The first-ever US Department of Defense National Defense Industrial Strategy (NDIS) confirms what many analysts have concluded in regard to the unsustainable nature of Washington’s global-spanning foreign policy objectives and its defense industrial base’s (DIB) inability to achieve them.
Fatal Flaws Undermine America’s Defense Industrial Base
Tag: skilled workers
Assessment of Nuclear Conflict Risks at the Present Geopolitical Climate
The following is a letter by an anonymous viewer of the neutrality studies youtube channel, published here for the purpose of an open discussion. To send your own letter, please contact the editor.
Dear Pascal,
I thought I would write and to share some thoughts regarding the program you presented, with the two academics from Europe on the critical topic of “nuclear war risk assessment” at the present state of international geopolitical events. The link referencing your program is the following, that I am referring to:
Assessment of Nuclear Conflict Risks at the Present Geopolitical Climate
I slept through those videos. 🤷🏼♀️
Guyanese Are Becoming Poorer Despite Living in World’s Fastest Growing Economy
With a GDP growth of over 63% in 2022, according to the World Bank, and an estimated GDP growth of about 38% in 2023, Guyana is frequently referred to as the world’s fastest-growing economy. The meteoric rise of Guyana’s GDP is almost entirely due to the exploitation of recently discovered oil reserves by US-based multinational petroleum corporation ExxonMobil, a company that traces its origins to Rockefeller’s Standard Oil company.
Guyanese Are Becoming Poorer Despite Living in World’s Fastest Growing Economy
Related:
Guyana is the only English-speaking country in South America and shares cultural and historical bonds with the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana’s two largest ethnic groups are the Afro-Guyanese (descendants of African slaves) and the Indo-Guyanese (descendants of Indian indentured laborers), which together comprise about three quarters of Guyana’s population. Tensions periodically have boiled over between the two groups, which back ethnically based political parties and vote along ethnic lines. Poverty reduction has stagnated since the late 1990s. About one-third of the Guyanese population lives below the poverty line; indigenous people are disproportionately affected. Although Guyana’s literacy rate is reported to be among the highest in the Western Hemisphere, the level of functional literacy is considerably lower, which has been attributed to poor education quality, teacher training, and infrastructure.
Guyana’s emigration rate is among the highest in the world – more than 55% of its citizens reside abroad – and it is one of the largest recipients of remittances relative to GDP among Latin American and Caribbean counties. Although remittances are a vital source of income for most citizens, the pervasive emigration of skilled workers deprives Guyana of professionals in healthcare and other key sectors. More than 80% of Guyanese nationals with tertiary level educations have emigrated. Brain drain and the concentration of limited medical resources in Georgetown hamper Guyana’s ability to meet the health needs of its predominantly rural population. Guyana has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the region and continues to rely on international support for its HIV treatment and prevention programs.
CIA: World Fact Book
Unexpected: Studies Suggest That Rather Than Killing Jobs, AI Could Revive The Middle Class + More
We’ve certainly been talking a lot about the “AI Doomers” who insist that AI is all too likely to destroy humanity. However, even people who aren’t fully on board with the existential threat of AI do often say that, at the very least, it’s going to destroy jobs for most people, potentially creating huge problems. For years now, people have been arguing for universal basic income, in large part, because they think that automation and AI will take away everyone’s jobs. I mean, it was a core plank of Andrew Yang’s silly run for President.
Studies Suggest That Rather Than Killing Jobs, AI Could Revive The Middle Class
Related:
[2017] “Another kick in the teeth”: a top economist on how trade with China helped elect Trump
David Autor believes both these things to be true: one, that Donald Trump’s diagnosis of trade with China as the source of woe for countless American workers was both accurate and a crucial part of his appeal on his march to the White House. And two, that Trump’s plan to help those workers by cracking down on trade is likely to backfire.
[2020]: Would China Invade Taiwan for TSMC?
Our previous article explained the importance of the Taiwanese firm TSMC as a critical link in the global semiconductor supply chain. Although it is not the only firm with the ability to manufacture cutting-edge logic chips, TSMC is the only viable choice for chip design companies in many situations, and under normal market conditions is likely to remain so for years to come. Control of TSMC’s foundries in Taiwan might thus appear a decisive factor both in Beijing’s readiness to risk attempting unification through force, and for other states deciding whether to take a strong stance against this.
Would China Invade Taiwan for TSMC? (archived)
Ukraine’s Appetite for Weapons Is Straining Western Stockpiles
“I think everyone now is sufficiently worried,” a NATO official said.
Ukraine’s Appetite for Weapons Is Straining Western Stockpiles (Archived)
Waiting on someone to run out, first. Doubt that it will be Russia.
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 