Leave it to humanity to commodify the end of the world. The historically peaceful, collaborative Arctic Council is fracturing into militarized disarray. The aggressive militaristic pursuits of Russia and the United States have triggered historically strictly neutral council members to make history by joining NATO, rework their policies, and funnel resources into defense. At the […]
Tag: trade
What the Lobito Corridor Means For The Global Energy Transition – and for Angola
Electric vehicle batteries, turbines, generators, and other major clean energy technologies can find their roots in Africa, which places this continent at the forefront of sustainable transitions. The minerals used to create green energy technologies have an exponentially increasing value for countries across the globe that are seeking a renewable future. Since Africa holds approximately […]
Milei and MAGA: A Love Story
If the pragmatic James Carville gave us the slogan “It’s the economy, stupid,” we now have an ideologue’s response. Javier Milei, the self-described “anarcho-capitalist” President of Argentina, won the 2023 presidential election off the back of his rallying cry “Long live freedom, Goddamnit!” Just last month, Milei’s slogan, glistening and italicized, found itself engraved on […]
How to Ruin a Deal: Europe’s Farmer Protests, One Summer Later
Image Source: Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images
The Modern-Day Pirates of the Middle East
In the rugged terrain of Yemen, where political lines blur and allegiances shift, the rise of the Houthi rebels marks a pivotal chapter in the nation’s turbulent history. The Red Sea, a critical piece in commerce and exchange, has become home to the Houthi rebels, a group causing chaos and disrupting geopolitics in the Middle […]
Out of Sight, Out of Mind: How the United States Discards E-Waste
It’s all about the new. Increasingly, the people of the United States want the latest technology; every time tech giants like Apple and Samsung release new devices, hundreds of thousands flock to buy them, often discarding their old devices by simply throwing them in the trash. Everyday, Americans throw out over 350,000 cell phones and […]
Unpopular Populism: The Dismal Prospects for Far-Right Politics in Canada
He has repeatedly called climate change a “hoax” perpetrated by “environmentalist alarmists.” His immigration policy includes building border fences, restricting family reunification, and making temporary foreign workers less competitive. And he spends much of his time railing against “the Liberal cult of diversity” on his Twitter account, a platform he uses to comment on — […]
The United States… And Territories: America’s Paradise Lost
On October 13, one news headline stood out among the rest: “Trump says he spoke to U.S. Virgin Islands’ ‘president’ — which is him.” “Must’ve been a one-sided conversation,” one Twitter user noted. The Daily Show put out a video of Trump shaking hands with his “genetic replica.” This hilarity momentarily puts a spotlight on […]
The Ghost of Zheng He: China’s Naval Base in Djibouti
Six hundred years after the Ming Dynasty explorer Zheng He landed in Mombasa and brought back a giraffe, China’s trade presence in East Africa is very much alive. In recent years, China has been expanding a web of infrastructure projects across the African continent. Now, China is in the process of constructing a naval base […]
A Friendship Gone Astray
The Growing Divide in Chinese-African Relations In December 2015, President Xi Jinping was declaring Zimbabwe to be China’s “all-weather friend.” Less than a year later, President Mugabe of Zimbabwe was accusing the Chinese of undermining his nation’s economy and “taking advantage” of Zimbabwe’s women. This seemingly rapid transition in relations might appear to be unexpected, […]
We Need to Talk About Sovereign Debt
Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, a key figure in sovereign debt restructuring. Featured image source: World Economic Forum. A brief summary of sovereign debt crises. Sovereign debt crises occur regularly and often violently. Take the example of the latest prominent debt crisis in Greece. Major markets in the US and in Europe were […]
Trade, Oppression and Uncle Sam
The belief in American superiority poisons nearly all public debate in the United States. In recent months, the effect of this belief has become painfully clear in respect to the debate surrounding the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) — a debate, in which opponents and proponents alike refract their arguments through thick lenses of American nationalism. […]
Trade and Transparency: The Trans-Pacific Partnership’s Elusive Agenda
In his first year in office, President Obama announced one of the primary goals of his international trade policy, U.S. participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a trade agreement between a dozen nations along the Pacific coast. According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), the TPP represents the “cornerstone of the Obama […]
Northwest Passage
With the relentless pace at which global climate change has marched forward, the northern bastions of ice have been reduced to mere skeletons, the ice melt rapidly accelerating since the 1970s.These extensive topological shifts in the Arctic have fueled a renewed political debate over the resource rich lands and potential trade routes of the North. […]
The High Cost of Threats: Sino-Israeli Relations
Say “economic sanctions” and three countries come to mind: Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Sanctions are usually reserved for historically hostile regimes, not long-time allies. Yet Obama administration and other Western European nations are threatening to impose sanctions on Israel, with the assumption that Israel is so dependent on Western markets that it will have […]
The Trans-Pacific Partnership and Fast Track Authority: What’s the Big Deal?
A cornerstone of President Obama’s trade agenda has created a rift between his administration and his Democratic base, who have joined with Tea Party Republicans in an unusual marriage of convenience. The legislation in question, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), is a colossal proposed trade agreement that involves twelve countries, including Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, and […]
The Remarkable Rise of Mozambique
Since the 1990s, Africa has emerged as a region defined by rapid political and economic transformation. By establishing accountable, democratic governments and instituting new economic policies with limited barriers to trade and foreign investment, many of these emerging African nations are showing signs of profound growth and improvement in their standard of living. These developments […]
The Northern Sea Route: Could It Be The New Suez Canal?
Under the influence of climate change, Arctic ice is melting away. This scares climatologists, but also intriguingly creates possible economic benefits. The melted ice has opened trade routes and energy resources, attracting the interest of many of the world’s most powerful nations. However, while the melting ice has created these two potential economic benefits, only […]
Can Narendra Modi Shift India’s Standing on the World Stage?
Narendra Modi, India’s new prime minister, isn’t your average politician. He comes from a humble background as a street tea seller, didn’t publicly acknowledge that he was married until filing for party nomination, and even helped break a Guinness World Record by using 3D holographic projections to present 53 simultaneous campaign speeches. This September, Modi visited the […]
Forging a Response
Home to strategic military bases, vital trade routes, and valuable natural resources, the South China Sea represents some of the most sought after territory in the world. In terms of trade, about a third of global crude oil traffic and half of global natural gas exports travel through the South China Sea each year [1]. […]