Category Archives: Globalization

Australia’s Grand Plans to Export Solar – A Lesson from the ‘Gas Crisis’

By John McGregor, a translator and political violence researcher As perverse as it seems, achieving the dream of linking Australian renewable energy to Asian energy buyers may generate a household electricity crisis as artificial as the current gas crisis. As with LNG, large scale solar projects are set to largely, perhaps even entirely, bypass domestic […]

Why Give a Damn About Pelosi? How About the Nuclear Strike We Would Have Made on China Over Formosa?

In 1958, the US considered a nuclear strike against China if China’s planned conquest of Formosa went well.

Why It’s Essential for Congress to Reauthorize Trade Adjustment Assistance

Workers attest that the Trade Adjustment Assistance has helped them move into new careers when employers offshore jobs. Will it be cut?

Yanis Varoufakis: Inflation as a Political Power Play Gone Wrong

Looking at inflation through a class warfare lens.

The Russia-Ukraine War, European Financial Integration, and Crises

Fragmentation of euro area financial markets has been relatively limited, as policymakers have benefitted from reforms after and experiences with past crises, European countries and authorities reacted with quite some unity, and direct financial exposures to Russia and Ukraine are relatively small

Book Review: A Global History of the Black Death

In “The World the Plague Made,” James Belich argues that the Black Death had a profound impact beyond Europe.

Michael Hudson: American Diplomacy as a Tragic Drama

American policies have become astonishingly obvious about not simply putting the US first, but also exploiting supposed partners to do so.

Xi and Biden Talk Past Each Other in Over 2 Hour Phone Call

The Xi-Biden call confirmed that despite keeping communications lines open, the two superpowers are at an impasse.

One China Eyepoking Too Far: Biden Signals US Not Backing Down on Pelosi Taiwan Visit as China Promises Military Response

Taiwan is becoming yet another case study in advanced imperial decline. Too bad the world is along for the ride.

Sri Lanka’s Arrest of Aeroflot Plane Was the Straw that Broke President Rajapaksa’s Back

How Sri Lanka tried, and may still be trying, to play Moscow off against Washington.

The End of Cheap Russian Gas: Turning the Lights Out in Europe

Be careful what you wish for: Europe is seeing the end of its access to cheap Russian gas.

Some Implications of the UN’s Ukraine Grain and Russia Fertilizer/Food Agreements

The press was all over the UN’s Ukraine grain deal, but the UN agreement on Russian fertilizer and food may be more imporant in the long run.

Reject CPTPP, Stay Out of New Cold War

Aiee, the TPP is back as the CPTPP. Same bad features but no US market access. What’s not to like?

Michael Hudson on Finance Capitalism’s Self-Destructive Nature

Michael Hudson rings the changes on a favorite theme: the differences between the financial capitalism and industrial capitalism systems

International Labor Organization Reports on Gig Worker Protest

Platform workers are well networked, with strengthening sinews of solidarity that transcend individual companies. It is also important to note that platform labour protest tends to emerge from the bottom up, particularly in the global South, where such protests are overwhelmingly led by informal groups of workers.