESS NORTH AMERICA’ WITH COMMON EXTERNAL TARIFFS?

The Economic Times, Nov 19, 2025 – USMCA renegotiation looms. The legal basis for the current tariffs is in question, investigations into sectoral tariffs continue, and Trump relishes tariffs as an all-purpose foreign policy instrument.
To assess the risks, we set out three scenarios:

• Détente with China: The US drops the 20% fentanyl-related tariff on China but maintains sect ..
• China alone: As overcapacity from Beijing’s industrial policy spills out, the rest of the world imposes tariffs. China retaliates.
• Fortress North America: The US, Mexico and Canada [form] a closer bloc, dropping tariffs on one another but raising them against all others. Everyone else retaliates.

Africa must create a bloc like the EU to have real global power

PROMOTES CUSTOMS UNION, COMMON MARKET FOR AfCFTA

IAI News, Nov 20, 2025 – The goal for African states should not be to reduce global trade, but to optimize leverage and channel external investments into building regional markets and industrial bases. This is where customs unions and common external tariffs become critical. Harmonized tariffs reduce distortions, support regional manufacturing, and prevent individual states from undercutting one another in negotiations with external investors.

Africa needs a single market, and the plan for the African Continental Free Trade Area, or AfCFTA, was launched in 2021 with the aim of creating this. 54 out of Africa’s 55 nations have signed up to it, with Eritrea the only holdout. The AfCFTA is central to any argument for enhancing African agency. If effectively implemented, it can transform fragmented national markets into a unified continental market of 1.3 billion people with a combined GDP exceeding USD 3.4 trillion.

Mexico at the Crossroads: Navigating U.S.-China Tensions

PROPOSAL FOR COMMON EXTERNAL TARIFF FOR NORTH AMERICA

The Dialogue, Nov 14, 2025 – On November 14, 2025, the Inter-American Dialogue hosted the virtual event, Mexico at the Crossroads: Navigating U.S.-China Tensions. The discussion, moderated by Juan Pablo Spinetto of Bloomberg, analyzed the complexities of Mexico’s position amid intensifying U.S.-China rivalry….
Sergio Luna, chief economist for Grupo Financiero Mifel, provided a macroeconomic perspective, tracing the shift from the “NAFTA bliss” of the 1990s to the disruption caused by China’s WTO entry…. Luna argued that Mexico’s “privileged postal code” necessitates strict alignment with U.S. geopolitical interests. He proposed a common external tariff for North America and warned against allowing Chinese investment in data-sensitive sectors like EVs due to national security risks.

EAEU – REGIONAL REGULATION:

Belarus wants to create unified crуptocurrencу legislation within the Eurasian Economic Union

Happy Coin News, Nov 18, 2025 – Alexander Egorov, Deputу Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Belarus, proposed standardizing regulations on digital asset circulation in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which includes Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kуrgуzstan, and Russia. This would allow for unimpeded cross-border transfers in virtual currencies and prevent capital outflow to countries with more liberal legislation and low tax rates.

Yes, there are political refugees from the European Union

THE LIGHTS ARE GOING OUT ACROSS EUROPE

By Anna Wellisz, The Washington Times, Nov 7, 2025 – As President Trump hosts Viktor Orbán this week, the European Union is threatening to suspend Hungary’s voting rights in the EU. In just the last few months, we have seen the most popular politician banned and imprisoned in France, the presidential election annulled and the all-but-certain winner canceled in Romania, the largest opposition party in Germany about to be delegalized, and, across the channel, in the UK, thousands of ordinary citizens arrested for social media posts and even silent prayers.Nowhere, however, has this anti-democratic assault been as systematic and severe as in Poland, America’s staunchest ally on the continent, where, in December 2023, Donald Tusk’s left-wing coalition, allied with Brussels, unseated the conservative Law and Justice party after eight years in power….

EURASIAN ECONOMIC UNION:

EAEU drug regulatory harmonization faces critical deadline as member states show uneven implementation readiness

‘VERY MUCH LIKE THE EUROPEAN MUTUAL RECOGNITION PROCEDURE’

The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is racing against time to implement its pharmaceutical regulatory harmonization system by December 31, 2025. Victoria Ignatovich, director of CIS countries Regulatory Affairs Office at World Medicine, a pharmaceutical exporter based in İlaç, Turkey, told the Global Regulatory Affairs Summit audience that the goal is to unify the five separate processes of the EAEU countries, Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan.

