REVEALING UNDERLYING INFLUENCES

Our Global Stories initiative delves into the underlying factors that varyingly benefit some states and disadvantage others.

By examining elements such as open sea access, availability of natural resources, United Nations veto power, and the challenges faced by landlocked countries, we highlight the often-overlooked realities that can significantly impact a country’s position on the world stage.

While these factors are not deterministic, they can create opportunities or obstacles that persist regardless of current leadership. Our goal is to illuminate these enduring influences, thereby enhancing understanding of the complex dynamics that shape foreign policy across the globe.

Users will soon be able to click on a story on our website — in the example here, Geography: Access to Open Seas — and view its impact on each country, represented by a three-color system indicating advantageous, neutral, or disadvantageous effects. Clicking on a country will reveal country-specific insights.

EXPLORING GLOBAL POSITIONING

This initiative will explore three pivotal areas: geography, economic positioning, and international political standing. It will examine how geography can either facilitate or hinder a country's interests, how its place in the global economic order can advance or constrain its goals, and how access to influential international forums and memberships can either support or obstruct its objectives.

Our aim is to uncover the privileges and limitations that shape a country’s foreign policy leverage and global influence.