News Updates

Carney Said He Wants Fortress North America — Congress Says Prove It

SHOULD FUNCTION AS UNIFIED ECONOMIC BLOC WITH COMMON EXTERNAL TARIFF WALL

Grassley: Extending the USCMA is ‘Invaluable’ to Countering China

‘ALIGNMENT OF THE NORTH AMERICAN ECONOMY…TO U.S. STANDARDS’

Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), grassley.senate.gov, May 13, 2026
“It is the invaluable effect of countering China on the global stage because of what has developed as a result of the USMCA. That is through the alignment on agricultural, environmental, intellectual property rules and regulations, and the alignment of rules of origin, strengthening near-shore supply chains and countless other provisions.
“The USMCA then protects our domestic workers, our companies and our products from being replaced by Chinese competition. The alignment of the North American economy, because of the USMCA, to U.S. standards – that all sends a very strong signal to the rest of the world….
“Because of what the USMCA [does] and the North American economy being aligned because of the USMCA, I think it shows the importance of counteracting China.“

Mark Carney’s “Deeper Integration” Comments Explained

Word Brief Daily, May 11, 2026 – Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney is signaling “deeper integration” with the United States — but what does that really mean?
In this video, we break down Canada’s shifting relationship with America, the rise of “Fortress North America,” growing US-China tensions, and how global trade politics may be reshaping the future of the world economy.

The Strategic Link Between USMCA and Critical Minerals

‘ARCHITECTURE OF A NORTH AMERICAN MINERALS SECURITY SYSTEM’ TO COMPETE WITH CHINA

Americas Quarterly, May 11, 2026 – For Canada, this creates a stark challenge: engage proactively to shape these emerging standards, or risk finding itself in the position of acceding to a U.S.-Mexico template after its architecture has been set….
The scope of the plans—covering AI chips, electric vehicle batteries, semiconductors, and advanced defense systems—makes explicit what was previously implied: This is a national security arrangement as much as an economic one. The downstream industries named in it are not merely commercially important; they are the material substrate of military capability and technological leadership in the competition with China….
The highest-leverage outcome of the USMCA review would be a dedicated critical minerals annex or side agreement that locks in four foundational elements: tariff elimination on intra-regional mineral trade; aligned rules of origin for downstream products incorporating North American minerals; coordinated external tariffs against nonmarket producers; and joint procurement mechanisms for defence and strategic stockpiling.

NORTH AMERICAN CUSTOMS UNION?

Fortress North America is replacing free trade in Canada’s lexicon

ONTARIO PREMIER FORD: USMCA MEMBERS SHOULD ‘MATCH OR EXCEED U.S. TARIFFS’ ON STRATEGIC CHINESE PRODUCTS

Policy Options (Canada) May 11, 2026 – Goldy Hyder, president of the Business Council of Canada, leaned into his microphone and told the room that “Fortress North America” was already the phrase American policymakers were using. Ontario Premier Doug Ford had for months been road-testing “Fortress Am-Can” to describe a potential “renewed strategic alliance.” By December, U.S. witnesses at the hearing were turning that proposal into a demand. “We should be building Fortress North America,” said the American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance….
The vocabulary Canada endorsed in Washington does not stay in Washington. “Fortress North America” is a framework that defines Canada’s value to the United States as conditional on continuous alignment with American economic security priorities. Ford’s Am-Can growth plan says it explicitly: Any USMCA member should “match or exceed U.S. tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and other strategically important products or lose its seat at the table.” That sentence was written by Canadians. It will be quoted back to them.

Council on Foreign Relations, May 1, 2026

What Is the Future of U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade?

CFR PRESIDENT MICHAEL FROMAN ANALYZES THE FUTURE OF TRADE IN THE REGION

USMCA is consequential for Canada and Mexico and, therefore, the review is a unique source of negotiating leverage. I could see the United States trying to use it to get Canada and Mexico to adopt a common approach to China, whether it is a common external tariff, export controls, or investment limitations.

