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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.

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 + TĂĽrkiye 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

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

BLOG
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

How China tariffs ripple throughout the Midwest economy

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ChicagoGlobal by H. Lee Murphy

The announcement of new import tariffs in mid-May amounted to the most significant trade protection measures — all aimed at China — from the U.S. in years. The impact on the Midwest will be significant.

A collection of currency from around the world
Eric Prouzet
Global Economy

As Chicago gears up for the Summer Olympics, some bars host global sports year-round

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ChicagoGlobal by Hope O'Dell

The Paris Games may be the biggest global sporting event of the summer, but for a few Chicago bars, international athletics are an everyday affair.

People sit around a bar, watching soccer on a TV
Francois Mori / AP
Culture

Will O'Hare's revamp boost Chicago's global profile?

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ChicagoGlobal by Jack Benjamin

O'Hare International Airport is starting a renovation to build a world-class "Global Terminal." Can it help the city compete with international air travel hubs?

An exterior view of O'Hare airport with airplanes lined up along the runway
David Syphers
Global Cities

Five Chicago landmarks that tell the story of the American Century

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ChicagoGlobal by AJ Caughey

Ride along with University of Chicago professor Paul Poast as he walks us through the Chicago sites that shaped global affairs.

A tall gold statue with a blue sky in the background
AJ Caughey
Culture

The role of 'the Southland' in Chicago's global future

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ChicagoGlobal by H. Lee Murphy

Longtime chief booster of the South suburbs Jim Garrett reflects on how that swath of metro area fits into Chicago's profile on the global stage.

A man speaking behind a podium into a microphone
Crain's
Global Cities

How Midwestern states are courting Taiwanese investment

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ChicagoGlobal by AJ Caughey

Despite Illinois's trade ties with Taiwan, other Midwest states have taken steps that Illinois hasn’t to deepen their government’s relationship with Taipei.

Michigan Governor Whitmer with then ROC(Taiwan) Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Jaushieh Joseph Wu, during her visit to Taiwan in March
MOFA, Republic of China (Taiwan)
Global Politics

This man may be Chicago's biggest global philanthropist — and you've probably never heard of him

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ChicagoGlobal by H. Lee Murphy

A military veteran and businessman, the founder of DT Global has both a corporate and humanitarian presence in many of the world’s political hot spots.

Headshot for John DeBlasio
John DeBlasio
Global Economy

How Old Town School of Folk Music brings the sounds of the world to Chicago

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ChicagoGlobal by Jack Benjamin

If, as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, "music is the universal language of mankind," then the Old Town School of Folk Music is a great place to become fluent.

People with instruments perform on stage behind standing microphones
Old Town School of Folk Music
Culture

From stockyards to plant protein, Chicago is a leader in global food innovation

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ChicagoGlobal by AJ Caughey

Chicago already has one of the nation’s largest food manufacturing workforces. The city is positioning itself to become the global leader in food innovation and manufacturing.

A person wearing latex gloves handles small sprouts in pots
Anatoliy Gleb
Food and Agriculture