Well it’s good to be reminded that populist pandering is not dead and definitely not in the United States. A severe case of it was identified in the US Congress and spread rapidly to Republicans and Democrats alike in Washington and in the country over the question of DP World’s acquistion of port’s management for US terminals including some of the biggest – New York, Newark, Baltimore and Miami . The issue may well have been defanged for now by the decision of the Emir of Dubai to sell or transfer control to an American-owned entity.

The real question is – what is the critical question over the terminal lease acquisitions. There certainly is a security issue for US ports. But the fact that DP World was acquiring the leases was a red herring. The fragile security protection is Continue reading →

Martin Walker is very good at describing in summary form what Michael Mandelbaum advocates in his book: “He explains cooly and clearly the various ways in which the United States now functions asa global government, offering the planet the services of physical security, commercial regulation, financial stability and legal recourse that are normally provided by national governments to their citzens.”

While Mandelbaum identfies the growing weaknesses in America’s leading management role and points with alarm to the growing doemstic bill that America is generating now and for the future in the out-of-control social spending, Mandelbaum argues that there is no credible alternative to the American role as, “linchpin and guarantor of the global system.”

Is it that simple? To the degree America asserts leadership international stability is assured and to the degree it does not – growing chaos can be expected?

The Global Institutional Reform Workshop (GIR) or at least the label that we settled on (it’s royal “we” I’m afraid – I thought it up, I admit) began as an idea when I realized the release of a number of reports and analyses in close proximity, e.g. Sutherland, High Level Panel, 2020.   These reports looked at the future of global security and economic relations.   It will not come as a big surprise that most of these Reports struck me as inadequate.   That being said, I thought it was vital that a conscientious group of experts – you examine the reports and bring an assessment and evaluations that seemed to be missing from the immediate efforts.  

With the assistance of a number of our CIGI colleagues, Daniel Schwanen in particular, we launched an initial session in September 2006 at CIGI in Waterloo Canada.   CIGI is the place for us to undertake such a Project.   With a mandate Continue reading →