Insights

Research briefs.

NBR Tourism Next: 2026 and Beyond
Tourism · Soft Power · Forecasting

NBR Tourism Next: 2026 and Beyond→

October 2026 · Brief 06

How global tourism is expected to evolve by 2035 — emerging trends, structural shifts, technological disruptions and changing consumer behaviours.

The Anchor Brand
Soft Power · Regional Branding · Southeast Asia

The Anchor Brand→

September 2026 · Brief 05

Attribution does not necessarily follow output volume. Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia have operated under the same trade winds for thirty-five years; however, Singapore has converted the system into brand equity, while the other two nations have not.

China's Talent Acquisition: A Case of the U.S. Brain Drain
Talent · Science · US–China

China's Talent Acquisition: A Case of the U.S. Brain Drain→

July 2026 · Brief 04

2,621 US-based scientists of Chinese descent departed in 2021 alone. China's global scientific stature is rising as the US research environment shifts. Nation branding is part of the story.

Policy Structure and Brand: What Moves Talent?
Talent · Policy · Nation Branding

Policy Structure and Brand: What Moves Talent?→

June 2026 · Brief 03

What Moves Talent? Why nations compete for talent and how structural access and national brand together shape where skilled people move and stay.

2026 FIFA World Cup Soft Power
Soft Power · Sport · Geopolitics

The 2026 FIFA World Cup: Soft Power, Closed Borders, and a Tri-Host Fracture→

May 2026 · Brief 02

77 matches. Over one million ticket requests each. 39 nations barred from entry. The soft power paradox of a host nation generating record attraction while restricting who can actually cross the border.

AI Infrastructure as Soft Power
Soft Power · AI · US–China

AI Infrastructure as Soft Power: The Splitting of the Global AI Stack→

May 2026 · Brief 01

China isn't just building better models — it's exporting the infrastructure layer of global AI through open-source licenses. When developers in Lagos or Berlin build on Qwen or DeepSeek, they're building on Chinese world-models. That's influence without presence.