MEXICO BUSINESS NEWS OPINION:

USMCA 2026: North America’s Defining Moment

“North America competes better when it is integrated and aligned”

Mexico Business News, May 1, 2026 – As of April 20, 2026, the USMCA review is no longer a calendar item. It is an active political and technical process. The United States and Mexico have formally launched the review process and started technical rounds to narrow key issues ahead of the treaty’s July 1, 2026 decision point, as contemplated in the agreement…..
The USMCA review can become either: (1) a platform to consolidate North America as the most competitive industrial bloc in the world; or (2) a fragmentation process that triggers partial deals, uncertainty, and investment relocation.
To secure the first outcome, Mexico needs a clear strategy: early stabilization in critical sectors, a credible origin-and-traceability proposal, logistics strengthening, and a simple, persuasive narrative: North America competes better when it is integrated and aligned.

ARAB GULF, GCC: REGIONAL-BLOC INFRASTRUCTURE:

From railways to energy — five strategic projects linking Gulf states

IRAN STRIKES CONVERT ‘ASPERATIONS INTO SECURITY NECESSITIES’

Al Jazeera, April 30, 2026 – Under the umbrella of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), these initiatives span transport, energy, water security and defence. They aim to deepen economic ties and strengthen collective resilience.
Thomas Bonnie James, a Gulf studies expert at AFG College with the University of Aberdeen, said the significance of this moment lies in how these projects are being redefined. He said the Iranian strikes on key GCC infrastructure have “converted these projects from economic aspirations into security necessities”, a shift that fundamentally alters the political calculus and injects urgency into their implementation.
Here is an overview of the most prominent joint Gulf projects.
A unified Gulf railway network….
Electrical interconnection grid….
Water interconnection system….
Oil and gas pipeline integration….
Joint ballistic missile early warning system….

THE NEW MERCANTILISM: EU & ‘MADE IN EUROPE’:

The EU turns to ‘Made in Europe’ tech solutions

‘IN CASE OF A POSSIBLE CONFLICT WITH THE U.S.’

The Parliament, April 30, 2026 – Transatlantic tensions are pushing the European Union and national governments across the bloc to ditch software and cloud compute provided by Big Tech in the United States in favor of European firms, as officials opt for more secure solutions….
That step builds on similar initiatives by member state and regional governments in Germany, France, Denmark, Austria, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden to move parts or all of internal government functions and public-facing services to European platforms.
The shift is intended to make European governments more resilient by ensuring services stay available in case of a possible conflict with the U.S. and strengthening data security. The “Made in Europe” approach can also give the continent’s cloud computing and software companies a much-needed boost.

AFRICAN UNION:

What is Africa’s philosophy for AI governance?

EU, US, CHINA, ASEAN MAKING RULES

Business & Financial Times (Ghana), April 29, 2026 – There is a race underway — and Africa was not told it was running. It is not a race to build the fastest AI system or the most capable model. It is a race to determine whose values, whose philosophy, and whose interests will govern artificial intelligence as it reshapes economies, institutions, and societies across the world….The European Union has written its rules. The United States has written its rules. China has written its rules. The ASEAN community is developing its rules….Africa has not yet written its rules. More concerning, it has not yet decided what those rules should be for — or whether that question has been fully confronted. In practical terms, Africa is not yet in that race. The more urgent issue is whether it recognises that the race has already begun, and what it will cost to decide too late.The African Union must elevate AI governance from a technical agenda item to a political priority, recognising that decisions made over the next five years will shape the distribution of economic power, technological capability, and political influence for a generation.

NORTH AMERICA, USMCA:

Canada will use energy sector as leverage in CUSMA talks, minister says

AI, MANUFACTURING, MINERAL PROCESSING DEPEND ON ELECTRICITY

Global News (Canada), April 24, 2026 – Canada’s position as an energy exporter is its “strongest card” in trade talks with the United States, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson said Friday as the clock ticks down to the review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Free Trade Agreement (CUSMA)….
“Because every major ambition we have, from AI to advanced manufacturing to mineral processing, depends on reliable and affordable electricity,” he said.

SOUTH AMERICA, MERCOSUR:

Mercosur to discuss possible return of Venezuela to membership in economic union

UkrAgraConsult, April 23, 2026 – South America’s Mercosur economic union is set to discuss Venezuela’s possible return to the South American trading bloc, Bloomberg reported.
The bloc’s members have been warming up to Caracas since the ouster of President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. troops earlier this year.