NORTH AMERICA:

Ahead of USMCA Review, Mexico Sustains a Unified Tourism Position

‘CONSOLIDATE ITS STRATEGIC POSITION WITHIN NORTH AMERICA’

Yucatan Times, Nov 7, 2025 – “From the Ministry of Tourism, we reaffirm our commitment to a more competitive, sustainable, and inclusive tourism model, in full alignment with the goals of the USMCA. This effort adds to the actions promoted by the Mexican government to make tourism a true generator of Shared Prosperity, as instructed by President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo.”

Automakers urge US to extend North America free trade deal

FORD: TARIFFS ‘SHOULD ONLY APPLY TO COUNTRIES OUTSIDE OF NORTH AMERICA’

Reuters, Nov 5, 2025 – [Tesla] recommended the three countries adopt an industry-accepted North American Charging Standard as the single standard for electric light-duty vehicle trade and align automotive safety standards.
Ford said after an improved USMCA is in place, all national security tariffs “should only apply to countries outside of North America to preserve the effectiveness of USMCA and the competitiveness of the North American auto industry.”

What could be the outcome of next year’s USMCA review?

DEEPER INTEGRATION WITH TARIFF ALIGNMENT, OR STATUS QUO

Investing.com, Nov 2, 2025 – Writing in a note to clients, analysts at Morgan Stanley including Ariana Salvatore and Michael Zezas…. argued that the USMCA review will likely bring some clarity to two major issues surrounding future supply chains into the U.S.: the status of manufacturing borders and tariff levels….
Mexico, which like Canada has been engaged in trade talks with the Trump administration, has especially taken steps to help the U.S. establish tariff borders…
However, the brokerage added, even if Mexico aligns fully with the U.S., data suggests that “it will still be hard to deviate supply chains away” from China, a global production hub.

SE ASIA:

ASEAN must rethink its supply chain, strengthen regional economic integration

‘COMMON EXTERNAL TARIFFS FOR SECTORS THAT MATTER TO US’

BERNAMA TV (Malaysia), Nov 6, 2025 – Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation former executive director, Tan Sri Dr Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria…. said ASEAN should consider introducing a common external tariff in selected sectors as a step toward deeper integration.
“Have common external tariffs for sectors that matter to us, whether it’s textiles or electrical and electronics (E&E),” she said.

EU’S DIGITAL EURO:

Is the digital euro Europe’s answer to a cashless future?

OneSafe, Oct 31, 2025 – The European Central Bank (ECB) is gearing up to introduce the digital euro, a move that could revolutionize the realm of digital payments across Europe. What does this central bank digital currency (CBDC) mean for the economy?….
How Will the Digital Euro Impact Privacy?
This strategy seeks to safeguard user privacy while ensuring adherence to necessary regulations. Nonetheless, increased traceability of transactions raises fears of mass surveillance and data exploitation, which could deter potential users….
What Can Other Regions Learn from the Digital Euro?
Other regions can also learn from the ECB’s measured and cautious implementation strategy, which prioritizes stakeholder engagement and gradual rollout to tackle technical, legal, and financial obstacles…. As the ECB navigates the challenges and opportunities arising from this initiative, it holds the potential to influence the future of money not only in Europe but also on a global scale.

Pakistan, China firms form joint consortium to develop regional logistics hub

PARTNERSHIP TO STRENGTHEN TRADE CONNECTIVITY UNDER CHINA-PAKISTAN FRAMEWORK

Pakistan Today, Oct 31, 2025 – Leading logistics and business companies from Pakistan and China have agreed to establish a China–Pakistan Joint Business Consortium to develop a regional logistics hub aimed at improving regional connectivity and trade logistics frameworks.

ASEAN’s dealmaking with Trump shows promise

COULD BE MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO CRITICAL MINERAL GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN DIVERSIFICATION

Lowry Institute, Oct 29, 2025 – The inclusion of critical mineral collaboration announcements with Cambodia, Malaysia, and Thailand demonstrates ASEAN does have cards to play with Trump….
Despite China’s limited backdown from its expansive rare earth control regime, critical mineral exposure to China will remain an ongoing strategic risk for the United States. ASEAN could therefore capitalise on its potential to be a “major contributor” to global supply chain diversification for critical minerals to strengthen its hand in trade negotiations.

