Jeffrey Sachs on Geography and the Wealth of Nations

Geography and the wealth of nations
https://www.youtube.com/live/8GYePkuNbKQ 

Geopolitical Shocks Hit Gulf Economies

Gulf Economies, Torn by War in Iran, Desperately Need a Return to Normal
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/02/business/iran-war-gulf-economies.html
States like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that have worked to rebalance from a dependence on energy have seen growth plunge in a year of strife.  

Era of Polycrisis

If you feel like everything’s falling apart, you’re probably right
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/10/21/no-happy-ending-in-sight-for-this-global-polycrisis/
From the streets of Paris to the debt markets, there are no happy endings in sight to the world’s many crises. 

Related:
https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2026/10/the-world-beyond-left-vs-right

Computer Chips and Geopolitical Competition

Computer Chips Are the Most Magnificent Things Humanity Has Ever Made
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/10/26/computer-chips-are-the-most-magnificent-things-weve-ever-made
They power our phones, cars, dishwashers—and the A.I. systems that prop up the economy. They’re also at the heart of fierce geopolitical rivalry. 

France in Trouble

Eight Charts That Show the Depth of France’s Financial Crunch
https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/eight-charts-that-show-the-depth-of-frances-financial-crunch-40b31ee6
Years of lavish consumer support have left the country’s finances in a precarious state.

A ‘Doom Loop’ Threatens France as Populism Confronts Markets
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/20/business/france-protests-bond-markets.html
The turmoil shows the profound challenges facing governments stuck between unhappy citizens and wary bond investors.
 
It’s Not Just France. Europe’s Political Center Is Crumbling. 
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/20/world/europe/france-protests-europe-centrist-far-right.html
Europe’s centrist parties are losing ground among young people and workers, who are increasingly tempted by populist promises of radical change. 

Can we be surprised that France has descended into nihilism?
https://spectator.com/article/can-we-be-surprised-that-france-has-descended-into-nihilism/

The Indian Diaspora

The limits of India’s diaspora power
https://www.economist.com/asia/2026/10/11/the-limits-of-indias-diaspora-power 

Unintended Consequences?

Russians Snap Up Chinese E.V.s as Ukrainian Attacks Make Fuel Scarce
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/04/world/europe/russia-ukraine-war-ev-sales.html
As Ukraine increasingly takes the war to Russia, the effects may be most visible on the roads.  

The Consequences of Bad Economic Policies

The Moves That Backfired on Trump and Drove Interest Rates and Inflation Higher
https://www.wsj.com/economy/trump-economy-inflation-jobs-724e4da8
The president’s own agenda has helped undermine promises to fix the economy and get the deficit under control.
 
Trump’s Tariffs Push Canadian Companies to Look Past American Links
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/business/trump-tariffs-canada-diversify.html
Shaken by tariffs and threats from the Trump administration, Canadian businesses are seeking markets and suppliers beyond the U.S. 

America and the Middle East

The Death of the Old Middle East—and the Dangerous New World Replacing It
https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/simon-sebag-montefiore-middle-east-alliances-cauldron-1d35b8cf
Simon Sebag-Montefiore on how traditional rivalries are receding as regional conflicts lead to powerful new alliances.

America is stepping back from a region it never managed to remake
https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2026/09/23/america-is-stepping-back-from-a-region-it-never-managed-to-remake
It is giving up the job of running the Middle East. 

Demise of the Rules-based Order

How to Survive in a World Without Rules
https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/09/hal-brands-rules-based-order-great-power-politics-geopolitics/
Hal Brands:
Not so long ago, it seemed that the world was becoming more civilized. The end of the Cold War was supposed to bring the triumph of the rules-based order. Enlightened norms and cooperation, buttressed by a broad-minded superpower, would supplant anarchic patterns of the past. It was an inspiring vision—and, alas, an illusion.
Now, all around the world, rules are in retreat. Aggression and conquest are surging; economic coercion and predation are rampant. Respect for international law and organizations is cratering; arms control is in decline. Great powers are reviving dreams of empire; the United States is tempted to seek narrow national aggrandizement at the cost of world order. 