EURASIA:

How United States Policy in the Middle East Targets Eurasian Integration

SpecialEurasia, April 22, 2026 – US Middle East policy is a deliberate reset button designed to physically dismantle regional corridors and infrastructures, effectively impeding the emergence of a self-sufficient, non-Western Eurasian bloc.
By sabotaging Gulf stability, Washington eliminates energy competitors to become the West’s top exporter while successfully breaking the momentum of regional de-dollarisation.
Growing Russia–China–Iran integration (INSTC, BRI links, energy and transit corridors) positions Iran as the linchpin of Eurasian trade—making it a prime target for disruption….
The burgeoning Eurasian integration is further evidenced by a collective gravitation toward regionally-led multilateral architectures—including BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS), and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Israel pushes IMEC trade corridor to bypass Hormuz amid Iran tensions

Ynet News, April 22, 2026 – Officials see a rare window to advance the India-Europe route via the Gulf, but Saudi reluctance and post-Oct. 7 complexities pose challenges, as efforts intensify to reduce Iran’s grip on global trade routes disrupted by tensions in Hormuz

GCC, ARAB LEAGUE:

After Iran war, attack on Gulf States, will the GCC withdraw from Arab League – analysis

Proposal for alternative: Arab coordination council comprising Gulf states, Jordan, Morocco, Syria

Jerusalem Post, April 22, 2026 – The participation of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and their continued membership in the Arab League have become a subject of questions and speculation, especially after the Arab League came under fire following the Israeli-American-Iranian conflict and the Iranian attacks on the Gulf states and Jordan….
Qasim Sultan, a Saudi political analyst, told The Media Line, “The role of the Arab League has been weakening over time, and I believe this is due to the weakness of successive secretaries-general. Most of them are former Egyptian officials, over 70 years old….
“Its charter should also be amended to make its decisions more binding on Arab states, to expedite its decision-making process, and to work more effectively on joint coordination, as is the case in the European Union, rather than functioning as a forum that accomplishes virtually nothing,” Sultan concluded.

Iraq’s Gulf Pivot and the Cost of Inaction

Gulf International Forum, April 23, 2026 – The fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran has not restored the regional status quo, but it has quietly reshaped it. Iraq, long viewed through a Tehran-centric lens, may be repositioning its approach and policy toward the Gulf. The real question is not Iraq’s readiness, but whether the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states are prepared to throw their weight behind and engage a shifting regional actor before the opportunity slips away.

NORTH AMERICAN CUSTOMS UNION?

Atlantic Council: Using the USMCA review to strengthen regional integration

By developing common external tariff, blockchain-based traceability

AI-driven trade intelligence… ‘can integrate customs data’

RELITIGATION “WOULD PUT THE REGION AT RISK OF FALLING BEHIND COMPETING BLOCS”
Atlantic Council, April 20, 2026 – The USMCA review presents an opportunity for the parties to strengthen economic security and competitiveness, rather than relitigating the agreement’s core principles, which would put the region at risk of falling behind competing blocs….One potential alternative is the development of a Common External Tariff (CET) on steel. While challenging due to differing trade agreements and tariff commitments, coordinated use of anti-dumping and countervailing duty measures could provide a pathway toward alignment.

Opinion: To stay competitive, North America needs more than USMCA

Uncertainty over the USMCA trade agreement is causing concern for the North American auto industry. A customs union could be the answer

The Detroit News, April 13, 2026

SOUTH ASIA, SAARC:

Call to Revive SAARC Gains Push at Regional Webinar

‘FUNCTIONING REGIONAL BLOC WOULD EVENTUALLY COMPEL INDIA TO REJOIN’

Kashmir Times, April 19, 2026 – A cross-regional webinar on reviving the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) concluded with a broad consensus on the need to restart regional cooperation.
Speakers called for rethinking on the part of India to ensure revival of the SAARC and to other countries to undertake flexible arrangements, people-to-people engagement, and a fresh review of the grouping’s charter….
India’s former diplomat and union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar strongly backed these views but was critical of New Delhi’s approach, describing it as the principal roadblock to SAARC’s revival. He proposed that smaller South Asian countries form a “coalition of the willing” to move forward with cooperation even in India’s absence, arguing that a functioning regional bloc would eventually compel India to rejoin. He drew parallels with European integration, saying economic incentives could drive political change.

