Anne Krueger, “Trump’s Protectionist Quagmire”
(Project Syndicate, 15 November 2018)
This (very factual) article should be read against the background of increased evidence that China might be winning the trade war with the US. The US President’s tariffs on imported steel are a perfect example of how protectionism raises costs for consumers and producers, destroys jobs, and undermines domestic competitiveness. In short: the deficit reflects the difference between domestic savings and investment; so tariffs will neither reduce the US current-account deficit nor create more net jobs (reads in 6-8 min).
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Helen Lewis, “A Brexit Deal Has Arrived. Now the Chaos Begins”
(The New York Times – metered paywall, 14 November 2018)
What was previously unthinkable is now plausible: if the UK’s agreements with the European Union expire without being replaced, Britain could face utter and complete chaos – grounded planes, trucks backed up on highways, and food and medicine shortages. As Lewis (a respected political journalist) argues, the next few weeks will be an exercise in brinkmanship, and it now seems possible that Members of Parliament will really let a “no-deal” Brexit go ahead. “The terrifying possibility is that they might not be able to stop it, simply because it is the only option left” (reads in 5-6 min).
Please click here to read the article
(Project Syndicate, 15 November 2018)
This (very factual) article should be read against the background of increased evidence that China might be winning the trade war with the US. The US President’s tariffs on imported steel are a perfect example of how protectionism raises costs for consumers and producers, destroys jobs, and undermines domestic competitiveness. In short: the deficit reflects the difference between domestic savings and investment; so tariffs will neither reduce the US current-account deficit nor create more net jobs (reads in 6-8 min).
Please click here to read the article
Helen Lewis, “A Brexit Deal Has Arrived. Now the Chaos Begins”
(The New York Times – metered paywall, 14 November 2018)
What was previously unthinkable is now plausible: if the UK’s agreements with the European Union expire without being replaced, Britain could face utter and complete chaos – grounded planes, trucks backed up on highways, and food and medicine shortages. As Lewis (a respected political journalist) argues, the next few weeks will be an exercise in brinkmanship, and it now seems possible that Members of Parliament will really let a “no-deal” Brexit go ahead. “The terrifying possibility is that they might not be able to stop it, simply because it is the only option left” (reads in 5-6 min).
Please click here to read the article
Christopher Clark, “‘This Is a Reality, Not a Threat’”
(The New York Review of Books, 22 November 2018)
This is a review of two books written on war by a renowned scholar and a “practitioner”: “The Future of War: A History” by Lawrence Freedman, and “Future War: Preparing for the New Global Battlefield” by Robert Latiff. Rich and dense throughout. One interesting insight, at a time when so many pundits are making predictions about a China-US conflict: predicting future wars – both who will fight them and how they will be fought – has always been a hit-and-miss affair (reads in 10-15 min).
Please click here to read the article
(The New York Review of Books, 22 November 2018)
This is a review of two books written on war by a renowned scholar and a “practitioner”: “The Future of War: A History” by Lawrence Freedman, and “Future War: Preparing for the New Global Battlefield” by Robert Latiff. Rich and dense throughout. One interesting insight, at a time when so many pundits are making predictions about a China-US conflict: predicting future wars – both who will fight them and how they will be fought – has always been a hit-and-miss affair (reads in 10-15 min).
Please click here to read the article
Nellie Bowles, “Tech C.E.O.s Are in Love With Their Principal Doomsayer”
(The New York Times – metered paywall, 9 November 2018)
The celebrity’s historian prophecies might have made him a Cassandra in Silicon Valley, but instead, he has had to reconcile himself to the locals’ strange delight. This article delves into the details that might explain this apparent paradox. It contains great insights on Harari himself (reads in 8-9 min).
Please click here to read the article
(The New York Times – metered paywall, 9 November 2018)
The celebrity’s historian prophecies might have made him a Cassandra in Silicon Valley, but instead, he has had to reconcile himself to the locals’ strange delight. This article delves into the details that might explain this apparent paradox. It contains great insights on Harari himself (reads in 8-9 min).
Please click here to read the article
Ephrat Livni, “The secret to being witty, revealed”
(Quartz, 14 November 2018)
Who doesn’t want to be? According to a book just released (“Wit’s End: What Wit Is, How It Works, and Why We Need it”), wit consists in binding together remote and separate notions, finding similarity in dissimilar things (or dissimilarity in similar things), and drawing the mind from one word to another, so it’s all about juxtaposition and unusual connections between words and ideas. It’s a practice that can be mastered. Knowledge is the starting point. Curiosity is key (reads in 5-6 min).
Please click here to read the article
(Quartz, 14 November 2018)
Who doesn’t want to be? According to a book just released (“Wit’s End: What Wit Is, How It Works, and Why We Need it”), wit consists in binding together remote and separate notions, finding similarity in dissimilar things (or dissimilarity in similar things), and drawing the mind from one word to another, so it’s all about juxtaposition and unusual connections between words and ideas. It’s a practice that can be mastered. Knowledge is the starting point. Curiosity is key (reads in 5-6 min).
Please click here to read the article
