As the Indian state is accused by the Canadian PM of killing a Canadian national Sikh leader in Canada, the biggest question is how the Western allies will respond? The talk of human rights, democracy, & shared values will be shallow if strong actions are not taken. But if the western allies do take action against India will it not cause a problem in an increasingly important relation vis à vis China?

The impact of OPEC+ decision to cut production has started to show, as oil prices (Brent) cross $92. The demand for oil will continue to rise by 2024 & prices are expected to be further up. US has regained its position as the top LNG exporter in the world. Strong demand from Europe after Russian sanctions, has made the US LNG an important commodity. Lastly, G20 looks the other way when it comes to reducing Greenhouse Gases (GHG’s). With promises of tripling renewable energy, G20 still does not set’s a clear roadmap on cutting down the GHG’s.

As India hosts the G20 summit, many question the future of multilateralism. The US-China chip war has accelerated into a total technological dispute, impacting their economies. But the dispute is not merely confined to chip war, rather climate financing & infrastructure deals are also going to impact the overall state of affairs of both the countries. G20 continues to be a an extremely important forum, especially for global south, yet it’s importance might decline if US-China continue going down their decisive paths.

There has been substantial debate surrounding BRICS’s aim of Dedollarisation. The informal grouping of emerging economies known as BRICS, has expanded, with more states joining it. However, despite the expansion I outline that there will be substantial problems & huge challenges that BRICS will face in dethroning dollar as the reserve currency of the world.

In this Climate & Energy corner episode, I discuss the detail of ExxonMobil’s Global outlook report, especially with regards to global temperatures & the need to invest in global oil & gas. How are both the issues posing a huge challenge for the policy makers & the impact upon the countries. I also discuss the increase in Russia’s oil exports while complying with the production cuts. Lastly, I talk about the IMF report that claims that $7 trillion subsidies are given for oil & gas.

I discuss the issues that lead to ineffective local government working in Pakistan. Why the democratic governments have failed in creating an effective system of local governments. Also addressed how the 18th amendment’s empowerment of the provinces has made sure that the local governments remain under total control of the provincial governments.

In the latest episode of CEC, I discuss how the world & particularly China continues to rely upon coal power for its energy security. I also discuss India’s plunging oil imports from Saudi Arabia & the Russian factor behind all this. Lastly, I talk about the dip in Aramco’s oil profits due to the low oil prices.

Critical materials are increasingly becoming very important, especially given their role in producing green & sustainable energy. In this episode, I discussed the role of critical materials for renewable energy, how they are at the very heart of geopolitical tensions & the supply chains of critical materials. Also discussed the role of developing countries & how they could benefit from this new era of exploration of metals & minerals.

Indian Ocean has had a historic importance & continues to be of great strategic importance for all of the world. But the induction of Nuclear weapons by regional navies adds to another dimension of the ocean.

Poverty continues to be an ever persistent part of many regions of the world especially the Sub-Saharan African countries & South Asian states. Discussed the numbers of poverty stricken people as underlined by Multidimensional Poverty Index.