One way to view all of this is as the frayed edges of the global maritime transport infrastructure. It represents an opportunity to develop a more resilient global platform - there is a sizable foreign policy and profit payoff for whoever figures out effective improvements to the platform.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Visualizing Holes in Global Infrastructure
The International Chamber of Commerce has a nice google maps mashup visualizing pirate attacks in 2008. On the Gulf of Aden front, there is an incredibly detailed google map showing the relevant shipping routes, suspected resupply points and key ports.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Latest Additions to the Library
Gates to Stay
Monday, November 24, 2008
How Quickly it Flies
The Economist surveys the troubles faced by the Russian economy. Most significant part of the story: the graph showing that that Russia’s foreign-exchange reserves have fallen to the same level they were at in January. That is to say that it only took a few months to erase the roughly $200 billion in foreign exchange reserves Russia accumulated during the summer’s price spike.
Friday, November 21, 2008
You always come back
The Economist discusses how anarchy in Somalia has lead to the surge in piracy in the Gulf of Aden, with serious consequences for global trade.
At the risk of flogging a dead horse, this demonstrates once again the need for a SysAdmin capability. Eradicating the pirate threat requires denying them the sanctuary of lawless Somalia - a mission that there is no international body currently prepared or able to tackle. It is an opportunity to gather the economic powers of our era together to start forging the great power alliances of the 21st Century.