ARAB GULF:

The GCC has unity, it now needs joint defence and development

ALONG THE LINES OF A ‘GULF NATO’

Al Jazeera, April 19, 2026 – The Gulf states are not a party to the American-Israeli-Iranian war, and they will not fall into the trap of being dragged into it. At the same time, it is essential to establish strong safeguards for regional security. That can be achieved foremost through the establishment of a joint defence architecture along the lines of a “Gulf NATO”, with the possibility of regional powers such as Turkiye or Pakistan joining to strengthen collective deterrence.

SE ASIA, ASEAN:

Southeast Asia as a Powerhouse

ASEAN WORLD’S FIFTH-LARGEST ECONOMY

The Globalist, April 17, 2026 – The eleven countries of Southeast Asia – in alphabetical order, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Viet Nam and Timor-Leste – have a combined population of 700 million.
This is about half of China’s population, but it towers over that of the European Union with its 450 million and it is double the 350 million strong U.S. population.
The countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have a collective nominal GDP surpassing $4 trillion, which makes ASEAN the world’s fifth-largest economy, after the U.S., China, Japan and Germany.

REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE:

Plugging Into Reality: The ASEAN Power Grid

The Diplomat, April 17, 2026 – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has long envisioned a region-wide power grid as a pathway to lower energy costs, improve energy security, and accelerate integration of renewable energy across borders. Yet financing alone will not turn vision into voltage. Without functioning power systems, clear rules, and credible institutions, the ASEAN Power Grid (APG) risks becoming another regional ambition that never fully materializes….
While ASEAN aims to complete the interconnection priorities by 2040, it is still working through basic requirements, such as harmonizing technical standards, setting rules for power transmission and payments, and establishing dispute resolution mechanisms, which are essential for regional power trade to function.

EUROPEAN UNION & UK:

UK could adopt EU single market rules under new legislation

‘ATTEMPT TO DRAG BRITAIN BACK UNDER EUROPEAN UNION CONTROL’

BBC, April 13, 2026 – Sir Keir Starmer is planning legislation to allow the UK to adopt new EU laws without Parliament having to hold a full vote each time.
Conservative shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith said it would mean Parliament is “reduced to a spectator while Brussels sets the terms”.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has vowed to oppose the legislation “every step of the way”, calling the plans “a backdoor attempt to drag Britain back under European Union control”.

REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE:

Globalization Rewired: Resilience and Opportunity in a Fragmented Global Economy

JD Supra, April 16, 2026 – Uncertainty is the defining feature of 2026, reshaping globalization rather than ending it. As tariffs, export controls, geopolitical fragmentation, and regional conflicts disrupt long-standing assumptions about trade and supply chains, a more selective form of re-globalization is emerging across trusted partners and regional blocs.
The global system is reorganizing around competing regulatory and political spheres, rather than converging around common rules. Bilateral and mini-lateral deals are proliferating; export controls on semiconductors and dual-use technologies are tightening; and standards are diverging across regions. The World Economic Forum describes this environment as an “age of competition” in which multilateral coordination is under strain.

SRI LANKA GUARDIAN – OPINION:

The UN Is No Longer Fit for Purpose

A CASE FOR DISMANTLING GLOBAL CENTRALISM IN FAVOR OF REGIONAL ORDER

by Raj Gonsalkorale, Sri Lanka Guardian, April 3, 2026 – A regional model is suggested as a potential alternative to the UN system. In such a model, the global policing role could shift from a centralized UN Security Council with individual country representation to a council composed of regional organizations such as the African Union, ASEAN, the European Union, the Organization of American States, and similar regional groupings, including both existing entities and those that may be formed in the future. These groupings, which are currently more focused on trade and economic cooperation than on security matters, could take on greater responsibility without direct individual country membership.

‘COALITION OF INDEPENDENCE’:

Macron urges new world order, warns against passivity in global ‘disorder’

‘MADE IN EUROPE’ APPROACH SIMILAR TO POLICIES IN NORTH AMERICA

Anadolu Agency (Turkiye), April 3, 2026 – French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday called for building a new world order and warned against remaining “passive” amid what he described as growing global disorder….
Macron called for a system based on cooperation among “able and willing countries” that support what he described as a “coalition of independence.”….
“In the world we live in — with American tariffs and Chinese overcapacity — we must protect our production capacities,” he said, adding that Europe is advancing a “Made in Europe” approach similar to policies in North America.