US aluminium industry urges USMCA tariff harmonization

SUPPORTS ALIGNMENT OF ALUMINUM TARIFFS AMONG NORTH AMERICAN NATIONS

TO ‘CREATE A FORTRESS AGAINST UNFAIRLY TRADED METAL’
Fastmarkets, Oct 28, 2025 – The Aluminum Association supports a harmonized North American trade deal “that aligns aluminium tariffs” among the US, Canada and Mexico “while strengthening monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to stop transshipped metal.”
“If the US has a certain tariff against unfairly traded metal from China or Russia, then we think Canada and Mexico should have a similar set of tariffs,” Meenan told Fastmarkets on October 8.
“Let’s make sure that our trading partners are doing the same thing so that we can create a fortress against unfairly traded metal,” Meenan said.

China and ASEAN, hit by US tariffs, sign upgraded free trade pact

Reuters, Oct 28, 2025 – China and the ASEAN bloc of Southeast Asian nations signed an upgrade to their free trade agreement on Tuesday, with leaders hailing the deal which spans the digital and green economy, and other new industries.
The 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations is China’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade totalling $771 billion last year, according to ASEAN statistics.
China is seeking to intensify its engagement with ASEAN, a region with a collective gross domestic product of $3.8 trillion, to counter hefty import tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on countries around the world.

INTRA-REGIONAL TRADE DEALS:

Russia eyes Southeast Asian markets for economic boost as oil sanctions bite

‘BETWEEN REGIONS AND ORGANISATIONS LIKE THE EURASIAN ECONOMIC UNION AND ASEAN’

SANCTIONS FORCE MOSCOW TO LOOK FOR NEW MARKETS AND BUYERS
South China Morning Post, Oct 28, 2025 – “Sanctions are like the climate – they’ve always existed. [But] we maintain and improve trade and economic relations, [and] we work to strengthen connectivity between regions and organisations like the Eurasian Economic Union and Asean.”
The Eurasian Economic Union is a Russia-led trade bloc that also includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, aimed at creating a single market across parts of the former Soviet Union.
Russia’s push into Southeast Asia comes just days after Washington under President Donald Trump announced a new wave of sanctions….
The move has forced Moscow to look for new markets and buyers across the Global South….

For ASEAN Members, Trump’s Bilateral Trade Deals May Be the Least-Worst Option

DEALS BUY TIME TO DIVERSIFY TRADING RELATIONSHIPS AWAY FROM US

Carnegie Endowment, Oct 27, 2025 – On Sunday, as leaders gathered in Kuala Lumpur for the ASEAN summit, U.S. President Donald Trump announced trade deals with Malaysia and Cambodia, as well as framework agreements with Vietnam and Thailand that will be finalized in the coming weeks….
The U.S. commitment to maintain Malaysian and Cambodian tariffs at 19 percent will provide them at least some temporary relief. They believe the agreements will allow them to avoid immediate economic stress while creating opportunities for cooperation. One such area is critical minerals, a sector Malaysia and Thailand seek to develop, and on which they signed memorandums of understanding with the United States. Moreover, the deals buy them time to diversify their trading relationships away from the United States, as many Asian countries are urgently seeking to do.

AI in Global Governance

Expect regulation to mature from national frameworks to international system

UN, REGIONAL BLOCS RACING TO DEFINE AI RULES

Blockchain Council, Oct 17, 2025 – Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept—it’s a global reality shaping economies, politics, and even diplomacy. But who decides how AI should be used responsibly? That’s where AI in global governance comes in. In simple terms, it’s the worldwide effort to create fair, safe, and transparent rules for how AI systems are developed, deployed, and monitored. From the United Nations to regional blocs like the European Union and the African Union, global players are now racing to define those rules….
By 2026, we can expect AI regulation to mature from a series of national frameworks into a coordinated international system….
Trust means ensuring countries and companies disclose how AI models are built and tested. Interoperability means that safety and ethics checks are comparable across borders. Without these two factors, global governance will remain uneven. The United Nations, the G7, and regional blocs like the EU and AU are already collaborating to close that gap.

AI AND MIDDLE EAST: INSIGHTS FROM MED DIALOGUES 2025

Competition over semiconductors, data centers, energy infrastructure:

The Peninsula, Oct 21, 2025 – Mohamed Suleiman, and Director of the Consultation Department in Saudi Arabia Faisal Al-Otaibi….described the global AI race as a competition over compute capacity—the combination of semiconductors, data centers, and energy infrastructure needed to power artificial intelligence systems….
“This region can become the third major theater for AI—an energy and capital hub that complements the U.S. and China,” he said.

