The realist school: An emerging paradigm

First published on 14 June 2022. Sometimes, intellectual thought undergoes a rupture that cannot be stopped. It does not matter how much you resist the conceptual tsunami, or how far you run. It will tear down what you know, and force any remaining ideas to cluster around the victorious Noah’s ark of the God-given intellectual … Continue reading The realist school: An emerging paradigm →

The populist manifesto: Why policy trumps rhetoric and how Ye might synthesise Bernie and Trump’s platforms into one unity campaign for the American working class

‘I could build a new Rome in one day.’ Ye, ‘Clique’, from Kanye West Presents, Good Music - Cruel Summer As the title of this article suggests, I want to propose a populist manifesto — a manifesto to transfer power from the wealthy and powerful back to the people of the world. This does not … Continue reading The populist manifesto: Why policy trumps rhetoric and how Ye might synthesise Bernie and Trump’s platforms into one unity campaign for the American working class →

Westfailure: How the Kanye Presidency might turn out if Ye is not careful

‘Be more specific.’ This phrase, once uttered by Ye (the artist formerly known as Kanye West) is mentioned countless times by advisers and journalists in the statements to the press given by Pusha T (nicknamed King Push) upon the inauguration of Ye to the Presidency of the United States of America. From Ye’s Telegram account, … Continue reading Westfailure: How the Kanye Presidency might turn out if Ye is not careful →

17 Points: How to make the world safe for all people

First published in early autumn 2022. In the view that all people depend on peace for their survival and wellbeing, and in the knowledge that peace is at grave risk of breakdown, there are several points that may be well understood by those wise enough to choose peace over war. To that end, the seventeen … Continue reading 17 Points: How to make the world safe for all people →

What is distinctive about international politics? The question raised by the Bennett Institute’s report on public opinion on China, Russia, and America

A World Divided: Russia, China and the West. So goes the title of the Bennet Institute’s latest report on international politics, after a notable report on the decline of public trust in democracy in domestic political institutions (Global Satisfaction with Democracy, 2020). I would like to compare and contrast these reports and their shared implications … Continue reading What is distinctive about international politics? The question raised by the Bennett Institute’s report on public opinion on China, Russia, and America →

Tenet, temporal geopolitics, and Elon Musk’s East-West gambit

Who is Elon Musk? Iron Man? No, too boring. The new Steve Jobs? No, too interesting. The new Christopher Nolan? More like it. Let me explain. East meets West: Elon Musk and Ye (The Artist Formerly Known As Kanye West). In Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, admired by engineers in Elon Musk’s line of work, a war … Continue reading Tenet, temporal geopolitics, and Elon Musk’s East-West gambit →

Get a grip, Russia is not going to nuke Ukraine — but the media’s rhetoric implies the West might

It is said that whoever first diagnoses a situation as dangerous is wise, and whoever first accuses someone as responsible is foolish. Of course, what if these are the same person? For Thomas Hobbes, there are two kinds of people — natural persons like you are me, and artificial persons like states and corporations. Among … Continue reading Get a grip, Russia is not going to nuke Ukraine — but the media’s rhetoric implies the West might →

For heaven’s sake, stop China now — before it is too late

A rising power confronts a ruling power. The question of who rules becomes hard to answer. To resolve this ambiguity, there is war. Millions suffer and die. For what, exactly? Islands claimed by China in the South China Sea. Dangerous, this path is. Careful and courageous, we must be. We must avoid this miserable fate. … Continue reading For heaven’s sake, stop China now — before it is too late →

Why Liz Truss’s policies will not promote long-term growth — and the other parties have no good alternatives

Political debates these days are deeply frustrating to me, as they seem to completely miss the point. On the one hand, the so-called ‘left wing’ launches tirades against economic growth, calling out GDP figures by drawing attention to the socio-ecological background against which technological development rests. At least, that is how I imagine the left … Continue reading Why Liz Truss’s policies will not promote long-term growth — and the other parties have no good alternatives →

Marx vs. Luther: Will China and the West clash?

Penned for INK student magazine (print edition) in 2018 during my tenure as politics editor. Imagine yourself in Wittenberg, Saxony, 1517. Western Europe is uniformly Catholic and, reminiscent of the once-mighty Roman Empire, the “Holy Roman Empire” presides over what is now modern Germany. One day, you notice a young theology professor nailing a lengthy … Continue reading Marx vs. Luther: Will China and the West clash? →