MADE IN NORTH AMERICA:

Mexico Eyes USMCA to Reduce Mining Dependence on China

INTEGRATING DOMESTIC PRODUCTION INTO REGIONAL SUPPLY CHAINS, USMCA FRAMEWORK

Mexico Business, April 1, 2026 – Mexico’s mining sector is leveraging the 2026 USMCA review and the Mexico-US Action Plan on Critical Minerals to reduce structural dependence on China for mineral processing, positioning domestic production of lithium, silver, and copper within North American supply chains for automotive, electromobility, and advanced manufacturing industries….
The broader policy framework backing this shift is already in motion. The Mexico-US Action Plan on Critical Minerals, announced Feb. 4, 2026, establishes a cooperation framework to reposition Mexico’s mining sector within the North American industrial landscape, integrating domestic production into regional supply chains for electromobility, digitalization, and advanced manufacturing, according to CAMIMEX.
Luis Rosendo Gutiérrez, Deputy Minister for Foreign Trade, said the government’s minerals agenda is being integrated directly into the USMCA framework to link resources. including lithium and silver, to the North American industrial ecosystem shared by Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

EU, EAU:

Putin says Armenia cannot be in EU, Eurasian Economic Union simultaneously

BELONGING TO TWO CUSTOMS UNIONS ‘IMPOSSIBLE BY DEFINITION’

Xinhua (China), April 1, 2026 – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Armenia cannot be in both the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union at the same time, as both are customs unions….
Established in 2015, the Eurasian Economic Union comprises Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia.

‘NORTH AMERICAN SECURITY PERIMETER’:

US unveils ‘Greater North America’ strategy to redefine regional security

‘From Greenland to Ecuador and from Alaska to Guyana’ within ‘immediate security perimeter’

Business Standard, Updated March 30, 2026 – US War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday (local time) outlined a new geopolitical framework, naming it the “Greater North America” strategy, describing it as a redefinition of regional security under President Donald Trump’s leadership.
Speaking at the US Southern Command headquarters in Doral (Florida), Hegseth said the administration’s strategic vision stretches “from Greenland to the Gulf of America to the Panama Canal,” encompassing all sovereign countries and territories north of the equator within “immediate security perimeter.”

Report: European Union’s shift to defense space and security signals changing role for ESA

Aerospace America, March 31, 2026 – Despite its relative youth, the European Union’s five-year-old space agency, the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), is poised to displace the decades-old European Space Agency as the biggest spender in the region’s space sector, according to a new report….
What’s behind this spending shift is a move by EUSPA, which manages the EU’s Space Program, to begin supporting the bloc’s military, security and defense space needs, on top of its existing role running civilian services — such as positioning, navigation and timing, through Galileo, and Earth observation, through Copernicus — for the EU’s 453 million citizens.

FORUM OPINION:

From Neutrality to Necessity: The Gulf’s ‘Turning Point’ Must Cement a Middle East NATO

“The Abraham Accords Laid the Groundwork, but the Current War Has Forged the True Alliance, as Iran Attacks Gulf Cooperation Council States“

Middle East Forum, March 30, 2026 – The GCC has officially labeled Iranian aggression a “turning point,” effectively abandoning their neutrality. As UAE Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba correctly noted this week, ending this war prematurely would be a catastrophic error. The region requires a definitive outcome that neutralizes the full scope of the Islamic Republic’s threat once and for all. The Saudis are urging Trump to continue. This is a historic paradigm shift, and both Jerusalem and Washington must seize it to forge a permanent, formalized regional defense command-a Middle East NATO.

ASEAN, GCC:

China has key role as ASEAN, Gulf ties evolve

ASEAN’s LARGEST TRADING PARTNER, MAJOR GCC ENERGY CUSTOMER

China Daily, March 27, 2026 – The growing engagement between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Gulf Cooperation Council is often cited as part of the broader rise of cooperation across the Global South….
Supply chain disruptions, energy market volatility, technological competition and growing geopolitical polarization have forced both ASEAN and the Gulf states to rethink how growth, resilience and autonomy can be sustained in a more uncertain world….
China’s contribution is particularly visible in the area of connectivity….

