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Top Briefings
Why China wants you to buy a new microwave

As clickbaity as it sounds, we’re not making the above title up.  On Wednesday, China’s policymakers announced they’ve added all sorts of small electronic appliances — microwaves, rice cookers, water purifiers — to a list of consumer products eligible for a subsidised trade-in. We’re not here to dunk on that idea — the US and others have […]

Economics 10 January, 2025
Diplomat salary report – 2024

Nobody gets into diplomacy for the money. At least, they shouldn’t. Or at least, we didn’t.

Uncategorized 7 August, 2024
Election Intrigue – What is Kamala Harris’s foreign policy?

Vice President Kamala Harris has been the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee for a whopping… checks notes… five days. We weren’t alive in 1968 when President Lyndon Johnson chose not to run again, but from the accounts of those closest to Johnson, it was a more orderly process.

Geopolitics 26 July, 2024
The four things embassies in DC are telling their home governments about Biden’s withdrawal

24 days after that debate, while recovering from Covid at his Delaware beach house, Joe Biden announced Sunday afternoon local time that he’s withdrawing his 2024 candidacy to “focus solely on fulfilling” his duties as president. He then endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, who in turn declared her intention to “earn and win” the Democratic Party’s nomination. And yet again, it’s […]

Geopolitics 22 July, 2024
Newsletter
Events
Podcast

Intrigue Outloud

All the best things about the International Intrigue newsletter, straight to your podcast app of choice.

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Listen on
Apple Podcast

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About us
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Explore On
Top Briefings
Why China wants you to buy a new microwave

As clickbaity as it sounds, we’re not making the above title up.  On Wednesday, China’s policymakers announced they’ve added all sorts of small electronic appliances — microwaves, rice cookers, water purifiers — to a list of consumer products eligible for a subsidised trade-in. We’re not here to dunk on that idea — the US and others have […]

Economics 10 January, 2025
Diplomat salary report – 2024

Nobody gets into diplomacy for the money. At least, they shouldn’t. Or at least, we didn’t.

Uncategorized 7 August, 2024
Election Intrigue – What is Kamala Harris’s foreign policy?

Vice President Kamala Harris has been the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee for a whopping… checks notes… five days. We weren’t alive in 1968 when President Lyndon Johnson chose not to run again, but from the accounts of those closest to Johnson, it was a more orderly process.

Geopolitics 26 July, 2024
The four things embassies in DC are telling their home governments about Biden’s withdrawal

24 days after that debate, while recovering from Covid at his Delaware beach house, Joe Biden announced Sunday afternoon local time that he’s withdrawing his 2024 candidacy to “focus solely on fulfilling” his duties as president. He then endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, who in turn declared her intention to “earn and win” the Democratic Party’s nomination. And yet again, it’s […]

Geopolitics 22 July, 2024

Diplomat salary report – 2024

Nobody gets into diplomacy for the money. At least, they shouldn’t. Or at least, we didn’t.

Most pursue a career in diplomacy because they want to serve their country, see the world, and do meaningful work. And you can’t put a price on that, right? Wrong. We’ve just compiled the first-ever comparison of diplomat salaries across the G20.

Why? Mostly for the LoLs. But also, the world is getting a little crazy, so it’s worth asking the question: are our diplomatic services still attracting and retaining the best talent, to help us avert disaster? Let’s dig right in. The report is free to read here!

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Jeremy

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Ultra-popular short-video platform TikTok went offline for its 170 million users on Saturday night, only to then semi-reappear around noon yesterday (Sunday). Of course, teetering on the edge of oblivion just inspired more memorable TikTok moments, including folks recreating this amusing Family Guy scene where Peter uses his final breath to make a big deathbed confession: “I did not care for […]

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The huge story nobody’s talking about

Ahhhh spying. The world’s second-oldest profession. It’s a bit like sniffing your own socks: nobody likes getting caught, but everyone does it. And yet, something big has been happening lately, with US officials using increasingly spicy language to describe one of China’s hacks: the outgoing FBI director argues it’s “the most significant cyber espionage campaign in history“, […]

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Five ticking clocks in the Russo-Ukraine war

We’re two weeks out from Trump 2.0’s inauguration on January 20, and capitals everywhere are preparing for what that might bring (we shared special editions on some of the thinking in Taipei, Berlin, and Mexico City over the break). But one of the biggest question marks remains Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. So let’s take a quick look at five […]

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🕵️ Special edition: Mexico – Bracing for Trump 2.0

Claudia Sheinbaum — the Berkeley-trained environmental engineer and former Mexico City mayor — has now taken Mexico’s presidency at a tricky time. While she’s inherited the political dominance of her mentor and predecessor (Andrés Manuel López Obrador, or ‘AMLO’) and his left-leaning Morena party, she also inherits his unwieldy balancing act: But even with these challenges, Mexico […]

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