To characterize the 2026 midterm election in the United States as a “blue wave” would be a gross understatement. Tsunami is the more appropriate word. At this point, even though not all votes have been accounted yet in a few states and congressional districts, the Democratic Party has already flipped control of both chambers of Congress from the Republicans. In the House of Representatives, Democrats secured a substantial majority.

Central Asian countries themselves are in the best position to usher in a new regional golden age. The prosperity required to sustain it will depend on an open regional economic network that is free from exclusivity arrangements imposed by major powers.

Both countries need stable international financial conditions to sustain growth. Practical cooperation in key areas would protect the economic gains of both and reduce the cost of future disruptions for the rest of the world.

The 2026 midterms delivered a clear message. Cost of living dominated voter concerns. The ongoing war and its economic spill-overs weighed heavily. Beneath both lay a deeper unease: a growing share of Americans sense that the country’s political economy—at home and in its foreign policy—is no longer delivering for ordinary households. Anxieties about eroded domestic productive capacity and persistent trade imbalances sit at the centre of that discontent.

Whether in extraction, refining, pricing, consumption or trade, the Trump administration faces constraints in its efforts to bring oil prices down. Ultimately, the only way to achieve a sustained reduction is through diplomacy to end the Iran war and restore normal commerce.

A recent trade agreement between China and the European Union offers a temporary reprieve, but deeper economic tensions and geopolitical mistrust continue to strain the relationship. Beijing must take European concerns more seriously, while Brussels should pursue a less confrontational approach. Moving beyond short-term concessions toward mutually beneficial partnerships will be essential to preserving market access, rebuilding trust, and establishing a more sustainable economic relationship.

As major powers intensify their efforts to secure critical minerals, a new wave of resource nationalism is sweeping the globe. Resource-rich countries are seeking to capitalize on the rivalries to capture more value from their mineral wealth as global mineral supply chains and value chains are reconfigured.

Quotas may seem appealing to EU politicians under domestic pressure. In reality, however, they are a counterproductive move that will hurt European consumers, damage multilateralism and deliver none of the lasting industrial security Europe claims to seek.

The Belt and Road Initiative is over ten years old now, and in Pakistan, there’s less to show than what each side promised in the 2010s. Midway through the next decade, what will come of the lofty ambitions of each growing nation?

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, though 25 years old, is now a major hub for nations that have grown in influence since the turn of the century. Could it be the NATO of the future, or something entirely different?