Economics
by Latifa Ferial Naili When reflecting on the rise of monopolies and the manipulation of public opinion for business advantage, the story of John D. Rockefeller and his involvement in the Prohibition movement of the 1920s stands out. In a recent conversation. Rockefeller, often regarded as the epitome of ruthless capitalism, used his considerable resources Read more
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The global wealth is estimated to be close to $450 trillion. Almost half of this wealth is wealth (about 47.5%; or $213 trillion) is controlled by just 1.5% of the world’s adult population. The data were released in the 2024 UBS Global Wealth Report (PDF), which sampled 56 markets that account for 92 percent of Read more
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A global pandemic is generally enough to trigger a broad transformation with significant impact. A pandemic, an “Arab Spring”, a war in Europe, a climate crisis, and a shift in energy sources and consumptions make global change a certainty. That certainty becomes clear when looking at how each nation-state is maneuvering to secure space in Read more
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The energy and food crises are not direct outcomes of just the war in Ukraine. The energy and food crises are connected to many other unaddressed critical issues. Thereforre, they must be addressed holistically. The conflict between Russia and the West that was exacerbated by Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine must not be understood as Read more
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The wars in Syria, Libya, and Yemen reshaped relations between regional powers in Southwest Asian and North Africa. The rise of the erratic prince to power in Saudi Arabia created even more uncertainty, instability, and violence. None of that seem to be enduring, though. Just months ago, Turkey and Egypt were at odds over Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia* Abstract: In nearly three decades, the Internet has evolved from being an innovation in communication technologies into an economic addon then into a tool of radical social and economic transformation. By the end of the second decade of the 21st century, the Internet, now dominated by social media platforms, wielded material Read more
Continue ReadingBy Ryan Bailey and Anthony Biswell* In January 2020, demonstrators heckled a delegation of bankers leaving Lebanon’s central bank. This was not an uncommon occurrence – protests targeting the country’s political and financial elite had been ongoing for months. What was unique in this situation, however, was the identity of the banking delegation. These bankers Read more
Continue ReadingMore than 5,000 researchers from universities around the globe issued an urgent call to heed the lessons of the COVID-19 crisis and rewrite the rules of our economic systems in order to create a more democratic and sustainable society. Their call, made in the midst of an unprecedented health, climate, and political crisis, paves a Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia* March 18, 2020 Abstract: It might be pure conspiracy theorism to think that some evil person or entity has engineered and intentionally released the deadly COVID-19 that literally shutdown the world. However, it is not a theory that the state we are in is due to human behavior and a result Read more
Continue ReadingBy Ahmed E Souaiaia* Abstract: On May 11, 2019, the US federal government indicted 50 individuals, charging them with bribery and fraud in a widespread college admission scandal involving wealthy parents, coaches, administrators, and business executives, paying bribes to buy their children’s way into the nation’s elite schools. For weeks thereafter, the public discourse had Read more
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