INSIGHTS:
Russia’s real numbers are starting to show. After what seemed to be a slow start, Russia is currently ranked #11 in the world for confirmed coronavirus cases, with 4,800 new cases just in the last 24 hours. It seems that the peak of the pandemic in Russia is still to come.
The OPEC Plus agreement gives Moscow the chance to be recognized as a great power. According to Wikistrat’s Russia analyst, Dmitry Trenin, what appeared to many Russians in March as a negotiating blunder promising ultimate defeat turned into a spectacular geopolitical win for the Kremlin, allowing the country to show its pow- er-projection capabilities are alive and well.
South Korea held the world’s first coronavirus election. Thanks to its impressive ability to flatten the curve, South Korea has successfully held the world’s first nationwide vote of the coronavirus era, and more than 29 million people — 66 percent of the electorate, the highest turnout in nearly three decades — cast ballots to choose 300 new members for the National Assembly.
Beijing’s successful aid efforts sow seeds for future relations across the Gulf States. While China is facing backlash in the United States for its initial attempts to cover up the spread of the virus, Beijing’s efforts are being lauded across the Gulf. Through effective public communication, generous aid, and the sharing of expertise, China is furthering the impressive gains it has made in the Gulf in recent years. With the twin shocks of COVID-19 and the collapse of oil prices happening simultaneously, Chinese assistance, both material and experiential, is not going unnoticed.
Civil unrest around the world during the COVID-19 crisis. While the world is pretty much on complete lockdown, Wikistrat is following civil unrest around the world as protests (virtual or physical) are still taking place. See our graph below.