Organized crime organizations are agents of the anti-state on hand but tend to work alongside state structures on the other.
Category: Economy
For Whom the Bell Tolls
September 2018 marked the 10th anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers that triggered the most destructive financial and economic crisis of the last 80 years. One of the most powerful US investment banks at the time collapsed in a handful of days. Meanwhile, not long before its filing for
Socially Progressive, Economically Conservative: What Does It Mean to Be Liberal?
The German FDP (Free Democratic Party) was an established part of the German parliament for 64 years—until their votes dropped under 5 percent in 2013. The German newspaper Focus lists unclear leadership, a programme void of any substance and the continuous rise of the AfD as reasons for this sudden
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
Microfinance: Breaking or Perpetuating the Cycles of Poverty?
Access to banking and finance has long been a symbol of the differences between the world’s rich and the world’s poor. However, another idea popularised in the mid-2000s sought to challenge that concept: microfinance.
One Belt, One Road – China’s Path to the West
An effort to expand its influence and develop new markets for its exports, China’s One Belt, One Road project is an attempt to economically link the East and the West together. It’s success or failure could be the bellwether of China’s new international influence.
Greek Tragedy – The Next Act
With all eyes turned to Alexis Tsipras and his radical new vision for Greece, the true peril is that he might not be able to govern at all.