ChicagoGlobal

Weekly exploration of Chicago's role in the wider world

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About ChicagoGlobal

We’re excited to share with you ChicagoGlobal, a weekly 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.
  • 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.

October issues

  • October 6: Chicago’s marathon: a world-class event with big local impact
  • October 13: What’s Chicago’s place in the global tech scene?
  • October 20: Europe has an overtourism problem. Why doesn’t Chicago?
  • October 27: Chicago steel company sues Mexico

September issues

  • September 8: Pinkies up: Chicago enters the business of British high tea
  • September 15: Your guide to all things quantum
  • September 22: Six decades of Chicago’s global film fest
  • September 29: Five features that define Chicago’s role in global trade

August issues

  • August 4: Global Street Art + All Things Olympics
  • August 11: Chicago's Other Big Convention + The Blue Economy + More Olympic Connections
  • August 18: Chicago's foreign consulates prepare for the DNC
  • August 25: Spotlight on Chicago's small businesses

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

Q&A: Northwestern’s new global affairs chair says her department is all about connection

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ChicagoGlobal by Hope O'Dell

In her first year as head of the Buffett Institute, Deborah Cohen talks us through the role of global affairs at Northwestern, in Chicago, and beyond.

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Becca Heuer
Global Cities

As museums around the world grapple with repatriation, where does Chicago stand?

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ChicagoGlobal by Hope O'Dell

Issues around object provenance have hit the museum industry hard. Here’s a list of Illinois institutions that have dealt with controversies in this arena.

An exterior shot shows the large Greek-colonnaded facade of the Field Museum, with the Chicago skyline in the background
Austin Farrington
Culture

Foreign policy PACs have raised $2 million from big Chicago donors. Where does the money go?

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ChicagoGlobal by AJ Caughey

ChicagoGlobal analyzed the biggest donations made by Chicagoland residents to PACs. Here’s what the data says about their foreign policy priorities.

A close-up of a stack of clipboards shows a City of Chicago early voting application and a sticker reading "property of Chicago Board of Elections"
Rex Arbogast / AP
US Foreign Policy

Company that shut Chicago steel-conduit plant sues Mexico

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ChicagoGlobal by John Pletz

In an unusual step, Zekelman Industries is taking a foreign government to court for dumping steel — a move that comes against the backdrop of a presidential campaign dominated by talk of tariffs and foreign trade.

Headshot of a white man in a navy suit with light blue shirt
Barry Zekelman
Global Economy

Cog Hill's time on the global golf stage may have passed — but its owners are holding on

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ChicagoGlobal by H. Lee Murphy

In the world of pro golf, there's nothing like the sport's big names alongside TV exposure to bring out specators from around the world. The owners of Cog Hill Golf & Country Club can tell you something about that.

A large expanse of green fairway is seen in the distance, while in the foreground, Tiger Woods, in a red polo shirt and black hat, takes a swing. Culture

As global cities feel the strain of overtourism, what makes Chicago immune?

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ChicagoGlobal by Coauthors

Compared to packed European cities like Barcelona and Amsterdam, Chicago faces few issues with tourists — but it agrees that short-term rentals are a threat.

A crowd of people march on a street in Barcelona at an anti-tourism rally, with a woman in the middle holding a carboard sign that reads "TOURIST GO HOME."
Emilio Morenatti / AP Photo
Global Economy

A key Chicago tech leader weighs in on the city's place in the global IT landscape now

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ChicagoGlobal by H. Lee Murphy

Serial tech entrepreneur Chris Gladwin could have gone anywhere to launch his career, but he chose Chicago — and stayed. Here's why.

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John R. Boehm
Tech and Science

The WNBA's two-way international exchange

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ChicagoGlobal by Hope O'Dell

With popularity surging, the WNBA aspires to attract the world’s best players. But global exchange doesn’t only mean bringing foreign athletes to the U.S.

A woman in a blue Minnesota Lynx jersey shoots a basket while a woman in a white Chicago Sky jersey tries to block her
Bruce Kluckhohn / AP
Culture

The Chicago Marathon puts the city in the global sports spotlight

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ChicagoGlobal by H. Lee Murphy

And the annual event's impact on the local economy has risen rapidly.

Runners at the starting line of the Chicago Marathon
AP Photos
Culture

What's the value of an international education in Chicago?

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ChicagoGlobal by AJ Caughey

Across the city, schools that use curricula from foreign countries give a unique edge to K-12 students seeking a globally diverse education.

Small children at a classroom desk wave flags from the U.S., Germany, and Spain
Envato
Culture