EUROPEAN UNION:

Commission welcomes historic agreement to reform EU Customs Union

European Commission, March 25, 2026 – The Commission welcomes today’s agreement between the European Parliament and the Council, delivering a landmark reform of the EU Customs Union. The most ambitious reform of EU customs rules since 1968 introduces new measures for e-commerce and launches a modern, data-driven customs architecture that simplifies procedures and enhances efficiency.
At the heart of the customs reform lies the establishment of a new EU agency, the EU Customs Authority, to be located in Lille, France. It will coordinate and modernise customs operations across all 27 Member States….

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE ACCORD TO APPLY PROVISIONALLY FROM MAY 1

Reuters, March 23 (Reuters) – The European Union’s free trade agreement ​with South American ‌bloc Mercosur will apply on a provisional basis from ​May 1, the ​European Commission said on ⁠Monday.
The key trade elements ​of the accord, which ​has proven contentious in Europe, will apply from that date ​between the 27-nation European ​Union and the countries in ‌Mercosur ⁠that have completed their ratification procedures before the end of March.

ARAB GULF, GCC:

To Protect Its Strategic Interests, the Gulf Must Form a More Cohesive Bloc

GENUINE CONFEDERATION OR AWAIT PROTECTION FROM OTHERS

“As war reshapes the regional order, Gulf states must choose between fragmented responses and deeper coordination”

Middle East Council on Global Affairs, March 24, 2026 – History’s verdict is clear: regions aware of their true weight become centers of power, while those awaiting protection from others are destined to become arenas of conflict. The Gulf states, therefore, must choose: either establish a united regional framework—a genuine confederation that combines their economic and strategic weight—or remain mere spectators on their own land, unsure where the winds of struggle and survival will carry them, as external parties shape the Gulf security environment. 

NORTH AMERICA – USMCA:

Soaring oil prices could give Canada the leverage it needs with Trump in upcoming CUSMA talks

“WHAT THIS DISRUPTION DOES IS REALLY REAFFIRM THE FORTRESS NORTH AMERICA CONCEPT”

Toronto Star, March 18, 2026 – With a review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement set to begin this summer, those soaring crude prices should remind the U.S. government that having a reliable source of oil right next door benefits both countries, said Matthew Holmes, head of public policy at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
International trade lawyer Barry Appleton, however, questions whether Canada would even use any leverage to its strategic advantage in CUSMA talks….
“We sit here and bemoan the fact that they supposedly hold all the cards, but we’ve got substantial leverage,” Appleton said…
“We’re the largest market the U.S. has for their digital stuff; AI, cloud software,” Appleton said. “We’re their largest export market.”

AI and ‘EUROPEAN SOVEREIGNTY’:

Mistral Pioneers Sovereign AI in Europe

MAJOR STEP TOWARD EUROPE’S TECHNOLOGICAL INDEPENDENCE

AI Business, March 18, 2026-European AI company Mistral has staked its claim as the primary alternative to U.S.-based AI companies, leaning heavily into the values of data sovereignty and open source….
And with Mistral’s small, open-weight models under Apache 2.0 licenses, businesses can download and host them on their own private servers. This “private AI” approach gives companies more control over their deployments, making it an attractive option for heavily regulated industries such as finance, government and defense….
Mistral also plans to invest over $1 billion in the construction of an AI-focused data center in Sweden in partnership with EcoDataCenter. The facility, to open in 2027, will deliver AI-native infrastructure “built for performance, efficiency, and full European control,” the company said on LinkedIn.
“This initiative is a major step toward Europe’s technological independence, offering customers a fully European AI stack, from design to operation, with data processed and stored locally,” according to the post.

GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL:

A ‘Gulf NATO’: Ambition Meets Reality

Middle East Broadcasting Network (MBN), March 16, 2023 – Former Qatari prime minister Hamad bin Jassim has called for the creation of a Gulf “military alliance” modeled on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), with Saudi Arabia playing the central role because of its geographic, political, and military weight.
In a post that drew wide engagement on the platform X, bin Jassim said that the ongoing confrontation with Iran offers “lessons and insights that the Gulf Cooperation Council states must draw, foremost among them solidarity, alliance, and unity of word and position.”
The Gulf Cooperation Council established the Peninsula Shield Force in 1984, headquartered in Saudi Arabia, as the joint military force of GCC states.

