Introduction

Geopolitics wields unprecedented influence on international business. Amid this, rules-based multilateralism emerges as a stable guide, shaping governance and standards. As nations align with global norms, they become safer markets for expansion.

Companies can gauge adherence through organizations like World Justice Project and Transparency International, vital for informed growth decisions, but is this enough? The Ukraine example illustrates that today’s stable may be tomorrow’s war zone, and that location strategy requires a risk management strategy.

If it wasn’t clear enough already, the Ukraine war is proof that the tide of globalisation is strongly going through turmoil. 

As the exodus of international brands from Russia and the woes of Chinese technology firm Huawei have shown, geopolitics matters. It matters more now than it has in several decades.