Why Europe should prepare itself for a Trump presidency. Europe is in better shape than many think. An argument in favour of the ’nanny state’. The invisible, unregulated march of AI into our everyday lives. How to avoid slipping into a doom spiral.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
ARTICLE OF THE WEEK
Arancha Gonzales Laya, Camille Grand, Katarzyna Pisarska, Nathalie Tocci and Guntram Wolff, Trump-Proofing Europe
(Foreign Affairs, 2 February 2024)
Five prominent academics offer their thoughts on how Europe can prepare for American abandonment. Why is a possible Trump victory such a concern on so many fronts? To figure it out, read some of the statements made by Trump during his campaign: he’ll negotiate with Putin to end the Ukraine war “in 24 hours,” he’ll demand that Europe reimburse the US for ammunition used in Ukraine, he’ll withdraw from the Paris climate accords, he’ll roil the global economy by imposing a 10% tariff on all imports, and more. Trump-roofing Europe is hard because a second Trump term would exacerbate the instability Europe is already struggling to manage. Therefore, Europe must take concrete steps to bulwark its security and economy. Easier said than done. Read on (metered paywall that requires prior registration, reads in 8-10 min).
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Paul Krugman, What’s the Matter with Europe?
(The New York Times, 30 January 2024)
Since the pandemic, the US has grown much faster than the EU by doing more to stimulate recovery with government spending, but how did they compare prior to that? Quite well in terms of employment and productivity, even though real GDP per capita is lower in Europe (mainly because Europeans take much more vacation time than Americans – a choice not a problem in itself). Demographics play a key role in the widespread perception that it is in relative decline and that its economy has grown more slowly than the US over the past few decades. This notwithstanding, “Europe is in astonishingly good shape, economically and socially, compared with almost any other part of the world”. (gifted article, reads in 5-7 min).
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Olivia Olander and others, How AI is quietly changing everyday life
(Politico, 4 February 2024)
Behind the hype, AI is already humming along in unseen and unregulated ways, touching millions of people who don’t even know what it is. A growing share of businesses, schools, and medical professionals are embracing generative AI, and “there’s really no going back”. This simple article provides many examples of the way in which AI already influences hiring, ‘keeps an eye’ on workers’ productivity (or even tells them what to do), tutors children, helps buying a home, supports doctors and even provides medical advice. All these raise a myriad of (so far unresolved) regulatory challenges (metered paywall, reads in. 6-8 min).
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Adrian Wooldridge, It’s Time to Celebrate the Nanny State, Not Apologize For It
(Bloomberg, 5 February 2024)
Focused on the UK where the government has shied away from taking on the food and super-market lobby that continues to stuff us with all sorts of noxious additives, but the argument has universal value. We should “stop apologizing for the Nanny State as an unfortunate limitation on freedom and start recognizing it for what it is: a chance to improve our lives and free ourselves from the overweening power of big companies and base appetites.” The key point: the biggest threat to freedom does not come from a state elected by the people and subject to all sorts of oversight, but “from a rapacious corporate world that has more power over our preferences than any world has ever had before” (gifted article, reads in 5-7 min).
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Allie Volpe, Are you catastrophizing? Here’s how to stop assuming the worst
(Vox, 3 February 2024)
Nowadays, consuming news of any kind can inspire despair and generate a doom spiral: overthinking, hopelessness, and catastrophic thinking. Climbing out of this requires both in-the-moment grounding techniques and big-picture reframing. Nine experts provide advice on how to curb and diffuse overly negative thoughts. Therapist-approved tactics include: (1) Asking pointed questions; (2) Following the negative thoughts to see where they lead; (3) Paying attention when things go well; (4) Trying to problem-solve instead of searching for problems; (5) Focusing on what you can control; and more (free access, reads in 6-8 min).
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