How Neutral Nations Quietly Gain the Upper Hand

Inside the strategy, stats, and silent rise of the world’s non-aligned power players.

Author

Philip Saparov
October 22, 2025

In partnership with

Greetings, seeker of nuance in a world of extremes!

When giants clash, the smartest players stay flexible.

In today’s divided world, a rising group of countries is quietly winning—not by picking sides, but by playing both. These new neutrals aren’t passive. They’re calculated, independent, and increasingly powerful.

In this edition, discover the nations mastering balance in a time of extremes—and what their success means for your future, your options, and your investments.

Let’s dive in.

Like Playing Moneyball with Your Stock Picks

The data that actually moves markets:

  • Congressional Trades: Pelosi up 178% on TEM options

  • Reddit Sentiment: 3,968% increase in DOOR mentions before 530% in gains

  • Insider Activity: UNH execs bought $31M before Buffett joined

While you analyze P/E ratios, professionals track Reddit mentions, Congressional filings, and insider purchases in real-time.

What if you had access to all of it?

Every week, our AI processes 50,000+ Reddit comments, every Congressional filing, and insider transactions from 500+ companies.

Then we send you the AltIndex Newsletter telling you which 5 stocks show the strongest signals across ALL categories for the week.

Or you can download our app to get access to those signals at all times (get a free 7-day trial when you subscribe to the newsletter).

The next big winner is already showing signals. Will you see them this time?

Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investing involves risk including possible loss of principal.

India’s non-alignment isn’t just a holdover from the Cold War—it’s a modern geopolitical asset. As the world’s most populous democracy, India trades with Russia, partners with the U.S., co-leads the Quad, and still engages BRICS.

It’s not contradiction—it’s calculation. India buys cheap Russian oil, sells software to Silicon Valley, and launches satellites for the world, all while keeping its distance from permanent alliances.

📈 Striking insight: Despite being part of the U.S.-led Quad alliance, India was Russia’s top oil buyer in 2023, purchasing over 1.6 million barrels per day—up from just 68,000 in 2021.

Türkiye might just be the master of middle-ground diplomacy. A NATO member that buys weapons from Russia. A Muslim-majority country normalizing ties with Israel. A Western-facing economy investing in China’s Belt and Road.

This is not inconsistency—it’s leverage. Türkiye uses its pivotal geography and military clout to court all sides while serving none fully. Its expanding drone exports, rising role in African diplomacy, and multi-vector foreign policy show how playing both sides can pay dividends.

💡 Surprising gain: Türkiye's exports to Russia surged 213% in 2022 despite global sanctions, helping its economy weather inflation and energy crises.

Switzerland’s neutrality is almost mythic—but it’s also modern. Though the Alpine nation eventually joined sanctions against Russia, it remains famously independent: no NATO, no EU, no foreign bases.

That neutrality has value. Global negotiations, peace treaties, and financial deals often happen in Geneva, not Washington or Brussels.

🏦 Interesting fact: Switzerland holds over $2.3 trillion in offshore wealth, managing more private money than any other country—largely thanks to its neutral stance and political stability.

Pelosi Made 178% While Your 401(k) Crashed

Nancy Pelosi: Up 178% on TEM options
Marjorie Taylor Greene: Up 134% on PLTR
Cleo Fields: Up 138% on IREN

Meanwhile, retail investors got crushed on CNBC's "expert" picks.

The uncomfortable truth: Politicians don't just make laws. They make fortunes.

They vote on regulations after shorting affected sectors. They approve budgets after buying defense stocks. They debate policy while holding calls.

It's not illegal. It's just invisible to you.

Most Congress trades get reported 45 days later, when profits are locked in. AltIndex tracks every Congressional transaction within 24 hours.

And each week, we send you the 3 biggest positions in our newsletter before mainstream news reports them.

Then we factor those Congress trades into the AI stock ratings on our app (along with other overlooked stock signals like Reddit chatter and web traffic). Get a free 7-day trial when you subscribe to the newsletter.

Congress filed 7,810 new stock buys this year as of July. You pay for their salaries…

Why not use their investing strategies for yourself?

Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investing involves risk including possible loss of principal.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is home to a quiet diplomatic miracle: ten diverse countries, little political alignment, and no desire to take sides in superpower showdowns.

While the U.S. holds joint drills in the Philippines and China builds infrastructure in Laos, ASEAN states continue business as usual. This balancing act helps attract trade, tourism, and tech investment.

📊 Hidden gem: Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing economies globally—projected to grow by 6.5% in 2025—while actively partnering with both U.S. and Chinese firms.

Once locked into U.S. alliances, the Gulf monarchies now operate on a wider stage. Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar balance relationships with Washington, Moscow, Beijing—and increasingly, each other.

Saudi Arabia recently joined BRICS+, the UAE hosted Syrian and Israeli leaders within weeks, and Qatar plays both mediator and energy supplier across warring regions.

These states aren’t simply surviving volatility—they’re profiting from it.

⛽ Unexpected twist: In 2023, Saudi Arabia began pricing oil sales to China in yuan, challenging the decades-old U.S. petrodollar dominance.

Across Africa, nations like Kenya 🇰🇪, Rwanda 🇷🇼, and Ghana 🇬🇭 are forging a new path: welcoming investment from all directions while maintaining policy independence.

China builds infrastructure. The U.S. funds digital initiatives. The EU supports governance. Yet these nations are not beholden to any.

For global citizens watching long-term trends, these countries offer growth stories few are talking about—but that won’t stay secret for long.

📈 Future-facing stat: By 2050, Africa’s population will exceed 2.5 billion—and middle powers like Kenya and Ghana are expected to lead the region’s economic charge.

Graph: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is when companies or investors put money into businesses or projects in another country, showing where global confidence — and opportunity — is growing.

Historically torn between empires, the Balkans are now quietly repositioning themselves as brokers—not battlegrounds.

Serbia 🇷🇸, for example, balances Russian energy ties with EU integration talks, while Bosnia 🇧🇦 hosts NATO peacekeepers and Chinese infrastructure simultaneously.

This complex dance isn’t chaos—it’s strategy. The region’s deep ties to East and West make it a diplomatic gray zone, and that’s exactly where the influence is growing.

🔎 Little-known fact: Serbia ranks among the top five European destinations for Chinese investment, ahead of some EU nations.

Alignment brings certainty. Non-alignment brings possibility.

In a world where superpowers clash and ideologies harden, the smartest players aren’t always the loudest—they’re the most adaptive. The “new neutrals” are reaping quiet rewards: diversified economies, diplomatic clout, and future-ready flexibility.

Whether you’re investing, relocating, or just staying informed, these countries remind us of a powerful truth: you don’t have to pick a side to win.

Stay curious. Stay global. Stay free.

Warm regards,

Shane Fulmer
Founder, WorldPopulationReview.com

P.S. Want to sponsor this newsletter? Reach 134,000+ global-minded readers — click here!