Regional Dimensions of the Belt and Road Initiative

The aim of present paper is to analyse and compare different approaches to the challenges and opportunities that Europe and Asia face in terms of connectivity, especially in the light of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as well as the EU’s Asia-Europe connectivity plan. The paper primarily focuses on the economic, political, and geopolitical dimensions of the topics at hand. Firstly, the authors touch upon different approaches to connectivity and compare the EU’s connectivity plan and BRI. Secondly, the developments of BRI will be presented along with actual cases that show how BRI projects have been realized so far.

Outlook 2020

Perspectives for the next year from the Antall József Knowledge Centre Research Team

This year, New Years’ Eve will not only see a regular new year coming but the closing of a whole decade. The aggregate analysis of the AJRC research group points toward specific likely conclusions about the world which suggest 2020 to be a concluding year of the problems of the 2010s. Many of those issues that characterised international relations for quite some time have now reached a point of rest—though not resulted in a definitive outcome.

Global Demographic Outlook 2020 – Demographic Perspectives from the Antall József Knowledge Centre Research Team

Global population witnessed an unprecedented growth in recent decades. From reaching 4 billion in 1974, 6 billion in 1999 and 7.8 billion people this year, the world’s population is set to reach the 8-billion mark in the very near future. This rapid growth will affect less developed nations the most; however, in strong contrast, economically advanced countries across the globe will witness a sharp drop in population, due to a set of mutually-aligned trends. Fertility rates under the 2.0-2.1 threshold required for a stable reproduction rate, combined with an increasing life expectancy, mean that these states will not only have fewer citizens, but will also have to find a solution for the increasing pressure on their current pension system, as a declining number of workers will have to support a growing number of pensioners.

The impact of foreign policy pressure on the Chinese leadership regarding the handling of the COVID-19 epidemic

The COVID-19 epidemic and the concurrent crisis has hit at the time when various debates concerning China, tensions between the United States and the East Asian power as well as the need to formulate a coherent strategy towards the country across Europe have been emerging.

The Relations between China and the EU amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

As the COVID-19 epidemic turned into a major global challenge it became not only a test for the European Union itself, but also for its relations with China. The subsequent economic crisis could easily become the worst economic downturn for EU member states since the end of World War II, while China could also be affected in a way unseen for decades.

The Global Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Selected Analyses by the Antall József Knowledge Centre Research Team

The unprecedented extent of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19 or also referred to as SARS-CoV 2) caught most of the experts by surprise. From its first appearance in late 2019 in Asia to its quick spread to other continents in early 2020 the pandemic made an unprecedented mark on global affairs in the 21st century. The researchers of the Antall József Knowledge Centre produced a set of short analyses in the past months that take a specific look at the widespread effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. From international relations to the future of the tourism and fashion industry, from the Middle East to the Western Balkans the prolonged presence of the virus is and will affect a large segment of our political, economic and social discourse.

A COVID-19 járvány globális hatásai

Az Antall József Tudásközpont kutatócsapatának válogatott elemzései

A legtöbb szakértőt meglepetésként érte a globális koronavírus (COVID-19, SARS-CoV 3) járvány példátlan ütemű elterjedése. 2019 végén való ázsiai megjelenését követően a járvány hamar elérte a világ távoli szegleteit is 2020 első felében, példátlan mértékben befolyásolva mindennapjainkat. Az Antall József Tudásközpont kutatói az elmúlt hónapokban rövid elemzéseket készítettek, amelyek egyes konkrét kérdésekben vették górcső alá a COVID-19 járvány széles körű hatásait. A nemzetközi kapcsolatoktól kezdve a turisztikai és divatipar jövőjéig, a Közel-Keleten át a Nyugat-Balkánig a vírus várhatóan hosszan eltartó jelenléte mély hatást fog gyakorolni a politikai, gazdasági és társadalmi diskurzusok döntő többségére.

Globális demográfiai kilátások 2020

Demográfiai perspektívák

Az elmúlt évtizedekben a világ népességének példátlan növekedését tapasztalhattuk meg. Míg 1974-ben bolygónk lélekszáma 4 milliárd, 1999-ben 6 milliárd, idén pedig 7,8 milliárd főtt tett ki, addig a közeljövőben a globális népesség meg fogja haladni a 8 milliárd főt. Ez a gyors növekedés a kevésbé fejlett nemzeteket fogja leginkább érinteni; ezzel szemben a gazdaságilag fejlett államokban világszerte – kölcsönösen összehangolt trendek miatt – a népesség rohamos csökkenése lesz tapasztalható.