Global trade

Africa's trade vision meets reality as customs, regulations collide - explainer

National customs systems, unfinished legal rules and incompatible payment networks still obstruct routine trade across the continent.

|BySTEVEN GANOT/THE MEDIA LINE
Profile of Hissan Siita Sofo the president of the AfCFTA Young Entrepreneurs Federation at a signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding with the Sudanese community in Accra, Ghana, on April 15 2026.
A member of Houthi security forces mans a machine gun mounted on the back of a patrol vehicle at the site of an anti-Saudi rally amid an escalation with the kingdom in Sanaa, Yemen, last month.

Are the Houthis Iran’s last gaming card? – opinion

Weakening the Houthis – Iran’s strongest proxy left – can alleviate the current pressure on Saudi Arabia, Red Sea shipping, Israel, and the region at large

|ByNEVILLE TELLER
The sun sets behind the Doha skyline on August 4, 2026.

Gulf states pay the price as shipping crisis exposes costly dependence on the Strait of Hormuz

"A lot of the necessities, and I'm talking food, that these Gulf nations require - Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia - comes in by boat," and flying in goods is causing prices to rise.

|ByJACOB WIRTSCHAFTER/THE MEDIA LINE
Crown Prince and prime minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, attends a forum in Washington in 2025.

For Israel, peace with Saudi Arabia is not worth a nuclear arms race in the Middle East - opinion

Once Saudi Arabia has the capacity to enrich uranium, Turkey and Egypt might be the next in line to seek to accomplish the same.

|ByDAVID BEN-BASAT

Closing the Strait of Hormuz could bankroll a new Iranian government - opinion

Sanctioned Iranian oil offers the opposition a rare chance to challenge the regime and stabilize global oil prices.

MARCH 24, 2026ByYOSEF YAIR COLLINS
Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026.

Middle East’s future may be decided in the Horn of Africa - opinion

The Red Sea is becoming the center of global power.

MARCH 15, 2026BySHMUEL LEGESSE
The Horn of Africa is seen on a map (illustrative)

Chinese provinces were planning Tehran trade expos, then the war broke out

Chinese government procurement and tender records on Iran show contracts issued in recent months, pointing to the vibrant commercial engagement of the two nations.

MARCH 4, 2026ByREUTERS
The national flag of Iran flies in the wind as debris lies scattered in the aftermath of an Israeli and US strike on a police station, in Tehran, Iran, March 3, 2026

America’s fight for global dominance is waged in oil, trade, and tech - opinion

The core US interest is clear: To halt China’s economic rise before it becomes a technological, industrial, and financial superpower.

MARCH 1, 2026ByDAVID BEN-BASAT
President Donald J. Trump entering the House Chamber before delivering the first State of the Union address of his second term to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.

Trump raises tariff to 15% after Supreme Court strikes down previous program

Trump announced the new tariffs in a Truth Social post, noting they would be effective "almost immediately."

FEBRUARY 21, 2026ByREUTERS
US President Donald Trump speaks during a press briefing at the White House, following the Supreme Court's ruling that Trump had exceeded his authority when he imposed tariffs, in Washington, DC February 20, 2026.

Israel, Costa Rica sign FTA eliminating over 90% of tariffs, expanding bilateral trade

Israel and Costa Rica signed a Free Trade Area agreement on Monday, marking a significant milestone in economic cooperation between the two countries.

DECEMBER 8, 2025ByPESACH BENSON/TPS
Truck and car on highway in front of stacks of shipping containers

Despite stigma, boycotts, Israel’s strength, global appeal have only grown - opinion

Boycott rhetoric grows, yet Israel’s economy and tech dominance show that the global demand for Israeli relations remains.

DECEMBER 7, 2025ByDAVID CHRISTOPHER KAUFMAN
Passengers are welcomed by loved ones at Ben-Gurion Airport. ‘Two weeks before I’m set to fly to Tel Aviv, I barely speak of it – loath to provoke the anti-Zionist aggressions,’ says the writer.

India-Israel pact could herald new era of tech development and strategic power - opinion

With India’s scale and Israel’s innovation, the two nations are forming an alliance that could drive advancements in AI, quantum tech, and cyber defense, shaping global geopolitics by 2035.

NOVEMBER 16, 2025ByLOUIS LIBIN, MICHAEL J. SALAMON
PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG meets with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the World Climate Action Summit in Dubai, 2023. India and Israel are together scripting a playbook for a new era, the writers maintain.

Food self-sufficiency unfeasible for Israel, new research shows

While Israel could produce enough plant-based foods for survival, full self-sufficiency would come at a staggering cost and be reliant on vegetative food production.

NOVEMBER 16, 2025ByJUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
FARMERS AT Moshav Sde Nitzan, in the northern Negev.

Afghanistan shifts trade to Iran route to avoid Pakistan closures

Afghanistan's reliance on Pakistan's ports has long given Islamabad leverage to press Kabul over Pakistani militants sheltering across the border.

NOVEMBER 14, 2025ByREUTERS
Men sort tomatoes at a wholesale vegetable market, as prices of various vegetables and fruits rose after Pakistan closed border crossings with Afghanistan following exchanges of fire, and a ceasefire deal was later agreed upon by the two nations, in Peshawar, Pakistan, October 23, 2025.