Nostalgia and Lost Pride

The Fuel Europe’s Far Right Feeds On: Nostalgia and Lost Pride
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/21/world/europe/germany-afd-far-right.html
The populist emphasis on national identity, rather than on the sins of the past, finds a deep response in voters adrift in a world they no longer understand. 

US - A Contributor to Economic Instability

The World Economy Is Becoming Wary of the U.S.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/business/trump-debt-sanctions-global-economy.html
America’s position of global economic stability is starting to look shakier as the Trump administration piles on debt and doubles down on sanctions.
 
E.U. Offers to Make Canada ‘Associate Member’ as U.S. Ties Weaken for Both
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/world/europe/eu-canada-associate-member.html
Canada and the European Union have been confronting an increasingly challenging relationship with the United States under President Trump. 

Europe's Immigration Concerns

There’s a Reason Europe Is So Obsessed with Immigration
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/15/opinion/europe-immigration-ceuta-far-right.html Immigration has become a prism through which all the continent’s ills are viewed. 

US Foreign Policy and Political Corruption

Jared Kushner’s Dollar Diplomacy
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/09/21/jared-kushners-dollar-diplomacy
Donald Trump’s son-in-law represents the kind of Washington figure for whom public office serves as a means to extraordinary wealth. 

MAGA Is Making the World Safe for Corruption
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/10/maga-foreign-policy/688352/
Far-right ideologues have transformed American foreign policy into a tool of private gain and antidemocratic reaction.

BRICS at 20

The BRICS at 20
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/20-years-of-brics-has-reshaped-international-affairs-by-brahma-chellaney-2026-09
If the promise of the BRICS was to establish a monetary union, a single market, or a tightly integrated political alliance, it has not been fulfilled. But if it was to build a platform for emerging economies to cooperate while advancing their own strategic autonomy, the BRICS has exceeded expectations.

In a Club of Emerging Powers, China and India Vie for Influence
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/11/world/asia/china-india-brics-summit.html
China sees the BRICS group as a vehicle for challenging American power. India wants to keep the group broad enough to avoid choosing sides.

 
World’s biggest relationship? Xi and Modi look to rebuild ties for 2.8bn people
https://www.ft.com/content/6525cf15-0cf0-4fff-a3a4-298a41569d97
Brics summit expected to bring China’s leader to India for first time in seven years after cautious diplomacy to put bilateral relations back on track. 

BRICS on the Rise 
https://www.ft.com/content/303ff813-fa48-417d-a44e-387c9e649ddf

Related:
https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/shifting-u-s-alliances-push-rivals-china-and-india-together-37c95b68

US Foreign Policy Blunders

Peru Shows the Limits of Washington’s Anti-China Push
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/07/world/americas/peru-trump-china-economy.html
 
Trump’s Neocolonialism Will Backfire
https://www.newyorker.com/news/global-notes/trumps-neocolonialism-will-backfire  
The President is touting his big Venezuelan oil deal, but his interventions abroad are stirring anger and having unintended consequences. 

The Ultimate Safe Asset

Why are European countries moving their gold out of North America?
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgyn8q8gqxo 

A New World Order?

A New World Order Is Coming. We Aren’t Ready.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/01/opinion/world-order-international-relations.html 

Climate Concerns and Economic Development

The Rich World’s Climate Distraction
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-rich-worlds-climate-distraction-fe33cf14
The World Bank and other institutions lose their focus on the best ways to help the poor. 

Mearsheimer on the Iran War

John Mearsheimer analyzes the current state of the Iran War and explains why the conflict is increasingly shaping up to be one of the most disastrous strategic blunders in U.S. history.
https://youtu.be/xPfO5fsxnKg

Related:

How Much Is the Iran War Costing Americans?

https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-financial-page/how-much-is-the-iran-war-costing-americans

A proper calculation must take in more than just the military costs.