Why it matters that Putin is a spy not a soldier. Why further de-globalization risks being the fallout from the financial ‘war’ being waged on Russia. How literature and history can help us better understand the momentous events of today. How climate policy and energy security policy are coalescing in Europe. How10 innovative technologies could shape the future of – almost everything.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
ARTICLE OF THE WEEK
Lawrence Freedman, Giving Peace a Chance
(Substack, 9 March 2022)
It’s always worth paying attention to the arguments put forward by the Emeritus Professor of War Studies at King’s College – a ‘legend’ in his field. The background: Putin reasons as a spy, not as a soldier: “He has an instinct for the covert, the fabricated and the dishonest, for gaining advantage through manipulating perceptions, leaving his opponents disoriented and motivating his supporters by warning of dark threats”. Freedman offers a rich and sophisticated analysis of what lies behind the current negotiations and various initiatives underway, from cease-fires and the “keep what you hold” principle to a negotiated peace. Immediate prospects are not good (free access – reads in about 10 min).
Click here to read the full article
Raghuram Rajan, Economic Weapons of Mass Destruction
(Project Syndicate, 17 March 2022)
The former governor of the Reserve Bank of India and Chicago professor offers has an interesting take on the sanctions against Russia – the economic equivalent of weapons of mass destruction. Even though he recognizes that the use of painful, sweeping economic sanctions is clearly justified in the case of Russia, he argues that in the future these powerful new tools will need to be subject to proper controls. Otherwise, he says, “they could trigger a reversal of globalization – and of the prosperity that it has made possible”. But aren’t we already going towards a de-globalizing world? The risk of a balkanized global economy is real. (metered paywall – reads in 6-8 min).
Click here to read the full article
Marci Shore, Nine Books to Read to Understand the War in Ukraine
(The Atlantic, 11 March 2022)
This article presents nine books from the past century in different genres (memoir, fiction, and nonfiction) by authors from different countries, that can help us grasp the Russian invasion of Ukraine and offer a glimpse into a century of historical context in Eastern Europe. White Guard, the novel written by Bulgakov in 1925, helps us understand how, in a single day, the world can change as radically as if decades had passed (metered paywall – reads in 6-8 min).
Click here to read the full article
Paul Hockenos, Will Russia’s War Spur Europe to Move on Green Energy?
(Yale School of the Environment, 14 March 2022)
Yes it will and this article explains why. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is prompting European leaders to push for a faster switch to renewables as part of a strategy to end dependence on Russian gas as rapidly and comprehensively as possible and in the process to accelerate Europe’s green energy transition. Their ambitious plans now call for fast-tracking deployment of solar and tripling clean energy capacity by 2030. This challenge is making climate policy and energy security policy as ‘one’, and has to be seen as a huge chance for Europe to finally make good on its climate goals (free access – reads in 6-8 min).
Click here to read the full article
10 Breakthrough Technologies
(MIT Technology Review, March 2022)
Technological innovation is expanding at such an accelerated pace that it requires constant attention to keep up with what’s going on and to grasp what matters. This short article has deep dives on the 10 breakthrough technologies identified for 2022. They range from the end of passwords, a long-lasting grid battery and AI for protein folding, to proof of stake (cutting drastically energy consumption for crypto), practical fusion reactors and a carbon removal factory. Intriguing and a great ray of hope! (metered paywall – reads in 5 min, much more with the deep dives).
Click here to read the full article
