2022-03-26-Economist Graphs
1. The world this week
1.1
1.2
1.3
2. Leaders
2.1 Geopolitics and energy: Why energy insecurity is here to stay
The war will speed the shift from petrostates to new electrostates
2.2 Escaping zero-covid: China must eventually learn to live with the coronavirus
It has a lot of work to do first
2.3 Ukraine’s backers: For all America’s success in helping Ukraine, hard times lie ahead
Joe Biden must hold together a fractious coalition
2.4 When duty falls: Cutting fuel taxes is a bad idea
Governments should support household incomes instead
2.5 Long walk to free trade: Africa’s ambitious trade plan needs to speed up
Non-tariff barriers hinder commerce even more than tariffs
3. Letters
3.1 On Vladimir Putin and the West, private equity, Richard Nixon, company cults: Letters to the editor
A selection of correspondence
4. By Invitation
4.1
4.2
5. Briefing
5.1 The war in Ukraine: An uncertain outlook across Ukraine
Russia’s atrocities in Mariupol have not brought it closer to victory. But they have not yet spread farther afield, either
5.2 Reactionary, obscurantist and having a day in the sun: The new Russian cult of war
It has been growing unnoticed for some time
6. Europe
6.1 The concert of Europe: The EU’s unity over Ukraine has given it surprising heft
Remaining united will be a vital challenge
6.2 Seeds of discontent: Voters seek an alternative to Macron in blighted France
But the president remains the favourite
6.3 From the third Rome to the second: Istanbul has become a refuge for thousands of Russians escaping Putin
As in the 1920s, Russians are fleeing south from an oppressive regime
6.4 Io, robot: Italy’s digitisation minister has big goals and a big budget
Vittorio Colao has €40bn to bring his country’s IT up to speed
6.5 Charlemagne: Weaning Europe off Russian energy will mean making changes
So far, little has been asked of citizens
7. Britain
7.1 The spring statement: Rishi Sunak wants to be known as a tax-cutting chancellor
He does not merit that title
7.2 All in a lather: Machines are once again doing the car-washing in Britain
Blame (or credit) Brexit and covid
7.3 Prayers answered: Hong Kongers are boosting Britain’s church numbers
Many congregations have doubled in size
7.4 Close quarters: Anti-infection measures kept British prisoners safe during the pandemic
But as the country reopens, many are still spending too long in their cells
7.5 Copy, paste, repeat: Britain’s next nuclear plant will be identical to one under construction
Standardisation should bring the cost and time of construction down
7.6 Snitches and witches: How activists and charities embed contested ideologies on campus
Compliance is enforced by anonymous reporting tools and benchmarking schemes
7.7 Bagehot: To appreciate the SNP’s dominance, look at what it has done to the Tories
The Scottish Conservatives have come to resemble their opponents
8. Middle East & Africa
8.1 Trade flaws: Why it costs so much to move goods around Africa
Startups are helping shift things faster, but rules remain onerous
8.2 Springtime for Bashar: Syria’s outcast dictator returns to the Arab world
Bashar al-Assad’s warm welcome in the Emirates is a sign of America’s waning influence
8.3 The sands they are a-swirling: Morocco scents victory in Western Sahara
Guns and canny diplomacy are helping it knock back Algeria
8.4 The resilience of rhinoplasty: Plastic surgeons make a bundle despite Lebanon’s economic crisis
Many people have no jobs. Others, nose jobs
9. United States
9.1 Great-power politics: In Ukraine, Biden must relearn Truman’s lessons from the cold war
America once again seeks to curb Russia and China without blowing up the world
9.2 Madeleine Albright: America’s first female secretary of state has died of cancer, aged 84
A trailblazing diplomat with a poignant personal history
9.3 Symbols in sports: The debate about Native American-themed team names goes local
To be Brave or not to be Brave?
9.4 Drug pricing: A new drug for Alzheimer’s is struggling to justify its price
The government is put off by Adulhelm’s $28,200-a-year cost
9.5 The United States of Amazon: What happens when Amazon comes to town
The e-commerce giant is expanding at a rapid pace. How might that change America?
