Decks and Deals Weekly #27
From January 11–17, 2026, the global shipping market priced in fragile calm while bracing for conflict, as Maersk returned to the Red Sea amid rising geopolitical risk and swelling orderbooks
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GEOPOLITICS
Africa’s Great Game is back on
Africa’s Great Game is a multi-player contest—and African nations are no longer pawns on the board. A complex geopolitical and economic free-for-all is underway, governed by entirely new rules
“Free Iran”: The limits of selective empathy in Western activism
Western activism erupts selectively. While Gaza ignited mass protests, Iran’s brutal repression meets silence—exposing selective empathy, ideological blinders, and a deeply inconsistent moral compass
The Dragon’s dry well: How a sanctioned oil shock could reshape China’s power
What if China’s sanctioned oil supply vanished overnight? This analysis examines a severe stress test on China energy security: a simultaneous halt of crude imports from Iran and Venezuela—and how Beijing might absorb the shock
Decks and Deals Weekly #26
The first week of January 2026 exposed an illusion in global shipping: spot container rates jumped, but short-term discipline masks structural oversupply, rising regulatory costs, and geopolitical risk, leaving downside heavier than upside
Greenland: The Arctic fortress at the center of a coming power struggle
America’s renewed fixation on Greenland is no eccentric fantasy. It is a calculated bid for military dominance, Arctic control, and strategic leverage in an era where geography once again decides power
Plamen Tonchev on the U.S.–China power shift and the coming age of uncertainty
An in-depth interview with Plamen Tonchev, one of Europe’s most seasoned China watchers, on U.S.–China rivalry, strategic contradictions, and the risks of a leaderless international order
Smart ports as hard infrastructure
From Qingdao to Rotterdam, smart ports now define maritime power, blending automation, data, and control. Infrastructure no longer sits idle; it shapes trade tempo, naval reach, and geopolitical leverage with quiet, clinical efficiency
How U.S. action in Venezuela exposed the fragility of dollar dominance
Washington’s military adventure in Venezuela, ostensibly about drugs and democracy, was in fact a crude attempt to arrest petrodollar decay. Instead, it triggered a coordinated global economic response that has hastened its demise
Soundings after the shock: When geopolitics enters the shipping lane
Geopolitical shocks register at sea before headlines appear, reshaping freight markets, risk pricing, and leadership priorities as shipping navigates an era of systemic uncertainty and anticipatory decision-making