Russia

The Physical Internet: What Exists Behind the Cloud

The internet feels weightless. You open an app. A page loads.

Why Putin Still Has Leverage After Four Years of War

The battlefield is only one source of power. Four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, one of the easiest mistakes to make is to measure Vladimir Putin’s leverage by territory alone. How many kilometers has Russia captured?

The New Geography of Computing

For most of the internet era, computing felt almost locationless. You could build a company in Lagos, host its application in Virginia, serve customers in London and have engineers working from Nairobi. The software did not care about borders.

The Startup Ideas Hiding Inside Broken Infrastructure

When people search for startup ideas, they usually look at screens. Apps. Websites.

What Actually Makes an Asset Valuable?

A building can be worth millions. A piece of land next to it can be worth even more. A company with no profits can be worth billions.

The New Race for Space

For decades, space looked like the domain of governments. The United States. Russia.

Russia's Shadow Fleet: How Oil Keeps Moving Around Sanctions

The tanker doesn't look Russian. That's the point. It may fly the flag of one country.

Who Actually Makes Money When AI Becomes Cheaper?

This is one of the most important questions in the AI economy. Suppose AI inference becomes dramatically cheaper. Who wins?

What Happens When Countries Start Treating Data Like Oil?

Oil changed geopolitics because controlling a physical resource could create enormous economic and strategic power. Data is different. You can copy it.

Why Russia Wants a Stronger Relationship With North Korea

At first glance, the relationship seems strange. Russia is one of the world's largest countries. North Korea is isolated, heavily sanctioned and economically much smaller.

Why Africa Could Produce a Different Kind of Startup

Africa is often described as a collection of problems waiting to be solved. That framing is incomplete. Africa is also a collection of markets being built in real time.

What Putin Actually Wants From Negotiations

Every time peace talks appear on the horizon, the same question returns: What does Putin actually want? The answer is more complicated than “Ukraine.”

Why Infrastructure Attracts Long-Term Capital

There is a reason pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies and other long-term investors keep looking at infrastructure. It isn't because infrastructure is exciting. Most infrastructure is the opposite of exciting.

The Russia–China Relationship Is Bigger Than Ukraine

The easiest way to understand Russia and China is to look at Ukraine. It is also one of the easiest ways to misunderstand them. Because the relationship between Moscow and Beijing did not begin with the 2022 invasion.

How Russia's Economy Has Adapted to Sanctions

When the first major sanctions arrived after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the expectation in many Western capitals was straightforward: Cut Russia off from capital. Restrict technology.

How Drones Changed Modern Warfare

For most of military history, hiding meant something. You could put soldiers underground. Move equipment at night.

The Geopolitics of Artificial Intelligence

AI is often described as the next technology revolution. But it is also becoming a geopolitical one. Because advanced AI depends on things that governments already care deeply about:

Why Timing Matters More Than Most Founders Admit

A great idea can fail. A mediocre idea can become enormous. The difference isn't always execution.

Why Quantum Computing Is So Difficult

Quantum computing is often described as if someone simply discovered a faster kind of computer. That's not really what happened. A quantum computer isn't a normal computer with better processors.

Why Data Centers May Matter More Than AI Startups

Every AI startup needs somewhere to run. That creates an interesting inversion. The startup may receive the attention.

Why Russia and North Korea Are Getting Closer

When Vladimir Putin arrived in Pyongyang in June 2024, he and Kim Jong Un signed a treaty that promised more than friendly declarations. It bound their governments to military and other assistance if either were subjected to armed invasion,…

Putin, Russia and the New Network Around North Korea

The train is the telling detail. North Korean ammunition leaves the port of Rajin, crosses the short border into Russia, then travels by rail toward depots nearer the war in Ukraine. A shipment that begins on one isolated peninsula becomes…