What did Brentford fans learn from the win over Nottingham Forest at the weekend. I highlight five takeaways on The Brentford Way thebrentfordway.substack.com…

Where is the UK's Indo-Pacific policy heading under Andy Burnham? I share some initial thoughts below and offer some advice for how to push the region up the political agenda in Westminster/Manchester benbland.substack.com/p/wher…

It's going to be an enjoyable international break for @BrentfordFC fans, after winning the Battle of West London last night thebrentfordway.substack.com…

Kevin Schade's on my mind and also on that of Jürgen Klopp, who's re-called the Brentford striker to the German national team. Vitaly Janelt also gets a first call-up. Clearly Klopp was impressed by the "chaos" he said the Bees created against Liverpool thebrentfordway.substack.com…

Before Saturday, Brentford had the fewest red cards in the Premier League over last six seasons (now we're down to 4th place). The two sendings-off cost us the match against Liverpool but we'll learn from the experience. My latest post on The Brentford Way thebrentfordway.substack.com…

Media takes on Brentford tend to be quite shallow and repetitive but kudos to @David_Ornstein @JamesHorncastle and @LiamTharmeCoach for the depth of their recent discussion on Brentford's secret sauce thebrentfordway.substack.com…

Bees United board member @benjaminbland has launched a new free newsletter - The Brentford Way - sharing his take on all things Bees. Check out the latest post and subscribe below thebrentfordway.substack.com…

The war in the Persian Gulf, a key source of energy and fertilizer imports, exposed Southeast Asia's vulnerability to external shocks. Rather than a one-off, the conflict is a harbinger of the shift to a more contested, fragmented world, where protectionism is on the rise and the multilateral system is strained. Read @benjaminbland's (@CHAsiaPacific) analysis for @IMFNews Finance & Development Magazine on the challenges facing Southeast Asia and ASEAN and how the region should respond. Article | bit.ly/463qxUF |

Beijing has taken advantage of a faltering US and a divided Europe to parlay its dominance in manufacturing, robotics, and AI into unrivalled geopolitical power. Read @benjaminbland's (@CHAsiaPacific) latest analysis on China's rise, via @semafor. Article | bit.ly/4iH8mvo |

Just like corporate acquisitions, many player transfers in football end in failure. But a bias to action drives clubs to pursue the lure of shiny new things. Brentford do things differently, as I explain in the latest edition of The Brentford Way thebrentfordway.substack.com…

Just published my first piece for IMF's Finance & Development magazine, setting out how Southeast Asia can thrive in this fragmenting world through smart, flexible integration. Nice to be in print alongside likes of Dani Rodrik, Chatib Basri and Danny Quah imf.org/en/publications/fand…

To transform our world, the Chinese Communist Party doesn't need to get everything right. China can muddle through to attain/sustain superpower status, I argue in my first op-ed for @semafor semafor.com/article/09/01/20…

How has football captured the world like no other sport? Check out the latest piece on my new newsletter, The Brentford Way, and subscribe for free. Please share with others who may be interested thebrentfordway.substack.com…