From the Sahel to Gabon, Francafrique is shaking.Goita in Mali, Traoré in Burkina Faso, and Niger's military junta successfully managed to slip away from Paris control within a matter of weeks from their takeover. In 2 and a half years, France lost a key portion of its African assets in an area mired by major failures in French military involvement in recent times, especially in the fight against Jihadist militias. Just last August in Mali, France's "Operation Barkhane" failed, with Bamako's administration cooperating with Russia to repel French influence. Likewise, in the Central African Republic, Russia, thanks to Africa Corps (formerly Wagner PMC), has established itself as the support leg of the central government in the ongoing civil war, which has been tearing apart the country for the last twelve years. In addition to this, after last year's election, Gabon's President Ali Bongo Ondimba was removed by his Generals in a Russian-backed coup d’état, ending a dynasty supported by France since his father, Omar Bongo, took over in 1967 with French political support. From this chaos and instability arising in Francafrique, Moscow and Beijing's influence in the region is growing, as the centuries-long French colonial hand is fading away. However, Paris hopes to turn the tables again. With few pieces left on the board for Paris to play with, each remaining aligned regime becomes more important, and the next one most likely to falter is in Yaoundé, Cameroon, where the longest-living French ally in Africa will soon pass away.

Your supply chain is only as strong as its weakest link: extraneous circumstances can quickly plunge even the strongest economies into disarray, as recently proven by COVID-19. Fortunately for the economies of the world, the coronavirus was indiscriminate in its economic impact, leaving the leading economies of the world with mostly the same struggles and as a result not creating significant economic-geopolitical shifts.‍ South Korea however now finds itself at the frontline of the US-Chinese trade war, where escalation could cause significant supply chain disruptions - an extraneous variable which would leave the South Korean economy in a uniquely difficult situation. The likelihood of a second Trump presidency will only reignite and accelerate the intensity of the US-Chinese trade war, with an increase in tariffs, sanctions and geopolitical escalation meaning South Korea must act swiftly.