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Key Takeaways

Chaos continues at the Kabul airport; the US considers delaying withdrawal from Afghanistan to continue evacuations. Israel finds that a third dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine has significantly improved protection from infection. More than $560 billion in market value was wiped off Hong Kong and mainland China exchanges last week amid Chinese regulatory crackdowns.

Condition Updates

A rundown of important global risk developments in markets, in business, and region-by-region.

Russia and the US Withdrawal from Afghanistan

As the political and societal implications of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan come into clearer focus in the coming days and weeks, one thing is for certain: from a regional security point of view, the US will no longer be a major influence in South and Central Asia and has been replaced by competing geopolitical superpowers. In particular, Russia has attempted to position itself to take advantage of the US withdrawal and will seek to advance its strategic objectives in both Afghanistan and the surrounding region.

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