Examples of GDP expressed as an allegory of trade between a fisherman from Kiribati, a cacao grower in Nicaragua, and a tea farmer in Fujian province, China. (This allegorical primer on GDP was an annex to a previous article, “Economic Integrations and its Discontents“) In the very near future, when maritime trade between China and […]
Cooperation and Capacity Building: Integrations Matter In 2017 I started this chart to research my essay on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, “Cooperation and Capacity Building” that was published in American Quarterly, and since then, have been updating the data indicators to track changes to the global economy not through states, but through cooperations. Looking through the […]
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NED in the Pacific
Here is a report on the National Endowment for Democracy programs in the Pacific Islands from 2022 August 22. NED represents its four Core Grantees, the International Republican Institute (IRI), representing the Republican Party; the National Democratic Institute (NDI), representing the Democratic Party; Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), representing the Business Sector; and Solidarity […]
This is a primer. A very straightforward rant for understanding Communism, thereby some context for considering that lies built upon lies, built upon generations of fabrications of half-truths and quarter-truths, are only a manifestation of power, and not about truth, justice, or access to a fair and equitable economy. The first thing one should consider […]
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Truth then Reparations
It’s difficult to take Democracy seriously until we have an understanding of Truth and Reconciliation. In this transformative era, how is our understanding of history continually undermined, forged and faked by manufactured information regimes built upon a political and economic agenda peddling untruth as if it were law and scripture. The “relativity” of truth, the […]
While prognosticating a geopolitical future is fraught with contradiction, historical determinism and perhaps an imprudent dose of wishful thinking, the signing of the EU-China Investment Agreement is the latest agreement signifying a seismic shift in global governance. Following another article written last week on the subject, the signing of this agreement is perfectly timed. Since […]
The current rationale for Washington’s South China Sea policy continues to reference history and law as a justification for reinforcing U.S. military presence in the region. Further, Washington’s reliance on a decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, not only circumvents normative interpretations of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, but uses […]
With the EU and Beijing on the cusp of signing an investment agreement by the end of 2020, we are literally watching the rebirth of the world. With the RCEP having concluded and momentum set towards harmonizing the other regional agreements like EAEU (Eurasian Economic Union) and the AfCFTA (African Continent Free Trade Area), the […]
What the last four years of a Trump presidency has taught us is that bluster can really reshape the world in all kinds of unpredictable ways. Since the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1989, the United States has grown accustomed to viewing the world through a myopic singular hegemonic and strategic lens. But for […]
When we think of the end of US global hegemony, it’s perhaps worth reminding ourselves that we are also talking about the decline of the global neoliberal capitalist order. This global order has ‘warehoused’ the Pacific Islands at the extreme periphery of the global economy. Indeed, as the government of Nauru stated in its concept […]