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About ChicagoGlobal

We’re excited to share with you ChicagoGlobal, a new newsletter from Crain’s Chicago Business and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Each Sunday evening, we'll bring you fascinating coverage of our city's role in the wider world — and the ways global connections shape our lives here at home. See all of the Council's newsletters.

Here's what you can expect to read each Sunday:

  • Shaping Global Chicago will feature two stories that provide analysis on the intersection of business, Chicago, and the world.
  • Midwest Briefing will list three stories from other news sources that connect Chicago or the Midwest to the world.
  • Global Chicagoan: 3 for 3 will be a mini Q&A that highlights one Chicago-based professional active in the business world or global community.
  • Your City, Your Take will ask readers a Global Chicago-related question and solicit responses to be featured in the following week's edition.
  • City Explorer will feature relevant and intellectually stimulating globally-themed events taking place locally.
  • Global Connections will spotlight one country and five interesting connections to Chicago.
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Check out recent editions

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs publishes ChicagoGlobal every Sunday evening. The newsletter includes stories, interviews, and local events.

August issues

  • August 4: Global Street Art + All Things Olympics
  • August 11: Chicago's Other Big Convention + The Blue Economy + More Olympic Connections

July issues

  • July 14: Montreal Appeal + Krishnamoorthi Q&A + Belgian Connections
  • July 21: Chicago Biking + Sustainable Business + Colombia Connections
  • July 28: CrowdStrike Analysis + Fantuan’s Delivery Strategy + Italy Connections

June issues

  • June 2: Chicago Folk School + Global Philanthropy Q&A + Korea Connections
  • June 9: Illinois/Taiwan Trade + Local Russian Disinfo + Bangladesh Connections
  • June 16: Chicago's Global Landmarks + Southland Tourism + Ghana Connections
  • June 23: AI in Farming + O'Hare’s New Look + Thailand Connections
  • June 30: Global Sports Bars + China Tariffs + Peru Connections

May issues

  • May 5: Midwest Investment Outlook + Global Street racing + UK Pub Dining
  • May 12: Gamifying Chicago's sewers + Cicadas for Dinner + Ethiopian Connections
  • May 19: Food’s future + Illinois Soy + Sweden connections

April issues

  • April 7: Chicago Tea Party + World-Class Stadium + Switzerland Connections
  • April 14: Farmland Foreign Investment + McDonald's 🍟 Test + Greece Connections
  • April 21: Global M&A outlook + Outdoor dining beyond Clark Street + Vietnam Connections
  • April 28: Courting Entrepreneurs + Expanding Health Care + Ukraine Connections

March issues

  • March 3: Chicago Chef, Global Mission + Recipes With a History + Cuba Connections
  • March 10: When Digital Nomads Come to (Chi)town + Connections to Ireland
  • March 17: International Flavor Incubator + Business Magnet + Cambodia Connections
  • March 24: Retail Vacancies Global Lessons + Little Italy's Ticking Clock + Costa Rica Connections
  • March 31: Courting international tourists + Nazi-looted art + South Africa connections

February issues

  • February 4: Is Chicago Sinking? + UChicago's Doomsday Clock + Türkiye Connections
  • February 11: Chicago's Challenges and Advantages + The State of the CTA + Czech Connections
  • February 18: Chicago's Air Quality + Chicago Shakespeare Theater + Connections to Indonesia
  • February 25: AIT Worldwide Logistics' Global Ties + City Hall's Foreign Affairs Resolutions + Egyptian Connections

January issues

  • January 7: Chicago's Pedestrian Malls + Hispanic Business Owners on Migrant Influx + Polish Connections
  • January 14: 'Golden Visa' Backlog + Congested Pricing in Chicago + Canada Connections
  • January 21: Chicago's Ties to Tattooing + Chicago Auto Show + Connections to Argentina
  • January 28: Alinea's Global Success + Love for Chicago's Commuter Trains + Morocco Connections

December issues

  • December 3: Chicago attorneys help migrants + international holiday decorations + connections to Australia
  • December 10: Translating Chicago's Business Culture + Exporting Comedy + Connections to Jamaica
  • December 17: Chicago's Kyrgyz Community + A Mass Migration to the Great Lakes + French Connections

