The ASEAN in 2025 shows progress and stagnation. Malaysia led agreements and East Timor’s accession. The region faced tariffs and conflicts, with Malaysia mediating successfully. The summit featured leaders such as Trump and Li Qiang. Efforts are made to strengthen resilience and autonomy, but tensions persist in Myanmar and the South China Sea.
In the Reimagine Rural podcast, Scott Andes and Tony Pipa discuss prosperity for hard-to-reach rural areas. Andes, from Carnegie Mellon University, highlights programs such as the Build Back Better Regional Challenge and the Recompete Pilot Program. The EDA, from the Department of Commerce, finances creative ideas for economic development. Despite obstacles, economic success is expected in these regions.
In October 2019, Brookings and Tsinghua University organized a dialogue on AI and national security between the US and China. AI development leaders must prevent military use that harms civilians through governance and preparedness regimes. Governments can implement agreements to reduce the probability and consequences of AI-driven military crises and regulate their technical and use causes.
In the last four years, China’s foreign direct investment flows to Italy have shifted from an expansive to a more selective phase, focusing on solid and fiscally coherent family structures. Although there was a decline in 2023, the trend reversed in 2024 with an increase in investment in the EU and the UK, keeping Italy as an attractive market, especially in technological and sustainable sectors.
Europe launches the space shield, with member states coordinating its construction and the EU emphasizing space control for the future. The Defense Readiness Roadmap 2030 is proposed, national initiatives are developed to improve space security and cyber resilience, and projects are sought to be integrated under a common European framework.