9.6 Lexington: American energy innovation’s big moment
The war in Ukraine could unleash enormous demand for clean tech that America will soon be able to supply
10. The Americas
10.1 Invest or squander?: Guyana’s tiny population braces for a gusher of petrodollars
Other countries blessed with oil have not always made good use of it
10.2 Bowling maidens over: Why cricket is gaining popularity in Brazil
Particularly among women
10.3 Bello: Cuba’s dictatorship has a cultural opposition that it can’t tolerate
The socialist island is as repressive as Russia, albeit sunnier
11. Asia
11.1 Beyond the boundary: How the IPL reflects India’s strengths—and weaknesses
The cricket league is a useful lens through which to see the country
11.2 Horrible histories: A new film on Kashmir has found a fan in Narendra Modi
“The Kashmir Files”, a violent drama, opens old wounds and feeds new fears
11.3 Silent Stans: The Stans want nothing to do with Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine
Central Asia’s post-Soviet republics have maintained a studied silence on the war
11.4 Palace politics: South Korea’s president-elect starts with an unpopular personal project
Yoon Suk-yeol wants to move the presidential office. Citizens would rather he focus on the economy
11.5 Banyan: Joko Widodo is considering extending his term in office
Indonesia’s president is contemplating an assault on his country’s democracy
12. China
12.1 Xi’s hard year: In a crucial year politically, Xi Jinping wants stability
Covid-19, Ukraine and the economy may frustrate his wishes
12.2 Lockdown legions: The extraordinary manpower behind China’s zero-covid strategy
Millions of workers battle thousands of cases
12.3 Salvation through selfie: How narcissistic youth might help struggling Chinese booksellers
They like to be seen in pretty shops. They might even buy a coffee
12.4 Chaguan: China has honed its justifications for taking Russia’s side
Deflection and anti-Americanism underpin China’s argument
13. International
13.1 New cold war, new compromises: How Vladimir Putin provokes—and complicates—the struggle against autocracy
As in the old cold war, ugly trade-offs are inevitable
14. Business
14.1 The future of business travel: A guide to your next business trip
Corporate road-warriors are back. Pre-pandemic business travel isn’t
14.2 Surge pricing: How companies use AI to set prices
The pricing of products is turning from art into science
14.3 Food fight: Packaged-food firms are running out of room to raise prices
The war in Ukraine is pushing up costs just as shoppers become fed up with inflation
14.4 The Zoom lift: Botox and other injectable cosmetics are booming
Video-conferencing and the selfie culture are behind the craze
14.5 Shark attack: What “Shark Tank” says about Indian capitalism
The reality show’s popularity in India may reflect a growing fondness for free enterprise
14.6 Bartleby: What an honest leaving-do speech would sound like
The words that a departing employee will never hear
14.7 New kids in the bloc: Will the Digital Markets Act help Europe breed digital giants?
Probably not
14.8 Schumpeter: Why Saudi Aramco could be eclipsed by its Qatari nemesis
QatarEnergy puts commercial interests above geopolitical ones
15. Finance & economics
15.1 Full metal jackpot: The transition to clean energy will mint new commodity superpowers
We look at who wins and loses
15.2 A volatile mix: Three big uncertainties cloud the oil market
OPEC’s calculations, America’s shale quandary and Chinese lockdowns make a volatile mix
15.3 Departing thoughts: Why foreign investors are feeling jittery about China
Geopolitics are only their latest concern
15.4 Buttonwood: The parallels between the nickel-trading fiasco and the LIBOR scandal
From afar London’s vaunted finance-industry heritage looks a lot like backwardness
15.5 Coming of age: Millennial demand helps stoke the housing boom
The frenzy reflects more than demographics
15.6 Free exchange: Have economists led the world’s environmental policies astray?
A new book argues for a supercharged approach to net zero
16. Science & technology
16.1 Pint-sized power stations: Developers of small modular reactors hope their time has come
War, climate worries and oil prices make nuclear power attractive
16.2 Ukraine’s internet connectivity: The degrading treatment of Ukraine’s internet
And how the Ukrainians are responding
16.3 Loitering munitions: Baguette-sized flying bombs are about to enter service in Ukraine
Their operators will be able to pick the best target in real time
16.4 Cyber-roaches: Robotised insects may search collapsed buildings for survivors
They can detect movement, body warmth and exhaled carbon dioxide
17. Culture
17.1 Understanding Russia’s president: Writers have grappled with Vladimir Putin for two decades
Greyness, greed and grievance have been the dominant themes
17.2 When stars collide: The lives and love of Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh
As Stephen Galloway shows in “Truly Madly”, theirs was a tumultuous union
17.3 Home Entertainment: Secluded in his library, Montaigne looked inwards for inspiration
His “Essays” are a lesson in seeing other points of view
17.4 Keep it in the family: The Sassoons were once Asia’s top business dynasty
“The Global Merchants” tells the story of their rise and fall
17.5 Johnson: A guide to renamed cities
Some reasons for changing place-names are better than others
18. Economic & financial indicators
18.1
19. Graphic detail
19.1 Starting to bite: Russian consumers are already feeling the cost of war
Inflation is reaching heights not seen since the financial crisis of 1998
20. Obituary
20.1 The girl who loved reading: Autherine Lucy was an unlikely pioneer
The shy heroine of desegregation died on March 2nd, aged 92