SIX, OR ONE BLOC OF SIX?

Middle East Council on Global Affairs, March 16, 2026 – As competing narratives emerge from the U.S.–Israeli war against Iran, the real question for the Gulf lies not in who won the war but in what comes next: whether the GCC will continue to operate as six separate states or evolve into a unified strategic bloc capable of confronting an increasingly volatile regional order.

AFRICAN UNION:

Africa must not only fuel the AI revolution, it must shape it

The question is whether Africa will help write the rules, or whether, once again, its resources will build someone else’s prosperity while its people are left to manage the consequences.

The Maverick (South Africa), March 17, 2026 – In the Lualaba Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), miners, some of them children, extract cobalt by hand from tunnels that regularly collapse. That cobalt travels through a global supply chain until it reaches the data centres of Silicon Valley and Shenzhen, where it powers the servers training the most advanced artificial intelligence systems on Earth. The same systems that may, within a generation, reshape every economy on the continent….Beyond South Africa, the African Union and Southern African Development Community should convene an AGI preparedness summit, bringing together heads of state, technology researchers, trade unions and civil society to establish a continental position before the rules of the AI age are written without African input.

ASEAN – REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE:

Bridging the Mekong for regional integration

East Asia Forum, March 14, 2026 – While Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam joined ASEAN between 1995 and 1997, integrating maritime and continental members has remained a major challenge. Regionalism in the Mekong region is both a prerequisite and practical building block for regionalism in ASEAN.
On average, one ‘friendship bridge’ — a bridge which is also a border crossing — has been opened over the Mekong every five years, with the First Lao–Thai Mekong Friendship Bridge completed in 1994. There are now five friendship bridges between Laos and Thailand and one between Laos and Myanmar….
ASEAN is by far the most diverse regional bloc in the world, with a vast array of religious identities, ideologies, political systems and cultures.

ARAB GULF – GCC:

IMEC in the crossfire: How an Iran-Israel war could reshape India’s West Asia strategy

CORRIDOR COULD BYPASS STRAIT OF HORMUZ

Firstpost (India), March 11, 2026 – The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), announced during the G20 summit in New Delhi in September 2023, is one of the most ambitious connectivity initiatives linking Asia, West Asia and Europe….
The proposed route connects Indian ports to the Gulf via sea lanes, followed by rail links through the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and then onward through Jordan and Israel to Mediterranean ports serving European markets….
IMEC deliberately bypasses Iran and instead relies on infrastructure in Gulf states and Israel, placing it directly within one of the most volatile geopolitical regions in the world….
Much of the world’s energy supply passes through the Persian Gulf, particularly the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime chokepoint linking Gulf oil producers to international markets….

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)

NORTH AMERICAN CUSTOMS UNION?

Terminate USMCA

The 2020 ratification of the USMCA “free trade” agreement,” scheduled for review in 2026, created a “problem”:…China and others have been circumventing U.S. customs protection via import dumping into Mexico and Canada.
But the “solution” currently being offered by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is even further integration, by “enhancing economic security alignment on tariffs.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also favors tariff alignment into a vast “Fortress North America” economic security bloc.
Incredibly, this incremental regionalism/ globalism is being perceived as an assertion of Trumpian U.S. nationalism across the continent.
But a fully aligned, common-external-tariff structure among North American nations would constitute a “customs union”:

That would be level two of the “five levels of economic integration,” being taught and promoted in international business and other programs at universities throughout the world. The USMCA “free trade” agreement is level one.
This would take North America another step down the same incremental, Hegelian-dialectic, crisis-creating path upon which Jean Monnet pushed European nations to bring about the European Union.
In that regard, the “five levels of economic integration” is a misnomer. The more accurate label is “five steps to political union,” in which national sovereignty would be incrementally surrendered – via “free trade” – to the world’s multinational, regional blocs.
USMCA doesn’t need to be renegotiated. It needs to be terminated.