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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.

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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
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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

Israel’s got what Jordan needs

Israel’s energy ministry announced on Tuesday (26 September) it’s finalising a trilateral energy-for-water deal with the UAE and Jordan.

The plan (‘Project Prosperity’) emerged out of COP26 in 2021, and has two parts:

  • 🟢 Prosperity Green: Israel will receive clean energy from a UAE-funded solar facility in Jordan, and
  • 🔵 Prosperity Blue: Jordan will receive 200 billion litres of desalinated water from Israel each year.

Intrigue’s take: Sometimes geopolitics is complicated. In this case, it’s kinda simple: people need water. Jordan doesn’t have much (it’s the second most water-scarce country on Earth); and Israel produces 20% more water than it needs.

So no matter how frustrated Jordan is with this Israeli government, and no matter how frustrated Jordanians are with this deal, Jordan is pushing ahead. It needs to.

Sometimes water drives conflict. For Israel and its neighbours, it seems to be driving cooperation right now.

Also worth noting:

  • The energy ministry said it expects to formally sign the agreement at COP28 in Dubai in November.
  • Jordan is currently moving to build a major desalination plant at its only port city, Aqaba, that’s expected to be operational by 2028.

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