Team

Magnus
Obermann

Associate
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Magnus is an Associate in the CEE, Russia and Eurasia practice. Magnus has experience working in the European External Action Service (EEAS) in Brussels and the German embassy in Moscow. He holds a Double MSc in International Affairs from Peking University in Beijing and the London School of Economics (LSE).

At GC, Magnus covers Russia-related political and business developments and advises clients on EU policies towards Russia and Ukraine. He also provides analysis of the changing geopolitics of Russia-China relations and related business links, as well as German foreign and trade policy.

Recent examples of his work include:

  • Assessing effects and anticipated next steps of political events and economic developments in the CEE, Russia and Eurasia region for a US industry consortium.
  • Supporting a UK financial services provider to understand EU energy sanctions and assess present and future impacts on Russia, China and the EU.
  • Advising a multinational IT company and social networking service on content moderation and emerging regulatory requirements in Russia.

Latest Insights by Magnus Obermann

General Policy icon

A year of war in Ukraine - retaliation, relocation, and reconstruction

General Policy

This week on the Global Counsel Podcast, Practice Director Alexander Smotrov, Associate Alexander van der Wusten, and Associate Magnus Obermann discuss the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on the business sector after a year of fighting. What does Ukraine's resilience mean for rebuilding efforts, why are businesses struggling to fully untangle…

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General Politics

Democratic downgrade: Why 2023 could upend Tunisia’s revolution and North African geopolitics

General Politics

Twelve years after the Arab Spring, which emanated from Tunisia, the revolution has run out of money and steam. Eleven elections in eleven years and expensive subsidies for increasingly unaffordable wheat from Russia and Ukraine, along with other inefficiencies, have bankrupted the country politically and economically. While President Kais Saied is curtailing the powers…

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Partner, competitor or rival? Prospects of a German Zeitenwende in European China policy in 2023

General Policy

2022 has popularised a new German word in international politics: Zeitenwende, an “epochal tectonic shift”, emanating from Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Europe’s increased awareness of economic exposure to authoritarian regimes has coincided with the emergence of new, China-critical voices in European capitals, such as the Greens in Germany, which have…

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General Politics

Setting new precedent? Eight insights into the EU’s eighth Russia sanctions package

General Politics

Following Russia’s mobilisation and annexation of four Ukrainian regions, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced that EU members had agreed on additional sanctions against Russia, which “will be brought forward as soon as possible.” Political agreement on the eighth EU sanctions package is expected not later than at the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council on…

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View all Insights by Magnus Obermann