Janus Forum

Economic connectivity in a post-globalization world. Contact: [email protected]

[The American Conservative @amconmag]

https://t.co/CdZglxLMoY

[National Interest @TheNatlInterest]

The growing calls for reparations on the international stage show why the United States should act as a strategic partner rather than a donor, writes Darren Spinck. https://t.co/skwCdiheBg

[National Interest @TheNatlInterest]

The growing calls for reparations on the international stage show why the United States should act as a strategic partner rather than a donor, writes Darren Spinck. https://t.co/wRkGhGrD8A

[National Interest @TheNatlInterest]

The growing calls for reparations on the international stage show why the United States should act as a strategic partner rather than a donor, writes Darren Spinck. https://t.co/JC0MOmAfZf

[National Interest @TheNatlInterest]

The growing calls for reparations on the international stage show why the United States should act as a strategic partner rather than a donor, writes Darren Spinck. https://t.co/IbLH887XY7

[National Interest @TheNatlInterest]

Power is measured in terms of control over tangible infrastructure, not just digital networks, writes Darren Spinck. https://t.co/yWKkokO9qj

[Darren Spinck @DSpinck]

Budapest’s role within the Trump Administration’s emerging Trans Caspian strategy is set to expand, writes @JanusForum1 managing director @DSpinck
https://t.co/WdmZF3Q6Fg

[Janus Forum @JanusForum1]

Orbán’s multi-vector commercial policy, which balances energy cooperation with Russia, selective investment from China, and strategic alignment with Washington, allows Hungary to act as a stabilizing bridge between great powers writes @DSpinck, managing director of @JanusForum1, in @hu_conservative https://t.co/yvqr8kNZSx

[Janus Forum @JanusForum1]

Washington’s best Africa policy is shaping pragmatic partnerships that allow the United States to navigate multipolar competition and position America as Africa’s partner for the future, not the past, wrote @JanusForum1 managing director @DSpinck in @TheNatlInterest
https://t.co/HGTxvhmGKn

[Secretary Marco Rubio @SecRubio]

Welcomed five Central Asian government leaders in D.C.  for the C5+1 Tenth Anniversary Business Conference to discuss new investments and trade agreements that will create jobs and export opportunities for U.S. firms while strengthening regional economies. Under President Trump’s leadership, America's foreign policy builds partnerships that defend our interests and promote peace and prosperity.

[Janus Forum @JanusForum1]

Janus Forum non-resident fellow @RealIbrahimMamm discussed his views on expanding U.S.-Central Asia cooperation in the critical and rare mineral resource sector. https://t.co/YpVCFwVi08

[Melissa O'Sullivan @RedStatemaven]

https://t.co/URdas3WNJA Bogden leads a discussion “Trade, Technology, & the New Economic Order” : President Klaus, Czech Republic; Javlon Vakhabov, Uzbekistan; Darren Spinck, USA; Urs Unkauf, Germany the Geopolitical Summit in Budapest at Danube Institute- Heritage Foundation

[Hungarian Conservative @hu_conservative]

🌐Day 2 of @InstituteDanube’s Geopolitical Summit opened with a fiery debate on global trade—are we witnessing ‘the end of globalization’? Speakers included Tony Abbott, Václav Klaus, Darren Spinck and more👇
https://t.co/GlpEyni6zD

[crossroads_am @am_crossroads]

🇦🇲🇺🇸Armenian Ambassador to the United States Narek Mkrtchyan @ArmAmbUS discussed possible areas of cooperation with Darren G. Spinck, co-founder and Executive Director of the Janus Forum.

The Janus Forum is a transatlantic research center dedicated to research on the economic interconnectedness and sustainability of supply chains, as well as the economic security of the United States and its partner countries.

[Janus Forum @JanusForum1]

In July, @JanusForum1 director of research @philippilk authored a commentary for @compactmag titled "America needs a new Bretton Woods". In it, Pilkington wrote, "The dollar is in trouble. This fact is becoming harder to ignore. Last week, President Trump threatened to impose additional tariffs on the BRICS alliance, which includes China, Russia, and India, if they moved forward with their plans to launch a new currency. But it isn’t clear if the president is training his fire in the right direction. In mid-June, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde declared that “the dominant role of the US dollar… is no longer certain” and that it was time to launch the euro as a truly global currency."

Pilkington continued, "The United States is now at a crucial point in its history. For years it has relied on dollar hegemony to run massive trade deficits, which contributed to the hollowing out of American manufacturing. This system is now dead, and the only question is what should replace it. Either the Trump administration can grab the bull by the horns and work with other countries to create a new stable, sustainable global monetary architecture. Or it can let global markets force the needed adjustments on the American economy, a process that will almost certainly be painful and inflationary. This should be an obvious decision for American policymakers."

https://t.co/XfVUaIWfN7

[Janus Forum @JanusForum1]

Janus Forum non-resident fellow @IbrahimMam42937 wrote for the @hu_conservative on the economic benefit and trade boost for #Hungary following the formation of a new trilateral format between #Azerbaijan, #Turkmenistan, and #Uzbekistan. Mammadov wrote, "It is important to add here that all countries of this trilateral, along with Hungary, are part of the OTS. In this framework, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are members, while Hungary and Turkmenistan are observer countries, making Hungary the only country that is both a member of the EU and an observer of the OTS."

"Recent geopolitical developments, such as the Washington Declaration signed by the United States, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, alongside the prospects of a final peace treaty and the aim for the establishment of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (#TRIPP), have further strengthened the Trans-Caspian Corridor. These steps solidify its status as the safest and most viable trade route between the EU and Central Asia."