November issues

  • November 5: Why a French Company Picked Chicago + Host City Challenges for Large Events + India Connections
  • November 12: Integrating Migrant Families + Crisis Playbook for Businesses + Connections to China
  • November 19: Chicago's compost initiative + Midwest 'Best Value' ranking + Connections to Brazil

October issues

  • October 1: Chicago's sustainable architecture scene + reshoring + connections to the Philippines
  • October 8: Chicago Marathon's Impact + Columbus, Indiana Architecture + Connections to Mexico
  • October 22: International Horror Films + China's Economy + Connections to Afghanistan
  • October 29: Chicago Businesses Help Migrants + Kevin Pang's Favorite Chinese Restaurants + Croatian Connections

September issues

  • September 17: Welcome to ChicagoGlobal + A 'Stinky Ditch' + Chicago's Gastro-tourism Scene + Japan Connections
  • September 24: Chicago's Hospitality Biz + the City's Unicorns + Connections to Germany

Latest | ChicagoGlobal

Gearing up for one of Chicago's most important conventions — and it's not the DNC

BLOG
ChicagoGlobal by H. Lee Murphy

Organizers share what's in store for the International Manufacturing Technology Show, held every other year in late summer and draws more than 100,000 visitors worldwide.

Exterior view of McCormick Place conference center
Costar Group
Tech and Science

How Chicago could be a key player in the global blue economy

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ChicagoGlobal by Jack Benjamin

As the climate crisis grows, the business of water is increasingly important — and the lakefront city of Chicago could be one of its most valuable global leaders.

A person swims in Lake Michigan with the Chicago skyline in the background
Erin Hooley / AP
Global Economy

How Chicago's street art connects the city to the world

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ChicagoGlobal by Hope O'Dell

Across Chicago, murals and other public artworks depict the city’s immigrant communities and our connections to cultures around the globe.

Exterior of a building with a colorful mural on the wall
Kit Graham
Culture

Who's to blame for our waning interest in the Olympics?

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ChicagoGlobal by Dan McGrath

In today's media landscape, you’d be quicker to identify the Bears’ backup left tackle than the world's fastest man right now.

US Olympic athletes on a boat during the opening ceremony
Maddie Meyer / AP
Culture

How a software update crippled global IT — and what can be done about it

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ChicagoGlobal by H. Lee Murphy

A Chicago IT security exec discusses the worldwide outage and considers that maybe the global nature of data communications is less threatening than we thought.

A close-up view of a hand typing on a computer keyboard Tech and Science

How does Asian food delivery app Fantuan compete with Uber Eats and Grub Hub in Chicago?

BLOG
ChicagoGlobal by AJ Caughey

Fantuan, which specializes in Asian cuisine, started delivering in the city in 2020 and earlier this year bought out its Chicago-based rival.

The Fantuan sign with a parking lot pictured behind it
AJ Caughey
Tech and Science

Recruiting corporate Chicago to join the fight against climate change

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ChicagoGlobal by H. Lee Murphy

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, just opened a Chicago branch. We talk with its new head, Holly Crilly, to find out what's next.

The Chicago skyline behind train tracks
Aric Cheng
Global Economy

Chicago lags behind other global cities for bike-friendliness. Here's how it can improve.

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ChicagoGlobal by Laura Adamczyk

The nonprofit People for Bikes has given Chicago abysmal ratings for bike-friendliness five years in a row. What can the city learn from global cycling hot spots like Paris?

Tall buildings in Chicago behind bike handlebars
Charles Rex Arbogast / AP
Global Cities

Why Quebec is suddenly on Chicago pols' radar screens

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ChicagoGlobal by H. Lee Murphy

Jean-Francois Hould, the Quebec delegate in Chicago, sits down with Crain’s Chicago Business to discuss all manner of trade issues.

Headshot for Jean Francois Hould
Jean-Francois Hould
Global Economy

Are economic ties to China a strength or weakness for Illinois? Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi weighs in.

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ChicagoGlobal by AJ Caughey

In a Q&A, Rep. Krishnamoorthi talks about Illinois’ trade relationship with China and how local businesses should navigate strained U.S.-China ties — and even help shape them.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi
Alex Brandon / AP
US Foreign Policy