Piracy as a phenomenon is as old as the first ships. When we hear the word ‘pirate’, we mostly think about the buccaneers who roamed the Caribbean during the 17th and early 18th century, the Golden Age of Piracy, and inspired characters such as Captain Jack Sparrow and Robert Louis
Category: 35th edition – Globalization
SWIFT, Sanctions and Human Security
In March 2012 something unprecedented happened. A country was cut off from SWIFT, the Belgium-based Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. In this case, the disconnecting of Iran was an effort to contain Iran’s disputed nuclear program. The narrative was that Iran’s exclusion would damage its ability to conduct foreign
From the Silk Road to Paradise Papers: Tax Havens and Economic Inequality
When talks of the wealth gap begin, images of class wars start forming in minds of some. However, other contributors to the wealth gap––globalisation and tax havens––seem to be left out of the debate. Wealth gap, by definition, refers to the unequal distribution of capital within a population––in other words
Between waters: the dilemma of the Nicaragua Canal
On June 14, 2013, the Nicaraguan government passed a law enabling the construction of a big interoceanic canal across the country. In August next year, visions of an interoceanic canal through the Central American country between the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean might become reality. The hope is that the forthcoming
Air travel: The Motor of Globalisation
Air travel is globalisation. Globalisation is air travel. However we turn it, fact is, that we want to feel connected. We want to meet people from all over the world. We love to travel and discover new places. Previously we travelled by train, today by planes. Our generation might be
It’s fast, it’s cheap, it’s fashion
“Look what I bought, it was such a bargain!” and “I heard that the sales season is starting tomorrow, we must go shopping” are just some harmless phrases that we as a consumer society have gotten used to. The fashion industry might seem mundane especially in today’s world when clothes
Beyond Globalisation – becoming a multiplanetary civilisation
Life has experienced some quite horrible and horrific times, that led to 5 mass extinctions – events where more than 80 percent of all species died out. Statistically speaking, the next mass extinction will come sooner or later, and let us hope for the latter, but it will hit us