VIDEOSGZERO World with Ian BremmerQuick TakePUPPET REGIMEIan ExplainsGZERO ReportsAsk IanGlobal Stage
Site Navigation
Search
Human content,
AI powered search.
Latest Stories
Start your day right!
Get latest updates and insights delivered to your inbox.
Ian Bremmer shares his insights on global politics this week with a look at the Taliban's interim government, Chinese President Xi's efforts to redistribute wealth, and changes Bitcoin will bring to El Salvador.
A week after the US withdrawal, how is Afghanistan in the transition to Taliban rule?
Well, for now we have the transition government. They said it was going to be inclusive. It's all Pashtuns and it's all men. So it is inclusive of Pashtun men that like the Taliban. But of course, that's not the final government. And the real question is, are they going to have ethnic diversity across the country? And does that in any way forestall the likelihood of a civil war? Does it allow them to govern an incredibly diverse and difficult-to-govern country? And of course, I think we should be quite skeptical about that, but at least for now, the likelihood that the Americans or most advanced industrial economies would open diplomatic relations with them and engage with them in a constructive way still seems very, very limited.
Why is China's President Xi trying to redistribute wealth?
Well, inequality in China is growing significantly and there are lots of sort of well-known billionaires and that is creating a little bit more social stress. You know that Jack Ma was of course cut from the knees, but he was someone that was really seen as almost an iconic figure to the people. Chinese citizens would have his photo in their homes. Aren't we supposed to do that with the president or with Mao, right? So Xi Jinping doesn't like that. I will say that, although there's all sorts of reasons to want the Chinese society to be more equitable economically, there's also been a lot of decisions recently in China that have undermined the private sector. Xi Jinping seems skeptical of it. And a number of things for political stability that are being done without concern for economic consequences. And of course, to the extent that that continues with the private sector driving most of China's efficiency and growth, they're going to be in more significant trouble, especially including when you look at their indebtedness and their demographics. So I'm a little worried.
What changes will Bitcoin bring to El Salvador?
Let's see if it works. The rollout, the app has been like shut down twice. And the President of El Salvador, Bukele has been like kind of tweeting all the way through, like very hands-on saying, "Okay, restart the app and let's make this work." And I know he's bought Bitcoin, though it's worth less now because one thing that's going to hurt Bitcoin's value is if a country tries to roll out the currency, it doesn't work. So we'll see where it goes. I mean, it's an interesting experiment. I certainly believe there is a future for crypto. Whether there is a future for Bitcoin as the national currency of El Salvador? Let's wait and see on that.
Keep reading...Show less
More from ask ian
ask ian
Dec 16, 2025
Notre Dame, politics, and playing by their own rules
December 08, 2025
Trump threatens regime change in Venezuela
December 02, 2025
Is Trump’s trade strategy backfiring abroad?
November 25, 2025
Ian stands in line for a bagel, the internet melts down
November 21, 2025
Could Trump have handled the Epstein issue any worse?
November 17, 2025
Democrats divided over government shutdown deal
November 11, 2025
Zohran Mamdani and America's political future
November 04, 2025
Trump, Xi, and the new US–China standoff
October 14, 2025
US-China AI race: Dueling strategies and potential risks
October 07, 2025
Trump shifts on Russia: From carrots to sticks in Ukraine war
September 30, 2025
Trump’s UN speech: Sovereignty, security, and ending wars
September 23, 2025
Israel attacks and targets Hamas leadership in Qatar
September 10, 2025
US strike on vessel from Venezuela
September 03, 2025
Trump pulls US out of UNESCO, again
July 22, 2025
Trump announces new plan to arm Ukraine
July 15, 2025
Are NATO allies aligned on Iran?
June 24, 2025
Will Iran’s regime survive?
June 18, 2025
Trump-Musk rift over Trump's "big, beautiful bill"
June 04, 2025
What is Trump after in his latest Gulf states tour?
May 13, 2025
Why Mark Carney’s victory won’t heal the US-Canada rift
April 29, 2025
Trump tariff is starting a US-China trade war
April 08, 2025
What if Japan & South Korea sided with China on US tariffs?
April 01, 2025
US travel warnings issued by its closest allies
March 25, 2025
US-Canada trade war helps Mark Carney's election prospects
March 11, 2025
Why Trump won’t break the Putin-Xi alliance
March 04, 2025
Will Trump & Musk punish Brazil over Bolsonaro indictment?
February 19, 2025
Putin trolls Europe about "the master" Trump
February 04, 2025
DeepSeek puts US-China relations on edge
January 30, 2025
Gaza ceasefire likely as Biden and Trump both push
January 14, 2025
Meta scraps fact-checking program: What next?
January 07, 2025
GZERO Series
GZERO Daily: our free newsletter about global politics
Keep up with what’s going on around the world - and why it matters.













