ASEAN FIRMS CAN’T AFFORD TO IGNORE EU’S AI ACT

Turn compliance into source of competitiveness

Jakarta Post, Oct 17, 2025 – Exporters of smart electronics, automotive parts, healthcare diagnostics or AI-driven services across Asia will soon face strict European rules.
Enforcement begins in 2025, phasing in through 2027, and can impose penalties worth up to 7 percent of a firm’s global turnover. The question for ASEAN firms is therefore not whether these rules will matter, but rather how quickly will firms can turn their compliance into a source of competitiveness.

ASEAN – REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Power grid offers a real shot at ASEAN integration

Asia Times, Oct 20, 2025 – In an era when ASEAN’s unity is often described more as symbolism than substance, the ASEAN Power Grid (APG) stands out as an ambitious vision that could finally bring tangible integration to Southeast Asia….
Some links, such as the Laos–Thailand–Malaysia–Singapore Power Integration Project (LTMS-PIP), are already operational, allowing power generated from Laos to reach Singapore via Thailand and Malaysia….
APG could become ASEAN’s defining project of the next decade, not merely for its engineering feat, but for its political symbolism. For the first time, ASEAN could be bound by a network that is real, visible and indispensable.

ARAB GULF – GCC:

GCC capital market regulators push for deeper integration

Kuwait Times, Oct 20, 2025 – Capital market authorities in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states on Monday underscored the need to advance financial integration and harmonize regulatory and legislative frameworks across the region.

IMF Reports Limited Global Response to U.S. Tariffs, Highlights Potential for Regional Integration and China’s Economic Prospects

ScanX, Oct 16, 2025 – The IMF chief also noted an increase in regional trade integration. This trend suggests that countries may be focusing on strengthening economic ties within their geographical regions, possibly as a strategy to mitigate the impact of broader global trade tensions.

ADB, World Bank launch Asean Power Grid financing programme, report says

Reuters, Oct 15, 2025 – The Asian Development Bank and the World Bank have launched the ASEAN Power Grid (APG) Financing Initiative to support the development and integration of national power grids across the region, Malaysian state news agency Bernama reported on Wednesday.
The ADB is set to commit $10 billion to finance Southeast Asian grids connected to the APG, along with other clean energy projects, the report said

Eurasian Economic Union planning operational changes

TO MORE CLOSELY RESEMBLE EUROPEAN UNION

Intellinews, Oct 14, 2025 – The changes are designed to make the bloc’s decision-making mechanism more closely resemble that of the European Union.
Once adopted, the amendments will expand the EEU Commission’s authority to regulate trade within its common market and interpret the organisation’s rules….
The EEU presently comprises Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

NORTH AMERICA:
REGIONAL PROTECTIONISM

How to Update the USMCA

MEXICO’S HARMONIZED TARIFF POLICY FRAMED AS NORTH AMERICAN ‘ECONOMIC ALIGNMENT’

The National Interest, September 29, 2025 – Mexico is signaling a willingness to deepen integration with the United States and anchor its economy within North America’s supply chains. This is welcome news for Washington. While some might view this decision as mere protectionism, the leaders of Mexico and the United States are framing it as an economic alignment….The Mexican government has proposed a comprehensive package of higher import levies—covering over 1,400 tariff lines, including apparel, textiles, and footwear—from countries with which Mexico does not have a free-trade agreement. The People’s Republic of China, here, is the main target. Key moves include raising the tariff on passenger vehicles and many auto parts from approximately 20 to 50 percent (the WTO ceiling), as well as new and raised duties of roughly 10–50 percent across other products and categories….Increased transparency and harmonized standards across borders are the minimum requirements that should be met for the next chapter of the USMCA. 

See also: BESSENT: ‘IF THE CANADIANS DID IT ALSO…WE COULD HAVE FORTRESS NORTH AMERICA’  FROM CHINESE IMPORTS – Reuters, Feb 28, 2025

Mexico Joins US Effort to Build Tariff Wall Against China

Mexico Business News, Oct 2, 2025 – On Sept. 9, as part of the 2026 federal budget proposal, Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum submitted a budget proposal that would impose additional tariffs (ranging from 10% to 50%) on over 1,400 HTS codes affecting products in the automotive, steel, textiles/apparel, shoes/footwear, electronics, plastics, toys, and home appliances industries, targeting imports from countries that don’t have a Trade Agreement with Mexico.
Many say the main target is China (which will be affected the most) as the United States has been pressuring Mexico to present a united front against China. This is taking place amid the preparation for the review of the North American Trade Agreement….