"Energy cooperation will be another crucial pillar of this trilateral format. Discussions cover both natural gas exports and renewable energy projects. The decline of Russian natural gas imports by European countries has driven up prices due to reliance on more expensive alternatives. A cost-effective solution lies in the integration of Turkmen gas into European markets, achievable through the construction of the Trans-Caspian Pipeline."

"Already, Hungary became the first country in Europe, in August 2023, to sign a natural gas import deal with Turkmenistan. With growing U.S. interest in the pipeline project, its realisation appears increasingly feasible. The Southern Gas Corridor, to which the Trans-Caspian Pipeline aims to be connected, comes through various interconnectors to Hungary, hence adding further potential to Hungary’s role as the energy distribution hub for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)."

"Equally important is the green energy agenda of the new trilateral. In May 2024, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan agreed to build a high-voltage cable across the Caspian Sea to transfer renewable energy generated in Central Asia to Azerbaijan. From there, it could be connected to the Black Sea cable system, scheduled for completion by the end of this decade. This two-part initiativelinking the Caspian and Black Seas could dramatically increase the flow of green energy to European markets."

"Within the new trilateral framework, discussions are also expected on Turkmenistan’s participation in this project. It is critical to mention here that this green energy project leads to Hungary as the final destination, from where the distribution of green energy to the wider European consumer market is envisioned, thus adding further strategic importance for Hungary."

https://t.co/3KZChEkc19

[Janus Forum @JanusForum1]

Earlier this month, @JanusForum1 managing director @DSpinck, director of strategy @CarlosRoa92 , and non-resident fellow @IbrahimMam42937 participated in the 5th annual @InstituteDanube and The @Heritage Foundation Geopolitical Summit. Throughout the week, Janus Forum will post reporting from this event.

The Hungarian Conservative reported "Managing Director for the Janus Forum Darren Spinck; @JavlonVakhabov, Deputy Advisor to the President of Uzbekistan on Foreign Policy; and Urs Unkauf, Federal Managing Director of the German Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade, joined President Klaus on stage for a panel discussion. @GEBogden, a Senior Fellow at the Yorktown Institute, moderated the panel." The article continued, "Mr Spinck pushed back against the arguments by President Klaus, and argued that it is, in fact, prudent to talk about the end of globalization. He said that perhaps the best testament to that is the statements made by Ambassador Jamieson Greer at the National Conservatism Conference in Washington, DC earlier this month. Greer, as quoted by Mr Spinck at the Danube event, said that ‘Neoliberalism did not make the world embrace free-market economics, just like neoconservatism did not bring democracy to Iraq or Afghanistan,’ and that ‘Trade is neither good nor bad. It is just a means to an end, and not an end in itself.’ The speaker also pointed out that we have seen a rise in protectionism and securing supply chains across the world. The United States, he continued, is also working on creating a ‘Fortress North America’ with its closest trading partners. These developments have been mainly brought on by ‘China weaponizing trade’, he opined."

https://t.co/RY5trBx4Cq

[Janus Forum @JanusForum1]

Janus Forum (@JanusForum1) managing director @DSpinck spoke with @Kazinform International News Agency about the $4.2 billion deal between #Kazakhstan and US-based @WabtecCorp for the largest railroad equipment purchase in American history.

https://t.co/IsABTrtjJo

[Janus Forum @JanusForum1]

@JanusForum1 managing director @DSpinck shared his views with Kazakhstan's @Kazinform International News Agency on the historic Anchorage, Alaska summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Spinck predicted the key American officials who would form the delegation and its support staff, emphasizing that the omission of Vice President Vance from his projection was not intentional.

https://t.co/ppYzeAu2gx

[Janus Forum @JanusForum1]

@JanusForum1 Managing Director @DSpinck authored an issue brief for Croatia’s Institute for Development and International Relations (@irmo_hr) titled " @realDonaldTrump's Global Realignment Strategy in a #Multipolar World". While U.S. policies on a political settlement in Ukraine, a potential thaw in Washington–Beijing relations, and evolving trade frameworks have shifted dramatically in the three weeks since the text was submitted, the brief’s central theme - the enduring importance of global connectivity in a post-globalization world - remains unchanged.

Spinck writes: "The greatest obstacle to resilient supply chains remains a shortage of private capital. For example, advancing infrastructure initiatives like the Middle Corridor or the Three Seas Initiative north-south connectivity routes beyond their current state requires foreign direct investment, not ideological conditions or token aid. A regional infrastructure development bank, for the Trans Caspian region for example, could serve as a platform to attract private capital, leveraging finance institutions and sovereign wealth funds to co-invest in key projects. Crucially, this will require less lecturing from Washington and Brussels, and more deal-making. Though widely criticized, the Trump administration’s shuttering of USAID could give Washington greater flexibility to shape trade and investment policy without conditionality, particularly in regions where the PRC has long thrived. As a commentator for The Guardian noted, the now-apocryphal quip from a Kenyan official – “Every time China visits, we get a hospital; every time Britain visits, we get a lecture” - captures why Chinese infrastructure diplomacy often resonates more than Western aid conditionality.

"Hungary offers a case in point: Chinese investment in the country rose 47% between 2023 and 2024, with 31% of all PRC FDI in Europe now flowing to Hungary, primarily in greenfield battery and EV projects. While Budapest and Brussels clashed over issues of sovereignty and social policy, Beijing advanced a transactional economic agenda unburdened by political conditionality. Without a credible U.S. response, examples like Hungary could become the norm throughout the region.

"Washington must match its rhetoric with action. That means expanding regional US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) operations and, for countries pursuing multi-vector commercial ties with both the U.S. and China, helping to identify alternative sectors for meaningful cooperation.
Strategic investment continues to outperform ideological posturing. If America intends to lead in the emerging global order, it will need to outcompete, not out-preach, China."

https://t.co/01gFcPge1n