Notations From the Grid (Weekly Edition): As The Quarter Draws To a Close.....

 

It has been quite a challenging week with the Elections in Germany; The Race to replace PM Suga in Japan; The rise of China; The Biden Agenda;   The Post COVID Economy as Central Bankers began tightening again; The Fiasco with France and as the UN General Assembly came to a close.    We present the following "Outsider Wall" as we gear up for a very busy quarter before us:

World Xi Jinping may be the world’s fiercest tiger parent The Chinese president’s ambitions for the state means each month brings a new, landscape-altering surprise from Beijing SEPTEMBER 25, 2021 by Leo Lewis Global Economy Evergrande’s troubles show China is just as susceptible to capitalism’s ill effects The question is whether Xi Jinping will intervene to bail out indebted companies or let defaults spike SEPTEMBER 27, 2021 by Ruchir Sharma

World Moqtada al-Sadr seizes the moment ahead of Iraq elections Populist cleric viewed in west as potential buffer against Iran determined to cement power SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 by Chloe Cornish in Beirut

World France should draw lessons on sharing from submarines fiasco Australian experience is familiar to some who have worked on big defence contracts with French companies SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 by Peggy Hollinger

World The Biden administration and the world SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 by Gideon Rachman, the Financial Times chief foreign affairs columnist talks to the decision-makers and thinkers who are shaping world affairs.

World Biden agenda on the brink as lawmakers dig in on debt limit and spending US president’s popularity is falling amid a party split over economic policy and a looming government shutdown SEPTEMBER 25, 2021 by James Politi in Washington and Colby Smith in New York

World China-US ties remain rocky despite freedom for ‘Michaels’ and Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou Secret talks in Tianjin laid way for release but more ‘uncomfortable’ comprises to come, experts warn SEPTEMBER 26, 2021 by FT reporters

Leaked Grant Proposal Details High-Risk Coronavirus Research Sharon Lerner, Maia Hibbett The proposal, rejected by U.S. military research agency DARPA, describes the insertion of human-specific cleavage sites into SARS-related bat coronaviruses. READ MORE →

America’s Generals Are Cowards. Fire Them All. Peter Maass The Kabul bombing reveals a cadre of generals who lack the courage to admit the dishonor of killing civilians. READ MORE →

Politics Who follows Merkel? Tight result means a long wait to find out Vote leaves smaller parties with power to decide if Scholz or Laschet becomes chancellor SEPTEMBER 26, 2021 by Guy Chazan in Berlin Politics Young Japanese MPs revolt in world’s fastest ageing society New generation sees the race to replace Suga as a chance to change how politics is conducted SEPTEMBER 27, 2021 by Kana Inagaki in Tokyo