Opinion: How Trump’s trade war fast-tracked the EU–Mercosur agreement

Brussels Times, Sep 23, 2025 – Game Theory suggests that when one player (the US) systematically adopts an aggressive strategy, the others (EU and Brazil) may converge towards cooperation with each other in order to counterbalance the power of the challenger. Robert Axelrod, in The Evolution of Cooperation (1984), shows that cooperation among those harmed, in repeated interaction scenarios, tends to emerge as a rational strategy, where the gains from cooperation are greater than the costs of isolation.
It is precisely at this point that the EU (responsible for the common trade policy of its 27 member states) and Mercosur (responsible for the trade policy of its signatories, with Brazil accounting for over 70% of the bloc’s economy) need to accelerate the ratification and implementation of the EU–Mercosur Agreement signed in December 2024.

Is the Middle East about to get an ‘Islamic NATO’?

Deutsche Welle, Sep 25, 2025 – Israel’s first-ever attack on a Gulf state is causing changes in Arab defense policies, with more calls for regional cooperation and common defense pacts. Some politicians have even called for an “Islamic NATO.”….
At an emergency summit organized by the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation last week, Egyptian officials suggested a NATO-style, joint task force for Arab nations. In a speech at the summit, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani also called for a collective approach to regional security. And the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — said they would activate a provision in a joint defense agreement, first signed in 2000, that said an attack on one member state was an attack on all.

HOW A NEW ARAB REGIONAL ORDER IS TAKING SHAPE

The National Interest, Sep 25, 2025 – The Assad regime was also a feature of the landscape in the region for 50 years. Now, like Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi, and other twentieth-century dictatorial holdovers, it has collapsed for good.
These winds of change have not only empowered Syria. They have also empowered the new leadership in Lebanon. Additionally, Egypt has conducted new outreach efforts. It has completed a naval drill with Turkey, marking a significant step in repairing two decades of strained relations. It is also pushing for peace in Gaza. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has signed a new defense treaty with Pakistan.
A similar trend can be observed in the Gulf Cooperation Council. After an Israeli airstrike on a Hamas meeting in Qatar in September, the Gulf countries expressed a desire to increase defense cooperation.

ASEAN deepens internal, external ties to weather US tariff headwinds

Nikkei Asia, Sep 26, 2025 – South Asian countries are deepening their internal and external economic ties as the region braces for the impact of U.S. tariffs and global supply chain realignments, with ministers advancing key trade agreements and digital initiatives during a series of meetings in Malaysia this week.

United States to seal Southeast Asia trade trade deals in coming months

BLOC’S MEMBER NATIONS MAY TAKE UNIFIED POSITION ON SECTORAL TARIFF NEGOTIATIONS
Reuters, Sep 24, 2025 – Wednesday marked [U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer’s] first meeting with the ASEAN bloc, whose members have largely engaged in separate negotiations with the United States on the issue of tariffs.
But the grouping may be driven to take a more unified position amid risks of steeper sectoral tariffs on industries such as semiconductors, a significant contributor to economies like Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

EAEU, Iran agree to use Iranian ports to access other markets

Interfax, Sep 25, 2025 – Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries will be able to use Iranian ports to enter the Indian Ocean and ship goods to third countries, including India.

IRAN, EURASIAN ECOOMIC UNION SIGN ROADMAP FOR FUTURE COOPERATION

Islamic Republic News Agency, Sep 24, 2025 – The document was signed by Industry, Mine and Trade Minister Mohammad Atabak and EAEU Trade Minister Andrey Slepnev on Wednesday.
“At today’s talks, we outlined the general framework for future trade and economic cooperation between Iran and the five member states of the Eurasian Economic Union within the roadmap,” Atabak told reporters. He said the session also reviewed past cooperation and future prospects, with 16 subcommittees presenting their reports.

Vietnam PM targets Mercosur, GCC pacts to counter US duties

MalayMail, Sep 24, 2025 – Exports “will face difficulties and challenges… due to strategic competition, conflicts and the US’s ‘reciprocal’ tariff policies,” Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said in a statement posted on the government’s website today….
To offset the impact of the US duties, Vietnam aims to sign free trade agreements with Latin America’s Mercosur trading bloc and Gulf Cooperation Council countries by the end of the year, Chinh said.

See older article links, summaries in NEWS ARCHIVE

VIDEO: GLOBAL SHAKEDOWN (2015)
The world’s developing and projected regional blocs. (Excerpt @ 20:15 of 27:33)