9 Nov, 2022
Recently, the FT mentioned a 2022 book by Andy Borowitz, an American satirist: Profiles in Ignorance: How America’s Politicians Got Dumber and Dumber (eg, Amazon). I just listened to his interview on PBS. He mentions 3 stages in ignorance: (i) ridicule, (ii) acceptance, and (iii) celebration. According to Andy Borowitz, stage 1 was in the 1970s (eg, Ronald Reagan)....
4 Nov, 2022
I don't really understand the outcome of the 2022 Brazilian general and presidential elections (Wiki). At least 45% of the 216 million people live in (extreme) poverty (source). Nevertheless, only 50.9% voted for Lula. An ironic explanation is that the more wealthy citizens become, the less likely they will vote for Labour-Left. The same trend is visible in Europe,...
26 Oct, 2022
Globalism has a simple vision: more prosperity. This vision worked (very) well for the "happy few" but not for all. Hence, dissatisfaction with globalism caused a fertile ground for nationalism, including its ultimate act: Brexit (2016). Brexit's utter failure serves globalism well. In my view, nationalism could work. A recent article in The Conversation states that...
12 Oct, 2022
In a recent facebook remark, I wondered how we can restore togetherness in a society; or in Dutch: hoe krijg je saamhorigheid terug in een "samen"leving? Our Western societies are often characterized by glorifying freedom (eg, sexual expression, speech) and by individualism. I received several replies. A friend of a friend is convinced that global grass roots...
29 Sep, 2022
At the recent UN General Assembly, several countries accused the Russian president of imperialism (eg, 2022 invasion of Ukraine). It has been a long way for Russia: from imperialism to communism to nationalism and back to imperialism. I presume Putin will be proud of being called an imperialist. The countries accusing Russia of imperialism know what they are talking...
5 Aug, 2022
On 13 July 2022, the FT published this opinion article: No, the global economy is not breaking into geopolitical blocs. Since 2015, I have been arguing that the world is heading for global city-states and a new Hanseatic League. Terms like 'Friend-Shoring' and 'geopolitical blocs' are - essentially - similar. "US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has proposed...
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